Team Guthrie plunges in freezing temp’s for Special Olympics

The winter season has not shown its full power of cold temperatures, snow or ice, but then again have you jumped in a lake with a wind chill of 3 degrees? That is exactly what some Special Olympics athletes and volunteers did in The Polar Plunge.

The Polar Plunge is a fundraising event coordinated by the Law Enforcement Torch Run, a charitable organization composed of law enforcement personnel. Funds collected for the plunge into Boomer Lake’s frigid waters were donated to the Special Olympics.

Erin Henke, Radonna, Sarah and Courtney Ross took the plunge for the Guthrie Special Olympic team. The February 11th date had a current temperature of 19 degrees at Boomer Lake in Stillwater. In total, 100 participants took part in the plunge.

The four brave souls who jumped for Team Guthrie raised $850 for Special Olympics Oklahoma.

Henke is a Special Olympic athlete as is Courtney Ross. Courtney’s sister and mother went along for the plunge.

All around the site of the event were various emergency vehicles, heated tents and even a hot tub. Trooper Todd Hatchett of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, said hypothermia is one of the biggest injury risks for the event.

The Stillwater Fire Department, Stillwater Police Department, as well as paramedics, were brought in to handle cold weather injuries, or any other emergency that might arise, but the plunge occurred without incident.