Many take plunge for good cause

The plunge is a festive winter fund-raising event for Special Olympics.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CORTLAND -- Forty-eight participants in the Polar Bear Plunge raised 10,059 for Special Olympics Ohio when they ran into the icy waters of Mosquito Lake.
"It was cold," Sabrina Bailey of Andover, a first-time plunger, said of the lake water, shivering while friends dried her off with a beach towel. When she first hit the water, "it hurt," said Bailey, who wore a swimsuit and sneakers. However, she said she participated "for a good cause" and would take the plunge again.
The Saturday afternoon event was the first of six such plunges scheduled statewide this winter as fundraisers for Special Olympics, and the first held in the Youngstown-Warren area for that organization.
The atmosphere was festive as plungers walked down the snow-covered state park beach, entering and leaving the chilly water within about 30 seconds.
After the event, plungers were treated to a warm-up party at Trumbull Moose Lodge 186 in Warren, which co-sponsored the event along with Moose Lodge 1012 in Cortland and the Warren Fire Department.
'Buckeye Santa' joins in
"I said I'll stick around instead of going back up to the North Pole," said Paul Gustovich of Niles, who calls himself "Buckeye Santa," and entered the water wearing an Ohio State University souvenir ski cap and practice jersey, a white beard, red suspenders and red shorts.
"Santa loves children, and Special Olympics is special to me. ... These kids have obstacles to overcome," Gustovich said of the children who participate in the program.
Special Olympics Ohio provides athletic training and competition all year in 19 sports for some 21,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The organization has seven statewide events and 75 local events annually.
"I live up at the North Pole, so for me and the elves, that's nothing," Gustovich said of the plunge. However, Gustovich, who raised 505 Saturday, said it was his first Polar Bear Plunge for Special Olympics.
Erin O'Rourke of Warren, a member of the Warren Moose Lodge, described the water as chilly as she donned her coat and scarf after the event, but said she'd plunge again. "It's a challenge," she added.
A good strategy for tolerating the plunge is to stand on the beach for awhile to become acclimated to the cold air before plunging, said O'Rourke, who had participated in other Special Olympics events and in Youngstown State University sorority fundraisers. "Your best bet's just to get cold before you go in," observed O'Rourke, who raised 355.
A wet-suited Bazetta police diver and a state park officer wearing an ice rescue suit were on hand along with other police, fire and ambulance crews for the event. Park personnel cut a 75-by-150 foot hole in the inch-thick ice in advance of the event, for which the air and water temperatures were in the 30s.
Other events
Other Special Olympics plunges, bearing the slogan, "Freezing for a reason," will be Saturday in the Ohio River at Newport, Ky.; Feb. 10 at Cedar Point in Sandusky; Feb. 11 at Silver Lake in New Carlisle; Feb. 17 at Alum Creek State Park in Delaware; and Feb. 24 in Lake Erie at Geneva State Park. The first plunge was at Geneva-on-the Lake, and the Geneva event is in its 11th year.
The plunges have generated about 1.5 million for Special Olympics since they began, said Paige Ludwig, assistant director of Special Olympics Ohio.
"It gives children and adults with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to have a positive environment, build self-esteem and build confidence, and it's just a great program for them to get involved with," she said. "The turnout was tremendous. Close to 10,000 for a first-year event is wonderful. It can only go up from here," she added.
After the event, Shawn Peura of Warren, a fellow in the Trumbull Moose Lodge 186 of Warren and plunge organizer, told Ludwig he wanted to begin planning this week for next year's Youngstown-Warren area plunge, which will be Jan. 26 in the same location.
milliken@vindy.com