Reader thinks polar plunge looks like certain death

Feb. 23—Dear Answer Man: Once again, folks flocked to Foster-Arend Park to jump in the cold water and raise money. And once again, I’m surprised they aren’t turning into ice cubes in the water. How do people not die of hypothermia, shock or extreme frostbite doing this? — Staying Warm.

Dear Warm,

I’m assuming you’ve never taken the plunge, so to speak.

Well, Answer Man is with you. I complain if someone has used up most of the hot water when I get in the shower.

Still, plenty of people do dunk themselves into icy Upper Midwest waters every year for fundraisers — such as the annual Polar Plunge at Foster-Arend Park — and for fun, and they seem to live to tell the frigid tale.

“Knock wood, we’ve never had a medical emergency other than the occasional person who falls and scrapes a knee or gets a bump,” says Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson, who knows a thing or two about jumping into cold lakes.

Torgerson, a supporter of the Minnesota Special Olympics, has been taking the plunge for more than two decades in an effort to raise money for the games. The sheriff said it’s basically all about mindset over matter.

“Yep, it’s going to be cold, but generally — and this is hard for some people to believe — it’s no different when it’s an 80-degree summer day at Foster Arend — or your favorite lake up north — and the water temperature might be 65 or 70 degrees,” Torgerson said. “That first dip is a little chilly until you adapt.”

Take this year, for example, he said. The air temperature was somewhere in the low 20s, but the water — since it’s not frozen — is likely above 32 degrees. “Usually, it’s between 33 and 36 degrees,” Torgerson said. “So, it’s warmer in the water.”

The key is afterwards to warm up quickly. At the Polar Plunge, there are warming tents set to a balmy 80 degrees. The trick is to get inside quickly and avoid the wind.

“The other key is the costume or clothing someone wears,” he said. “It is colder, in my opinion, with more clothing on. Less is more!”

Wind and cold air can freeze that water in your clothes, he said. To combat this, some people wear a moisture-wicking material that might draw the water away from your skin, which can help. “Believe it or not, swimsuits really are the best,” he said.

As for those Special Olympics, if you didn’t jump in the cold lake but still want to support a worthy program, Torgerson said, “We are still raising funds this year with matching money from companies and friends, but we hope to reach close to $280,000 this year.”

The Feb. 8 event at Foster-Arend park thus far has generated $279,930 from 923 plungers. Currently, across the state, Polar Plunge events have seen more than 16,000 plungers generate more than $3.5 million for Special Olympics Minnesota, according to the Polar Plunge website, plungemn.org. (Click “Donate” in the upper right-hand corner and select the Feb. 8 Rochester Plunge.)

All that cold, hard cash, all those brave plungers; those are numbers that should warm anyone’s heart.

Send questions to Answer Man at answerman@postbulletin.com .

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