Madisonians sported bikinis and board shorts along with professional attire and, in one case, a Hulk Hogan costume at the annual Polar Plunge.
The tenth annual Polar Plunge, named ""Dippin' for a Decade,"" took place February 21 at Olin Turville Park. The event, an annual fundraiser to benefit the Special Olympics Wisconsin, drew roughly 2,200 participants to Monona Bay this year.
Among those in attendance was first-time plunger and UW-Madison junior Noah Weibel, who was persuaded by peers in the School of Education to participate.
""It was a mad scramble to the stairs to get out of the water,"" Weibel said with a laugh. ""I guess our basic instincts took over after we hit the water, it felt like a sort of burning sensation.""
While it may sound like torture, Weibel added he is excited and ready for next year's Polar Plunge, saying he will ""definitely do it again.""
The event's 11 a.m. start time saw a temperature of about 20 degrees and a sky of steady snowflakes. Those who had pre-registered for the event raised around $300,000 for Special Olympics Wisconsin.
Weibel said some plungers ended up waiting in the clothes they would swim in for up to 15 minutes before they took the jump, which made him regret wearing only his swim trunks. More experienced plungers donned sweats, while the more creative participants sported costumes.
Hank Harris, a UW-Madison sophomore, decided to show off his red one-piece footie outfit to Saturday's event.
""I had a great time,"" Harris said enthusiastically. ""I wanted to participate because it's a good cause and a popular thing to do here in Madison.""
Wisconsin native and UW-Madison sophomore Helen Osborn said while some may find jumping into freezing water to be crazy, the polar plunge is ""just something us natives like to do in the winter.""
