KIRKSVILLE, MO -- The sixth annual Polar Bear Plunge was held Saturday at Thousand Hills State Park.
The temperature rose into the upper 40's, but the water felt a little different.
Brenda Snyder was thrilled that she got to represent her company, Complete Family Medicine, for the second year in a row, "We just plunged, and it was awesome!! It was our second year with Complete Family Medicine and you know it was ten minutes of freezing cold for the kids that have disabilities for a lifetime. That is why we do it."
The balmy 37 degree water did not keep the Heartland inside Saturday. All the money raised will be donated to Special Olympics for athletes across the Heartland.
The turnout was the best yet according to the Polar Bear Plunge committee member Amanda Clark. "It was the largest one we have had yet. I know there were about 160 pre-registered before today. We haven't gotten the full numbers yet, but I would say we are pretty close to 175 to 200 plungers," Clark said.
Everyone turned out Saturday afternoon from the Wizard of Oz gang, to a group of pool billiards and even man's best friend. KTVO also made its presence felt with reporter Nathan Vickers from Missouri and the two kids from the south, Ela Soroka and Chris Curtis.
Vickers said he had the experience of a lifetime. "It was quite literally cool! It was an exhilarating feeling just to go down into the water and come back up. It was a neutral state of mind that made me say I got to do it," Vickers said.
Meanwhile, weekend forecaster Ela Soroka didn't quite grasp the plunge. "I thought it was warmer under the water than actually above the water. I didn't want to get out, is that weird to say? I didn't want to get out" Soroka said.
Aside from losing his shoes, Chris Curtis was thinking of one thing and one thing only when he got out of the water, "I miss summer..that's all I got to say."
The amount of money raised from the event will be calculated by sometime late next week.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKTVO