by Isabella Wheeler and Mallory Pierce
Students of SAAC and Student Senate participated in the annual Polar Plunge at Longview Beach last month to raise money for the Missouri Special Olympics. The students had to raise $75 each to be able to participate on the LSWTitans team. In total, they raised $4,018 and ranked 7th place among all registered teams.
All of the students were excited to do the Polar Plunge, but they were also nervous with it being their first time. “I was nervous I would have to go out to where the water was to my chest,” said senior Sydney Bishop. “Now knowing that it only comes to below my waist, I would do it again.” Bishop was joined by her sister Lacey Bishop and other seniors including Quincy Torry. “I was kind of nervous because we asked a guy, ‘How bad is it on a scale of 1 to 10?’ and he said ‘11,’ so I was pretty nervous,” said Torry.
The students were grouped by school and numbered off. LSWTitans were one of the earliest groups to go. They walked down a hill to where a small section of the lake was jackhammered out from the ice. “There were firemen lining the edges in case of emergency. When they blew the air horn we had to race to the firemen and high five them before turning around,” said Lacey Bishop. “I think we were about 10 feet out, so the water only came up to my thighs, but those 10 seconds were freezing.”
Torry described a similar experience. “During the plunge, the only thing I could say is it was cold. As soon as I got in I was trying to get out as fast as I could. But then after I got out of the water it was still freezing until I got into the warming tent,” said Torry. “I’d definitely do it again, because it’s for a great cause. All of the proceeds and donations go to the Special Olympics, so that’s the main thing, and also I would do it again because it was a fun experience with friends.”
In the end, everyone had a great time raising money and awareness for the Missouri Special Olympics. They had a solid turnout and they know next year’s group will have just as much fun.
