By MARGIE TRAX PAGE - Staff Writer - mtrax@starbeacon.com
GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE — Some people dip their toes in tentatively, others run full-on into the frigid Lake Erie water for the annual Polar Bear Plunge.
Whatever the method of plunging and running, plunge organizer Chandra Brode will stand on the beach with a towel for you.
“We are gearing up for a great year,” Brode said. “This is going to be an awesome Polar Bear Plunge.”
The 14th annual Law Enforcement Polar Bear Plunge will be held Feb. 27 at Breakwater Beach in Geneva State Park.
The plunge, which benefits Special Olympics Ohio, will take on a Mardi Gras theme this year and is dedicated to Saybrook Township firefighter Jim Eck, who recently died, Brode said.
Brode said 174 people have preregistered for the plunge and she hopes to have 400 adults sign up to take on Lake Erie.
“Registration is open until the day of the event,” Brode said. “We will sign people up all the way up until right before the plunge.”
Registration is $100 per plunger and includes a T-shirt and towel, as well as tickets to the awards banquet dinner, which will include entertainment by The Four Kings band.
Feeling superior in your plunging skills? Brode said the event needs more super plungers.
Super plungers donate a minimum of $888 in pledges and jump into the water every hour for eight hours. Super plungers receive a special prize package, but must register by Feb. 12.
A new, 2010 Harley Davidson VROD, will be raffled off. Tickets are $10 each and the prize includes the cycle and an enclosed trailer. Tickets are also available at Mary’s Diner in Geneva, The Crow’s Nest and DW3’s in Ashtabula, Shannon’s Hartsgrove Tavern, and Dee-Gee’s.
This year Brode expects a large turnout for the high school plunge, which features high school students from across the region. Mentor High School and Conneaut High School students will plunge for the first time this year.
The student plunge is dedicated to Edgewood High School student Melanie Moretti, who died when she was hit by a motorist.
The students jump in the lake first at noon, followed by the adult plunge at 2 p.m. Super plungers start jumping into the water at 8 a.m.
Warm-blooded spectators are encouraged to register for the “Too Chicken to Plunge” fundraiser.
“Not everyone wants to jump into the frozen lake, but maybe they want to help out the plunge and Special Olympics Ohio,” Brode said. “The ‘Too Chicken to Plunge’ event is for them.”
The “chickens” stand on the beach and receive a special T-shirt for their sponsorship.
Corporate sponsorships for the T-shirt and towels are also needed, Brode said.
“This year we are putting sponsorship names on the towels,” she said. “Corporate support is so important for this event. Every dollar helps.”
For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Sharon Bradley at 993-1201. Online registration and the agenda for the event are available at www.polarbearplunge.org.
