BLAIR CO., Pa. (WJAC) — With the Olympics underway all the way across the world, it's good to remind folks of Olympics events in our area. Saturday, the annual Winter Games Polar Plunge was held at Canoe Creek State Park to raise money for Special Olympics Pennsylvania and its athletes.
The lake was frozen shut, but that didn't stop folks from jumping in.
"This is our first back in-person plunge since about 2019, [which] was the last time we were able to do this," the polar plunge's organizer, Karly Heath, told 6 News.
"This is amazing. This turnout is beyond what I even imagined. I have people coming up to me, saying there's never been this many people."
About 250 people turned out Saturday to raise money by taking a dive into the frozen waters.
"Any of our plunges that we do across the state of Pennsylvania is money that we raise to give...directly to our athletes for travel expenses, and as well as food expenses, and things like that," Heath said.
Organizers say the polar plunge raised at least $110,000.
"You feeling cold?" Douglas Braff asked participant Eric Heuston.
"Freezing," Heuston said, laughing. "Freezing for a reason."
In response to the same question, participant Alec Lewis, exasperated from the cold, said, "A little bit... It's bad."
"Just a little bit?" Braff asked.
"Just a little," Lewis chuckled.
Some folks might have an instinct to wear as many layers as possible for the plunge. But, one member of the Altoona Police Department, Heuston, told 6 News that he takes the opposite approach.
"I found over the years [that] the best way to do it, is the minimal amount of clothing as possible, so that way you can get in there and change as quickly as possible," he said.
"It's a great event. We [the APD] love raising money for the Special Olympics. We've been doing it every year. I've been doing this for five years. It's definitely the coldest it's ever been. But, it's all worth it, in the end. We're just glad that we can help."
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