Polar Plungers brave gusty winds while raising thousands for Special Olympics athletes

It was certainly one of the most interesting Polar Plunges in support of Special Olympics Manitoba.

Early Saturday afternoon, Morden's Lake Minnewasta was the site for the 8th fundraising event organized by members of the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR), and locally led by Morden Police Service. With winds gusting close to 60 km/h, it was quite the scene as plungers quickly jumped into the lake, and then ran back up the hill to the warming area. Even with the blustery conditions, well over 100 people stood along the shore and Colert Beach boardwalk to cheer on those freezin' for reason.

"Feels fantastic to see another successful one done, having as many people as we did out on the boardwalk while braving this huge wind, which really came up last minute," shared Morden Police Sergeant, and organizer, Chris Flook after he had taken the dive into the chilly water. "It was cold, but it was great to see all the support, and the money raised is awesome."

The dive team and members of Morden Fire & Rescue getting ready for the plunge

There were just over two-dozen brave Polar Plungers on Saturday. With the final numbers still coming in, nearly $18,000 had been raised for Special Olympics Manitoba athletes. 

"It's exciting to see how many people support the local community, and like I've mentioned before, you might not know an athlete, but you're going to know someone who knows an athlete," noted Flook. " So knowing what we've raised here, over $17,000 today, is going to our local area, it feels great."

Team Top Gun; Tyson Mullin, Ty Aune and Ragnar Gillis

There were three first time plungers this year, and they also were the youngest participating. Together they were know as Team Top Gun; 16 year old Ty Aune, 15 year old Ragnar Gillis and 15 year old Tyson Mullin.

"It was windy going out there, but you go down the path, and you get out to where you're plunging," explained Aune as he took us through what the experience was like plunging for the first time. "It's chilly, but you have more adrenaline, then once you actually jump in, you're good, but you go through the water and once you're trying to get out, then it really hits you."

"It's really fun, for the first time, but definitely we'll do it again," shared Gillis. "It goes to a good cause."

And speaking of that good cause, Mullin had a few thoughts on that, "It's a great thing to do. There's not really a reason not to. It's a lot of fun to do, and just giving back to the community is always a great thing to do." 

The three teens caught the eyes of everyone at the Polar Plunge for their enthusiasm and bold choices of t-shirts and shorts for the dive.

Sergeant Flook noted it was great to see local youth participating and setting an example, and hopes they can encourage more of their friends to join in next year.

"I think every year we have a a lot of new participants," said Flook. "We have a lot of returning participants, which tells us we're doing a good thing here, and it's fun to watch. We're looking forward to next year."

Members of Team Access Credit Union (which was the presenting sponsor of the event) presenting a donation to Special Olympics Manitoba's Adell Gauthier

You can listen to CFAM Radio 950 Morning Show Host Chris Sumner's conversation with Sergeant Flook, and Ty Aune, Ragnar Gillis and Tyson Mullin, below.