1,800 take part in Polar Plunge
Victoria E. Freile
@vfreile
With subzero wind chills lasting less than an hour before Rochester's 16th annual Polar Plunge, about 1,800 people prepared themselves for a frigid dip in Lake Ontario.
Dressed as a banana, Ryan Shepard, 41, of Brighton sprinted into the 39-degree lake under sunny skies as the air temperature rose to 3 and the winds halted.
"This is the coldest I remember it being for the five years I've been doing this," he said. "It started as a bucket list item, then became a fun activity for charity. It's a good time with friends while supporting a cause. It's a hoot."
Held Sunday at Ontario Beach Park in Charlotte, the annual event raises funds and awareness for Special Olympics New York.
Rochester police officer Walt Sanders traded his police uniform for one as Superman as he spent several minutes repeatedly dunking himself under water.
"I have no feeling left," he laughed after exiting the lake. "This is what polar bear and polar plunge is all about."
Sanders, 49, of Irondequoit has taken part in 14 Rochester-based plunges since it started in 2000.
Event director Sal Gerbino said organizers prepared for bitter cold temperatures and subzero wind chills on Sunday with extra divers and emergency rescue squads on hand. Plus, they told all participants that plunging was an option, that it was OK to simply dip their feet in the lake.
"If it was truly an unsafe situation, we'd pull the plunge," Gerbino said. "We welcome wintry Rochester weather."
Kelley Ligozio of the Special Olympics New York, said plungers this year raised nearly $300,000. An official total will be determined in a few weeks. Last year, 2,400 participants raised a record-setting $327,000.
Gerbino said the plunge is a unique fundraiser that allows anyone to participate in an extreme-sports type event without the need for athletic ability or training.
All money raised in Rochester is used locally for Special Olympics programs.
First-time plunger Sam Shutt, 12, of Irondequoit ran into the water with his father Bryan Shutt, 45. Sam, who has a cousin with special needs, said he loved trying such a wild activity to support the cause.
"I wanted to help," he said. "And I wanted to wake myself up for the day."
Warm(er) water temps make 2016 the year to Polar Plunge
Each February for the last decade, Chris Bianchi, 39, of Chili runs into the lake donning only a small Speedo swimsuit.
"It gets attention and is easy to get off afterwards," he said, noting that his strategy each winter involves ignoring any pre-event jitters and running into the lake.
"I love the cause and work at an agency (Lifetime Assistance) that provides services for the special needs community," he said. "This is more than giving back. It's about helping and having fun."
Bianchi raised more than $1,600 for the 2016 plunge, topping off his decade-long total at more than $6,000.
Morgan Engelbert, 26, of Chili, an eighth-grade teacher at Kendall Central School District, won the honor of taking part in the annual event by raising $400 for Special Olympics New York with her students, the most of any class and teacher in the school.
"This has been a bucket list item I've wanted to do," she said of her first plunge. "Plus it brings awareness to this special needs community and gives kids an opportunity to participate when they might not otherwise have an opportunity. That's more important than words can say."
VFREILE@Gannett.com