Polar Plunge set for Coralville Lake March 25

CORALVILLE - Last year's Polar Plunge at the Coralville Lake was arctic in name only.

It was about 80 degrees out and the water temperature was in the 60s, recalls Iowa City Crime Prevention Officer Ashten Hayes, an organizer of the event and a participant.

'It was like a beach day,” Hayes said. 'It wasn't cold at all. It was actually refreshing.”

With temperatures these days swinging between the 70s and the 20s, Hayes isn't sure what to expect at this year's Polar Plunge, set for noon on Saturday, March 25, but her fingers are crossed that temperatures skew higher rather than lower.

'I'm hoping for warmer weather because that brings out more people,” she said.

Registration is underway for this year's event and Hayes said interested participants can form teams of 10 or plunge solo. Participants must raise a minimum of $75 in order to plunge.

All proceeds go to Special Olympics Iowa, specifically the midwinter tournament hosted annually at the Coralville Marriott. This year's midwinter tournament is Friday.

Multiple polar plunges take place across the state, Hayes said. All told, the plunges brought in nearly $350,000 for Special Olympics Iowa in 2016, Hayes said.

Polar plungers enter the water from the beach at Coralville Lake. Hayes said some participants run into the water, while others are content to simply dip their toes. The Johnson County Dive Team is always on hand to high-five participants, Hayes said. There's also a 'chicken” category that allows people to raise funds and get the Polar Plunge shirt without getting wet.

'They don't even have to get in the water,” Hayes said.

Hayes said organizers of the local plunge - which is being combined this year with the Cedar Rapids Polar Plunge - don't have a specific fundraising goal in mind.

'Whatever we can get is great,” she said. 'We just want people to come out and participate.”

l Comments: (319) 398-8238; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com

IF YOU GO

What

: Polar Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Iowa.

When

: Noon, Saturday, March 25.

Where

: The beach at Coralville Lake.

Check-in

: Begins at 10 a.m.

Register: www.soiowa.org/get-involved/fundraising-events/polar-plunge/iowa-city-polar-plunge/

Donate

: To donate without registering a team, contact Ashten Hayes at (319) 356-5273.