2007 Special Olympics Vermont "Penguin Plunge"
Carole and Jay Furr took part in the
2007 Penguin Plunge on February 10, 2007 down at
Waterfront Park in Burlington,
Vermont. The event took place at
the boat ramp at the
Coast Guard station on the
Lake Champlain waterfront. Approximately 20
participants at a time, grouped into 53 groups, took part starting at 11 am.
After an unseasonably warm first half of January the weather turned much colder
and a proper Plunging water temperature of 32 degrees Fahrenheit was achieved.
It's brisk! It's refreshing!
Each participant had to raise at least $150, plus a $25 registration fee, in
order to take part. The money raised from the event goes to fund the
events and programs of the
Special Olympics in the state of Vermont. Carole and Jay
together raised $1020.
Many participants took part in the event as part of a team from their job, or
their college, or a sports team. Police departments, rescue squads, and
fire departments were represented as well. There were even teams of
eight-year-olds from local elementary schools taking part. Carole and Jay
couldn't interest fellow employees at their jobs in the event so they made up a
team of two and dressed in a combination of Mardi Gras jester hats and
Key West
garb to provide a colorful tropical contrast to the icy Vermont conditions.
Carole and Jay took the pictures below before and after their turn in the
water. Unlike some Plungers who went in wearing t-shirts or
sweatshirts (which must have been TONS of fun to wear once they were soaked with
freezing water), Jay and Carole stripped down when the time came and wore
swimsuits and water shoes and their jester hats, and nothing else.
Jay did carry the Key West flag in with him and waved it around triumphantly in
chest-deep icy water; Carole ducked under, holding her hat on with one hand, and
as a result became so cold that she had a wee bit of trouble for a moment
getting moving again and getting OUT of the lake. Pictures from the
actual moment of truth will be posted at
http://www.skipix.com in a few days.
Jay poses at the registration tent with a Key West "Conch
Republic" flag |
Carole with the flag outside the staging tent |
Jay poses with Newton, the mascot of
ECHO at the
Leahy Center for Lake Champlain |
Carole poses next to the Blood Buddy, the mascot of the
American Red Cross Plunge team |
Carole roams around with the flag. The Coast Guard station and
boat ramp are behind her |
The annual Plunge costume contest saw someone dressed as Hulk Hogan win |
Some guy dressed as a beaver |
Two guys dressed as cheerleaders. No, they hadn't even shaved
their legs |
From left: Governor Jim Douglas of Vermont, Mayor Bob Kiss of
Burlington, the President of Special Olympics Vermont, and two members
of a Special Olympics family |
The boat ramp and hole in the ice. In the background, the Coast
Guard station |
A team running toward the boat ramp for their turn in the water. |
A team getting caught in a bit of traffic on their way down the ramp |
A team emerging from the water and taking their souvenir Penguin Plunge
towels |
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