Freezing my A$$ off for Charity – Jordan’s Polar Plunge!

Back in 2012, George and I had the privilege of photographing Karen and Colby’s wedding in Plymouth, MA. The two of them cracked me up. Their energy, smiles and enthusiastic group of friends made for a memorable wedding. I think Colby’s surprise line dance with some of his buddies was the icing on the cake.

In the process of getting to know Karen and Colby, I learned that Colby was a cancer survivor. First diagnosed at age 17, he went through five years of chemotherapy. The good news is that he is now cancer free!

For the past 11 years, Colby, Karen and many of their friends and family have been participating in Jordan’s Polar Plunge. Each year, on the first Saturday or March, hundreds of people gather on a beach in Plymouth to run into the frigid water of Plymouth Harbor to raise money for cancer research. Colby’s team is the well-known Peck’s Polar Penguins. They easily identified by their modified black hoodies that make them look like well dressed penguins. Each year, Colby’s mom makes new ones for anyone joining the team and updates ones from years prior as needed. To date, she’s lovingly made over 200 hoodies.

Since I seriously lack common sense, I decided to join this crazy group of folks this year. Of course, this winter was so brutal that the event had to be relocated to a spot where people could actually get in the water in spite of all the snow and ice. I tried to convince George to join us, but he has more common sense that I do. He helped out by taking photos of all of us running into the 35 degree water. Yes, 35 degrees. Cold is an understatement.

These fundraising efforts have raised tens of thousands of dollars for cancer research and will continue to do so in the years to come. Until next year…

 

Click here for the GoPro video of the actual plunge: Jordan’s Polar Plunge

Lily came along for the fun!

 

Some of the Penguins

 

The 2015 Peck’s Polar Penguins Crew:

Getting ready!

 

It’s not as bad as you think…really!! (that’s what we kept telling ourselves)

 

The countdown

 

Here we go!!

 

Me and Colby after dunking.

 

We had to avoid large chunks of ice floating in the water.

 

Still alive!

 

This guy just couldn’t get enough!

 

Plymouth Harbormaster on stand-by.