It’s been a while since North Carolina has seen a lengthy warm spell, so at noontime on Wednesday, how did a crowd of Elon University students take advantage of the January weather? By jumping into Lake Mary Nell, naturally, as part of the seventh annual Polar Bear Plunge.
Sponsored by the North Area Council and the Resident Student Association, organizers tallied 101 adventurous swimmers leaping into the lake, one of the largest turnouts in Elon’s Polar Bear Plunge history. The event is the only time of the year where students are given permission to enter the water of Lake Mary Nell.
“The weather played a big part of it. It’s a lot nicer than it’s ever been,” said Melissa Lockley, a freshman co-organizer for the plunge. “Being in the 50s definitely brought people out. I think we also had a lot of eager girls who put things on their Facebook status and got their friends to come out to do it.
“We were just really excited and that energy got people out there. It was a big success.”
T-shirts were distributed on a first come, first served basis to those who hit the water. Participants won prizes by snagging colorful rubber boats tossed in the lake between heats of seven students, with gift cards to local stores and restaurants including Target, Starbucks, Chili’s, and Barnes & Noble, among others.
The 2010 plunge was a sharp contrast to the previous year. In 2009, organizers broke apart ice on the lake that had formed in one of coldest stretches of the winter, which also happened to fall one day after the first significant snowfall of the year.
That wasn’t an issue Wednesday.
“My friend called me up this morning and asked me to plunge with him, so I figured it would be an experience, a fun time,” said Chris Welch, a freshman economics major from Massachusetts. “I’m ready to get in there!”
To watch a video of the plunge and to see student interviews, click on the link to the right of this page.