Hundreds amass on Sanders Beach for Polar Bear Plunge

COEUR d'ALENE — As the countdown to noon on New Year's Day began, hundreds of people on Sanders Beach began to strip off their clothes and cheer.

Like bubbles on the brink of boiling, the energy gradually began rising until the pivotal moment, at the count of one, when the hordes of Polar Bear Plungers danced and charged down the snowy beach and submerged themselves into the icy waters of Lake Coeur d’Alene, thus beginning their journeys into 2016.

"It’s a fresh start for the new year," said Kevin Serr of Coeur d'Alene, wearing a snuggly Santa Claus suit.

"And it’s fun," said his wife, Marnie, also clad in a Santa suit. "It’s like you can say, 'I did it!'"

The Serrs' Santa squad added to the colorful chaos of the 2016 Polar Bear Plunge, where people carried out or created their own routines and traditions for the event.

"Unofficial timekeeper" Chad Bennett of Hayden wore a blue wig, rainbow leis and sunglasses as he stood with a pole in one hand and a bullhorn in the other. At the top of the pole was a small stuffed polar bear wearing a "sexy 16" T-shirt and holding the most important New Year's symbol — a clock. Bennett has been the Polar Plunge's Father Time for 21 years.

"The guys who originally started this way back in the ‘70s, they stopped showing up, and they were kind of the official timekeepers, so it was a year where nobody knew when to go in, so I said, 'Well, I’ll bring a clock in case they don’t show up next year,'" he said. "So every New Year's Eve we stay at home, we decorate the bear, make a new T-shirt every year."

Carey Vasquez of Post Falls marched through the snow carrying a small inflatable man before Plunge time.

"This is my buddy ‘Hank.’ Him and I are good friends for my ‘Hell Week’ of prospecting with the Coeur d’Alene Rough Riders," she explained. "I’ve never done this before, new experience. I finally realized, ‘Just get it done and over with and you’ll be fine.’ I guarantee I’ll be awake after I’m done with this."

The air was about 24 degrees while the water was almost double that at 41 degrees. Bennett described the sensation of jumping in the water to feel "like a thousand knives just stabbing you."

Jenny Bricker of Coeur d’Alene and her crew wore polar bear knit caps as proof of their previous Plunge experience. They gathered around a roaring propane heater after again making the dunk.

"It’s our New Year's tradition and my granddaughter did it for the first time," Bricker said with a beaming smile.

Her granddaughter, Kaela Gump, 9 of Post Falls, looked a little chilly as her hair dripped lake water onto the snow and she shivered beneath a towel, but she also had a beaming smile.

"My feet are tingling and when I came out I was saying my mouth was numb but I said my ‘mouf’ was numb, because my mouth was numb," she said with a laugh. "I just dunked in and then I ran out ... I thought it was crazy, crazy, really crazy."

This was the first year the "Reason for Freezen" charity drive took place at the Plunge. Volunteers collected money and clothing/item donations for St. Vincent de Paul while serving breakfast goodies and warm drinks.

"I had this idea where we wanted to have a collection at the Polar Bear Plunge and the reason is because these people are freezing for like two minutes and there’s people in our community who freeze all winter," said Reason for Freezen organizer Lauren Sanders. "We have a 5-year plan where we want to stay here and continue to collect and continue just to be present. We don’t want to take over the Plunge; the Plunge has been around for 38 years, so we don’t want to take away from this at all, we just want to enhance it. If people want to leave a towel or leave their jacket or even a scarf, we’re going to be collecting that."

Founding Polar Bear Plunge organizer Pat Mitchell began the tradition with four friends in November of 1978 when he was about 16. He said their photo was taken by a Press photographer and made the paper the next day. He said it's pretty unbelievable how the tradition has continued and expanded to what it is today.

"It's amazing," he said.

He said he enjoys the thought of the "Reason for Freezen" collection drive coinciding with the Plunge since so many people now participate.

"Just keep doing it," he said. "I love that idea."

After years of Plunge participation, Mitchell has it down to an art. He gets to the beach early to see friends and sticks to the back of the crowd so he can get in and out.

"And I leave the car running," he said.

As a bit of a Plunge celebrity, Mitchell still goes in, but does it on the down low.

"I go incognito," he said. "I finally went in because I had to."

And will a founding member continue attending and dunking into the frosty lake each year?

You can bet your New Year's resolutions he will.

"In 10 years, I’ll be the guy with the walker," Mitchell said.