Love, daring inspire Polar Bears

COEUR d’ALENE — They streamed in, like fans flocking to buy front-row tickets for a favorite band’s concert. They gathered on Sanders Beach where faint wisps of snow were still evident in the sand. With 15 minutes to go, they poured in by the hundreds. Local roads clogged and revellers adorned with Happy New Year and Christmas paraphernalia wandered to the shoreline.

It was around 30 degrees in the sunlight, but Mother Nature’s frosty breath made it feel like the mere teens. Exposed skin went numb in a few minutes. Feet still clad in shoes began to lose their feeling while the clock dragged on.

“I can’t feel my …” became a popular refrain along the shoreline, with reference to many a body part.

Nonetheless, as the clock ticked close to the midday tradition, warming layers came off and bathing suits emerged. Family and friends encouraged the daredevils. Cameras came out to capture the moment. Frozen spirits warmed up.

And then at exactly noon, with a roar, they entered the lake.

Some ran. Some walked. Some dove, paddled and swam. They played in the frigid waters of Lake Coeur d’Alene the way that all true polar bears do.

Like their forebears did in 1978, Kootenai County residents and neighbors far and wide splashed in the new year at the 2019 Polar Bear Plunge.

Why?

Genesis Preparatory Academy seventh-grader Christian Cherry took part in last year’s plunge after reading about it in the newspaper. He said he found a group of people who said they would help him, and then they proceeded to trample him on the way into the water. However, said Cherry, they grabbed him by the pants and hauled him out of the water.

It was enough of a memorable experience that he wanted to do it again, but needed a friend to share the experience.

So he called on his friend and fellow Genesis Prep seventh-grader Adam Hotine, who had never taken part in the plunge before. Hotine, who is adopted from China, said he expected one thing: to be cold.

The Post Falls residents each adorned themselves with silly regalia for the event. Hotine wore Groucho Marx-style glasses and nose with mustache, while Cherry sported a long, fake beard. Cherry said the beard would help warm him up after the dip, along with some hot cocoa and blankets in the car.

Cherry’s grandmother, Annie Cherry, said the event was another way for the boys to grow in their friendship. They have known each other since the second grade and share a common burden of having to deal with medical problems.

“They are real loyal friends. They love each other.”

Love drove Spokane Valley residents Michael Calhoun and Melissa Strickland to the lake on New Year’s Day. After attending the Diamond Soiree at The Coeur d’Alene Resort on New Year’s Eve, they came to the lake’s icy waters to demonstrate their love for life in the face of cancer. Strickland has stage four breast cancer and was given three weeks to live. “In July,” she said.

“Attitude’s a big part” of why she’s doing so well, Strickland said. Every time she goes in to see the doctors, they tell her that the cancer’s dissolving, she said.

Having the attitude of loving life and doing crazy stuff is why she’s beating the cancer, Calhoun said. He prepared to take his first Polar Bear Plunge on Tuesday on Strickland’s behalf. Once she gets cold, it’s hard to warm up, she said.

“If there was a hot tub, I’d do it,” she said with a laugh.

Spokane resident Michael Payne came to support his wife, who had first plunged into Lake Coeur d’Alene on New Year’s Day 2018. The family stayed up late Monday night to ring in the new year with friends after watching the ball drop in New York City’s Times Square, Payne said.

His son, Quentin, who is a seventh-grader at East Valley Middle School, called the plunge crazy.

“It’s super-duper cold,” he said.