Polar Plunge

Special Olympics Minnesota

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Give yourselves a round of applause for an excellent 2015 Plunge season!

The Plunge season has come to a close, and wow what a season it was! The last two Plunges in Grand Rapids and Warroad were a great success. Grand Rapids had 242 Plungers raise over $50,000 and Warroad had 65 Plungers raise over $16,540! 

This has been the best Plunge season yet. You awesome people raised nearly $4 million dollars for Special Olympics athletes! WOW! I’d like to thank the Plungers for their bravery and commitment. You guys made it all possible. I’d also like to give a big thank you to all the volunteers, emergency personnel, law enforcement, and the SOMN staff who spent their valuable time out at the Plunge sites. 

Keep in touch, Plungers! Like us on our Facebook page, Polar Plunge for Special Olympics MN, and follow us on Twitter (@PlungeMN) and Instagram (@Plungesomn) to keep up with Polar Plunge info. Also, be sure to check out specialolympicsminnesota.org to learn more about fundraising/volunteer opportunities! 

Hope you have a wonderful rest of the year and hope to see you at the 2016 Plunges! -Erik 

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We’re Down to the Final Two!

To all of you who Plunged in Minneapolis, congratulations!! You guys raised over 1.2 million dollars! Just last weekend was the Eden Prairie and Mille Lacs Plunge. Both had some awesome weather! The Eden Prairie Plunge had 750 Plungers raise over $160,000 and the Mille Lacs Plunge had 290 Plungers raise over $43,000! Fantastic job! 

The Plunge season is coming to a close with our last two Plunges coming to you this weekend. If you get the urge for a last minute dip in a freezin’ lake, head on over to Grand Rapids or Warroad this Saturday! 

Looking for more ways to support the Minnesota Polar Plunge? Check out our online auction at plungemn.org/auction. You’ll find lots of awesome items! The auction ends this Saturday, March 21, so start bidding today! 

You rock, Plungers! Let’s end this Plunge season with a bang! -Erik 

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Get Ready for the Largest MN Plunge!

Finally! The big MN weekend is here. The exciting Minneapolis Plunge kicks off this Friday with the Cool School Plunge, Executive Challenge, Plunge Auction, and fireworks. Even more events take place on Saturday including the Minneapolis Plunge 5K, Polar Plunge, Pee Wee Plunge, Snow Volleyball, and more of the Plunge Auction! Read my last blog post for more information on all of these awesome activities. 

Guess who's Plunging Friday night?! Our very own Timberwolves player, Ricky Rubio! Ricky plans to donate $5 to Special Olympics Minnesota for every person who registers for a Minneapolis Plunge activity. Thanks Ricky, you rock! He will be Plunging with executives during the Executive Challenge this Friday. Tune into Fox 9 News at 5:20 p.m. to watch Ricky and MN executives take the frozen leap! 

For the 5th year, amazing soccer players from all over the world will be Plunging for Special Olympics Minnesota! Plunge teams can be international, just like soccer! Their team, Summit FC/Quantum Leap, has raised over $13,209 so far. Look for these incredible Plungers at Lake Calhoun. Way to go team! Thank you for your outstanding support! 

Come enjoy the sunny, 40 degree weather with us this weekend in Minneapolis! Don't forget your sunglasses! I'm excited to see Ricky Rubio take the Plunge this Friday and to see all of your goofy costumes on Saturday! Wondering what my costume is? You're gonna have to come find me on Saturday to find out!

See you this weekend! -Erik 

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Howdy Plungers!

Congrats!  Last weekend we raised $320,000 at Duluth and Prior Lake.  This weekend, we have 3 more Plunges in Anoka County, South Metro, and Alexandria.  There's still time to sign up!  Visit Plungemn.org to register.

Coming to you next weekend is the largest Minnesota Plunge!  The Plunge festivities start on Friday, March 6th. The Cool School Plunge starts at 10am.  This Plunge is for any students who want to Plunge with their school.  Students can play games, dress up, and Plunge with their friends!  Also  on Friday is the Executive  Challenge.  Minnesota executives are taking  the Plunge with Fox 9 Meteorologist Ian Leonard!  To end the day with a bang, there will be fireworks over Lake Calhoun at 7pm.  Fireworks will also be accompanied with bonfires, hot chocolate, food, and much more.  Don't miss it!

Wake up the next morning to the voice of Kelsey Carlson from Fox 9, who will be emceeing the Minneapolis 5k.  Free shuttle service will be provided to Plungers and spectators starting at 6:30am, so come cheer on your favorite runners! If  you're too chicken to Plunge in cold water, consider breaking a sweat by walking or running our Minneapolis 5k!

Get ready for the biggest Plunge of the year!  Plungers jump into Lake Calhoun starting at 11am until 3:30.  Looking forward to seeing you out there!  For our mini Plungers, take part in the Pee Wee Plunge!  This is for kids 10 and under who take the Plunge in a chilly pool.  Plunging will take place from 1-1:30.

For the first time, the Minneapolis Plunge has nets set up for a snow volleyball tournament!  The tournament runs from 9am-4pm with about 30 minute games.  Be sure to register!  Good luck!  Also, bring your money, because for the first time, you can bid on lots of fun items.  It launches March 6th and goes until March 26th.  If you're hungry, there will be lots of yummy food trucks.  Also, stay warm with our bonfires and hot chocolate.  There will also be fun, live music and lots of other awesome entertainment.

Come down and enjoy yourself because there will be lots to do in Minneapolis!  For more information on any event or to register, go to http://www.plungemn.org/events/minneapolis/

Hope to see you soon! Erik

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Another Full Plunge Weekend

Happy February Plungers!

Hope you had a good Valentine's Day!  Did you Plunge 24 times in 24 hours?  Cause the Super Plungers did!  Great job guys!  Last Saturday's Plungers raised a total of $396,000!  Wow!  Thank you for your support of our athletes.

This Saturday, February 21, is the Duluth and Prior Lake Plunge!  If you don't want to Plunge in the icy cold waters, then you should run the Duluth 5K.  Sounds like it's going to be really fun!  For you Duluth Plungers, Lake Superior is the right place to be.  That lake is freezin'.  Good luck to all of you Plunging!  If you haven't registered yet, sign up at plungemn.org.

If you're too chicken to Plunge, pledge friends, family, or ME!  I would really appreciate your support and it goes towards Special Olympics athletes.  I am looking forward to Plunging in Minneapolis with the West Metro Warriors!

All athletes want to thank you for your support! -Erik

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Cold Water Plungers

Hello crazy Plungers!

This Saturday is Valentine's Day!  Maybe you could take the Polar Plunge with your sweetheart!  If so, sign up for the Rochester, St. Cloud, or our new Woodbury Plunge.  It's not too late to register!  Visit plungemn.org to sign up.  Hope to see lots of pink and red costumes!

If you're crazy enough, you can join the Rochester "Super Plungers" and Plunge your heart away.  These Plungers take the Plunge 24 times in 24 hours! Wow!

If you want to wait 3 weeks, you can do the Minneapolis Plunge!  Schools across Minnesota can take the Plunge with fellow classmates on Friday, March 6 and the regular Plunge takes place on Saturday, March 7.  This Plunge is filled with exciting music and awesome food.  You still have time to prepare your craziest costume and register!

Hope to see you soon!

-Erik

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Get ready!

Hello everyone!  The Plunge season is here.  We had our first 3 Plunges last Saturday in Owatonna, White Bear Lake, and Willmar Spicer.  In total, the 3 Plunges raised $462,000.  Awesome work everyone!  Rick Spielman from the Vikings, Dave St. Peter from the Twins, Chris Wright from the Timberwolves, Matt Majka from the Wild and Mike Dimond from FOX Sports North all took the Plunge at White Bear Lake! Also, mascots such as Crunch, Viktor the Viking,  Nordy, and T.C. Bear were at White Bear Lake and several of them Plunged.  There was a lot of enthusiasm and excitement.

This weekend, Saturday, Febuary 7th , there will be 3 more Plunges in Maple Grove, St. Peter, and our new location, Sauk Centre.  Our Plunge season is just starting out, so it's not too late to Plunge!  You can either register at Plungemn.org or the day of at the Plunge site.

Have you been on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook and noticed people in freezers?  You can do that too!  Take a picture of yourself in a freezer and use the hashtags #Freezerface and #PlungeMN to support the Special Olympics Polar Plunge!

I am looking forward to Plunging on March 7th in Minneapolis. If you're too chicken to Plunge with me, then send a pledge my way. To pledge, go to plungemn.org. It goes to a great cause! Hope to see you at a future Plunge!

-Erik

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Plunge season is finally here!

Welcome back everyone!  It's finally here, the Plunge season!  It's not too late to sign up.  The first Plunges start tomorrow, January 31st, at White Bear Lake, Willmar/Spicer, and our new location, Owatonna.  Also, did you know that the Warrior Package is happening at the White Bear Lake Plunge tomorrow?  By raising $5000, you get to have breakfast with Minnesota Pro Sports Executives (Rick Spielman  from the Vikings, Dave St. Peter from the Twins, Chris Wright from the Timberwolves, Matt Majka from the Wild and Mike Dimond  from FOX Sports North) Plunge at White Bear Lake, eat dinner at Cowboy Jacks, and go to the Timberwolves vs. Cavaliers game.

I'm looking forward to the Plunge season!  It looks like we'll have warmer temperatures than last year.  Get your costume ready and don't forget to bring warm clothes to change into.  The money raised by the Polar Plunge goes to a good cause to give athletes a chance to participate.

I'm looking forward to seeing you at the future Plunges!  Enjoy the Plunge season!

-Erik

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Happy New Year!

Welcome back everyone! I hope you had a wonderful and safe New Year celebration. We have a ton of fun things that we're looking forward to! Coming up we have the 27 annual Northland 300 (a 300 mile, 3-day, charity snowmobile ride, made up of volunteer participants who raise funds to support Special Olympics Minnesota.) from Jan. 21-25, our State Poly Hockey tournament on Jan. 24-25 and of course our awesome Polar Plunges. This month we have the following Plunges:

Owatonna

White Bear Lake

Willmar/ Spicer

Now, I have a few questions for you. Have you registered for the Polar Plunge yet? If not, no worries you still have time! Also, have you had the chance to see any of our super cool Plunge videos yet? You can check out one of our videos at the end of my blog. Stay tuned for more videos, because I'll be sure to post them for you! You can also find them on the Polar Plunge Facebook page too. I can't wait to keep you updated on our Plunge progress!

Have a great week!

-Erik

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Seasons Greetings!

Happy holidays everyone!

As we gear up for the Polar Plunge that kicks off January 31, 2015, we just wanted to take a moment to wish you, your family and your friends a very happy holidays. Also, we know secretly that you're hoping Santa will bring you a new fancy/silly/awesome Plunge costume! ;]

Thank you for an incredible 2014 year everyone. You have helped athletes like me compete in the sports we love! From my SOMN family to yours, we hope you have a warm, happy and safe holiday.

I can't wait to see you in 2015!

-Erik

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Plunge Warrior package

Are you a Plunge Warrior?  Today, we're announcing a new special experience at our White Bear Lake Plunge!  If you register for the White Bear Plunge, set your fundraising goal to $5,000, and reach your goal, you will get to have a top of the line Plunging experience!

The Pro Sports Executive Experience, included in the Plunge Warrior Package of the Elite Plunge Tour, will be a day of fun!  You'll start out the day with breakfast at Hell's kitchen and get to meet and greet Minnesota Pro Sports executives Rick Spielman from the Vikings, Dave St. Peter from the Twins, Chris Wright from the Timberwolves, Matt Majka from the Wild, and Mike Dimond (our super Plunger from last year!) from FOX Sports North.  Then you, your fellow Plungers, AND the sports executives will head to the White Bear Lake Plunge as a group!

After the Plunge, you'll get together later that night and meet downtown at Cowboy Jack's for dinner and then head to the Target Center to see the Timberwolves take on the Cavaliers(and KEVIN LOVE!).

As part of the package and the experience, you'll get a bunch of cool stuff (autographed footballs, baseballs, Plunging incentives, and more!), get to go to a bunch of cool events(fantastic restaurants and a basketball game!), and get to meet and Plunge with a bunch of cool people(some super awesome Minnesota pro sports big wigs!).

To sign-up for the Plunge Warrior Package, go to www.plungemn.org and register for the White Bear Lake Plunge.  When it ask for your incentive goal, click on the $5,000" Elite Plunge Tour: Plunge Warrior Package" level from the dropdown menu.  The first 15 Plungers to select this option and reach their $5,000 goal will get the Plunge experience of a lifetime!  Each Plunger will also get to bring 1 guest along to the experience.

Don't let this cool experience pass you by.  Start raising your funds now!  The White Bear Lake Plunge is coming up quick and you won't want to miss out on the fun Plunge package!

If you need more information, click here: http://www.plungemn.org/elite-plunge-tour-plunge-warrior-package/

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello everyone! This week, as you know is Thanksgiving. I hope you're staying warm and having fun while you get ready for this awesome holiday (or as I like to call it, turkey day!)

This holiday is all about giving thanks. So, why not thank the people who help make the Polar Plunge a success!?

A HUGE thank you to:

Athletes and their friends and family

Our incredible volunteers who help us not only with Plunges but with so much more!

School administration, teachers and students who bravely jump at our Cool School Plunge

The dive teams and first responders who keep our Plungers safe while they make their frozen jump to glory

Law Enforcement Torch Run officers and personnel who work year round to help us make our Polar Plunges a success!

Our amazing sponsors

Every donor who gives to each Plunger so that they may participate in any of our fun events

Lastly, our amazing Plungers who brave the elements for Special Olympics Minnesota!

Without all of their support we wouldn't be able to have such amazing Plunges!

Thank you so much for supporting Special Olympics Minnesota and athletes like me. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

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Today is Give To The Max Day!!

Hey Plungers! Did you know that Today is Give to the Max Day?  Not sure what that is?  It's one day a year where people in Minnesota donate to a non-profit of their choice.  In 2013, more than $17 million dollars were raised for non-profits!  I think that's awesome.

If you would like to support SOMN in more ways than Plunging, then please consider donating to Special Olympics Minnesota today.  It would go towards the more than 8,000 athletes of SOMN like me!  Your donation enables me and athletes like me to participate and compete in sports on an area and state level that wouldn't be possible without your support. Your money also goes towards teaching athletes how to public speak on the topic of Special Olympics and become Ambassadors for SOMN.  I am an Ambassador and it's Fantastic.  We also have a Young Athletes program for children with and without intellectual disabilities ages 2-7 and then we have sports and tons of other fun programs that people with intellectual disabilities can participate in as long as they're kickin'!  And you don't have to have an intellectual disability to be a part of SOMN, anyone can join in on programs like Unified Sports, or you can be a mentor or a volunteer!

Special Olympics Minnesota has helped me become more of a complete person.  When I first started I was so shy but now I'm not and I've met so many new people (like Mike Dimond last year at the Plunge!) because of SOMN.  My life has changed totally with Special Olympics and I've changed a lot for the better.  Without Special Olympics, I don't know were I'd be!

I hope you will consider donating to Special Olympics Minnesota today on Give to the Max Day.  Visit our Give MN page at https://givemn.org/organization/Special-Olympics-Minnesota to learn more or to donate!

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Happy Halloween Everyone!

We love Halloween here at our Special Olympics Minnesota office! Mainly because of how staffers decorate their cubes and it's super fun to see the costumes people wear.  Do you like wearing costumes on Halloween?  Have you ever thought about reusing that great outfit?  Why not wear it while you jump into a frozen lake?  Let me tell you about the sweet getup I wore last year.  I was a dancer with a bright green tutu! You can see my awesome tutu in the post below.  I had so much fun wearing a costume at the Plunge!  I would tell you about what I'm going to wear this year... but it's top secret!  I saw some really amazing costumes last year.  A few top ones I remember were:

Bumblebees

Penguins

Superheroes

Spider Man

Elvis

All of those costumes the Plungers wore were unbelievable and so cool!  Hopefully you have your costume ready because I would love to see you wear it while you jump at one of our 20 Plunges.

You can register today for frozen fun by visiting the www.plungemn.org!

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The Plunge is Back for 2015!

Hello everybody! Welcome back to my 2nd year of the Plunge blog! I’ve been busy getting ready for our new 2015 Plunge season. I’m excited for the Plunge and hope you are too!

This year we have a total of 20 Plunges! We’ve added four new Plunge locations: Owatonna, Sauk Centre, Woodbury and Warroad! I think that is super exciting and I hope a lot more people will get to participate in the Plunge with our four new locations.

Registration is now open for all 20 of the Plunges in the 2015 season! I’m going to register for the Minneapolis Plunge. This will be my 5th year of Plunging! Check out our new website at www.plungemn.org to register early so you can start getting your team and costume together for the 2015 Plunge!

I hope you enjoy our new Plunge website and our new look! I really like the new website. You might have noticed that we have a new name, too! We’ve changed our name from the Polar Bear Plunge to the Polar Plunge now. Even though we have a new name, we’re still the same great Plunge that you’ve always known!

Our goal for the 20 Plunges in 2015 is to get 20,000 Plungers and participants overall! So, start getting a team together (get your friends and family to Plunge with you!) and start collecting Pledges today for a season of energizing and fun Plunges!

If you’re not a Plunger, you can still donate or sign up for one of our Plunge 5Ks in Duluth or Minneapolis to support a good cause! The money from the Plunge goes towards more than 8,000 athletes of Special Olympics Minnesota like me to train and compete at area, state and regional competitions.

I hope you register and have a good jump or run in the 2015 Plunge season! If I can Plunge, you can Plunge too!

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2014 Plunge Wrap Up

Hello and welcome back to my blog. Last weekend, Mike Dimond rounded out the Plunge season at Grand Rapids. I would like to thank all of the volunteers, Plungers and Mike Dimond for helping make the 2014 Polar Bear Plunge season a successful year. So far, Plungers have raised $2.8 million dollars! That money will help athletes like me compete at events like the upcoming Spring Games at St. Thomas University. If you're not too busy you should come watch us compete in basketball, aquatics, and powerlifting. On Saturday, a band will be performing and we'll have Crunch from the Timberwolves at Celebration Ceremonies. It will be a very fun time. This year, I had the chance to get to know Mike Dimond and cheer him on as he took on all of those Plunges. I will miss watching him jump into frozen lakes. Mike, you're a Super Plunger and I look forward to you Plunging next year!

As we wrap up the 2014 Plunges and look forward to the 2015 season, there are other ways that you can get involved. You can volunteer at one of our events like Spring Games, or you could mentor an athlete like me. Thank you for supporting whether it's through volunteering, pledging, Plunging or even reading my blog. You made it a great year! I'll see you in the water next year! ;)