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Watertown’s annual Polar Plunge for Special Olympics will happen during a decidedly un-polar-like stretch of weather.
The fundraising event for Special Olympics South Dakota will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 1, at Stokes-Thomas Lake City Park on Lake Kampeska. It features people diving into the icy lake water through a hole cut in the ice. Participants solicit donations from friends and family to take the plunge, with all proceeds benefiting Special Olympics.
Plungers can dive as individuals or as part of a team sponsored by businesses or organization.
Unseasonably warm weather has been the norm lately, but Saturday’s temperatures appear to be tailor-made for the event. High temperatures hovering around 50 degrees are forecast both before and after Saturday, but the mercury will dip into the mid-30s on the day of the Plunge.
“Saturday will be our coldest day,” said Aberdeen-based meteorologist Brian Cromwell of the National Weather Service, “so that should be sufficiently polar for them.”
Participants can register online at sosd.org or they can register on the day of the event at Willy’s Sports Bar, 1401 Ninth Ave. SW, beginning at 11 a.m.
Darryl Nordquist
Darryl Nordquist, president and CEO of the Sioux Falls-based Special Olympics South Dakota, said the Watertown Polar Plunge is the best in the state.
“Me being from Watertown, I may be a little biased,” he said, “but the reason it’s the best Polar Plunge in the state is because we do it an actual body of water, which of course is Lake Kampeska. It’s an amazing event. The community embraces it, the local people who run it are just incredible. I’m proud to be a Watertown alum because of the genuine support of Special Olympics by the city.”
Nordquist is a 1978 graduate of Watertown High School and has led Special Olympics South Dakota for the past 17 years.
And it’s not just the Polar Plunge that makes his hometown such a special place, he said.
“The Torch Run is amazing,” Nordquist said. “We have other area events in Watertown, and the community itself truly does have a heart for helping people with disabilities. They have a heart for helping others, period. It’s not just Special Olympics. People there are supportive of so many causes.”
Spectators are encouraged to attend Saturday’s Polar Plunge and watch the participants brace the frigid water. Following the event, there will be an after-party at The Sandbar restaurant and lounge, 100 North Lake Drive. The party will feature DJ music by Velocity Entertainment of Watertown.
The ice was already gone on Lake Kampeska during last year’s Polar Plunge, so participants simply ran into the open water. It was still plenty cold. Photo by Roger Whittle, Watertown Current.
