13th Polar Bear Plunge Was Saturday!

Jan 03, 2015 at 10:45 am by bryan


Over 300 persons took the 13th Annual Polar Bear Plunge Saturday (1/3/2015) morning at the Sportscom outdoor pool? Temperatures were around 50-degrees at 10:00 o'clock when the quick dip happened.

Doors opened at 8:30AM for the Arctic Adventure in the gym. There were inflatibles, games and food. At 9:00AM the Polar Fun Run helped to warm-up participants. And then the Polar Bear Plunge into the outdoor pool happened at 10:00 o'clock. Jumpers donated canned food that will be distributed to the needy by Greenhouse Ministries.

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With temps almost 50-degrees at plunge time, it will be about 20-degrees warmer than last year's plunge.

Then the crowd did the "countdown" . . .

Last year's Polar Bear Plunge was on January 4, 2014, and it was around the freezing point. In fact, as ice cycles formed on the water slides and fountains, and the mercury dropped, so did the number who chose to take a dip. Last year a little over 200 braved the flurries and freezing temps.

We almost had a "wardrobe malfunction". Bart talks with Murfreesboro Vice Mayor Doug Young, General Sessions Judge Ben Hall McFarlin and Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland.

Numbers were up about 30 per cent from last year, but then it was a little warmer. In 2013 it was 38-degrees when 400 jumped. Despite the significant difference in the "outside temperature" between this year and last, there was only about 6-degrees difference in the "water temperature". The water was 44-degrees this year, while the "outdoor temps" were almost 50.

2012 attracted almost 700 to SportsCom, and temps were in the mid-50s...similar to today's weather. In 2011 six-hundred jumped in the pool when the water temperature was around 40-degrees.

And a big THANK YOU to the Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department for creating and coordinating this fun event for our community. NewsRadio WGNS spoke with Parks and Rec Director Lanny Goodwin . . .

To see WGNS' NewsRadio pictures of last year's jump click the link below:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.271102233041705.1073741876.138921829593080&type=1&l=661d07a351

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