Freezin’ for a reason

Woman and son jump in icy waters each winter for Special Olympics

By Bill Vossler

Lisa is just hitting the water in a recent Polar Plunge. Also gives a sense of other people lined up to do the plunge shortly. Contributed photo

When Lisa Edelbrock of St. Cloud steps up to a large hole in the ice, wearing a two-piece bikini, leggings, and sandals, feeling the sharp January wind whip at her--for the 18th consecutive year, again she thinks, “What am I doing here?”

What she is doing is supporting Special Olympics, and her son Chuck, who is a Special Olympian.

So then she jumps in.

“When I hit the water, I feel shocked. All my brain cells are crying, ‘Get out of the water, get out of the water, several times.’ And I get out of the water and onto the ice in seconds and think, ‘That wasn’t so bad.’ It’s cold for only ten seconds in and out. It’s mind over matter. You run and change into warm clothes and you’re done.”

The changing room is a pair of big tents.

“One for the men and one for the women, both with heaters in there. You come in there and put your clothing in, with people monitoring it so nobody ends up taking anything. So you put your bag in there with warm clothes, get in line and jump, and come in and put on the warm clothes. The rule of trade is to wear the least that you can so you get it all off faster. It’s a big locker room.”

Lisa says many groups have their own costumes.

Lisa’s son, Shelby Eisenshenk, holds onto the torch used in the run, along with a peace officer. Contributed photo

“They pick a theme, and then dress up using that theme. Some of the teams all had big costumes, heavy, like fur, so they look pretty cool walking around. But they don’t realize until they polar plunge just how heavy the costumes will get when they are wet. But it’s fun looking to see how each team does their costumes.”

She said her group from St. Cloud calls themselves “The Crazies.”

“One year we all wore a certain color of shirt, another year different hair colors, and things like that. Just make it fun.”

Not just anyone can polar plunge, Lisa said.

“Either you have to have an athlete in Special Olympics, like I do with Chuck, or raise $75 for the Special Olympics, or go online and pick an athlete and sponsor him or her.” About 400 plungers help Special Olympics in her county, she said. In 2024, 21,500 plunged in Minnesota, raising more than $5 million.

Lisa said some of her relatives think she’s crazy.

“But it’s ‘crazy’ in a fun way. Other people have said, ‘I don’t do cold water,’ even though they will go ice fishing. Others say, ‘How can you do that?’”

She said she’s never gotten sick.

“Used to be people would think getting too cold could make a person sick, but that’s not believed anymore. People take cold baths nowadays, or cold showers, and I’m only in the water for about 10 seconds.”

One thing Lisa has to do each year is find someone to help with her son.

“After my son jumps, I need a male person that will be his handler in the changing room. I don’t want to leave him by himself. It all gets pretty chaotic, so I want him to get changed as fast as possible. But that’s not usually difficult. We know all of the law enforcement, and they are willing to help or to find people who will.”

Shelby along with others doing the Torch Run. He is in red shorts, holding one of the torches with another person. Contributed photo

Wherever Lisa has worked, she has convinced coworkers to participate.

“Sometimes it took some talking and convincing, but they were excited and happy to do it. Many people did it only once and got it off their list, but for all of us who do it year after year, it’s a badge of honor and courage. I enjoy the excitement of it, and the camaraderie and high energy before people start jumping. People are anxious and excited, and feel cool being part of it.”  

She says she has never minded winter.

“I just kind of tolerated it, and cold weather never bothered me. As I’ve gotten older, I’m not inclined to go out and jump in the lake, but with this program, I will. I do go hiking and things like that. Doing the polar plunge has given my family something to tease me about, and it has enriched my life and the lives of the other athletes, so I’m glad I have that opportunity.”

The Polar Plunge has never been called off, Lisa said.

“We didn’t call it off when it was very, very cold, or when it was snowing. But one year we weren’t on the ice because it was too warm and unsafe to be on the ice, so they had to improvise. A fire engine set up one of their holding ponds, and people jumped in there. So it depends on the weather and the safety of the ice.”

“I started doing the Polar Plunge in 2009,” Lisa said. “My son had just started getting back into Special Olympics, and I wanted to help raise awareness of it, and do some fund raising.”

She heard about the Polar Plunge and checked out different ones, she said.

Lisa and her son Shelby after his part of the Torch Run. Contributed photo

“I thought I would take the plunge (in two different ways) and felt the excitement. It’s a simple process. They cut a hole in the lake and people jump in. It’s a lot of fun. We help the athletes and raise the awareness and do some fundraising.”

At first she asked others about the Polar Plunge.

“They all talked about different cities where it was being held. Then I took it all in, and toured the area around here. She said she appreciates everybody who comes out does the plunge.

“That’s such a support for the athletes, and it can be a big fundraiser for Special Olympics,” she said.

“Each year the Special Olympics office figures out the schedule for the Polar Plunge, and there is one or two every weekend for two months around the state of Minnesota, starting in the end of January and ending in early March.”

For more information, including locations, go to plungemn.org.