People will plunge into cold water for Special Olympics

On Saturday, Nov. 2, people will be freezin' for a reason at Blue Pony Stadium.

The annual Sub-Zero Super-Hero Polar Plunge will take place prior to the Montana State University-Northern football game.

The idea is that if you raise $100 or more in pledges for the Special Olympics, you get the chance to jump into a large vat of ice-cold water while your friends urge you on.

"It's a great event," said Havre Police Community Resource Officer Ryan Pearson, who is working on the project.

"All of the money raised goes to Special Olympics, and 60 percent of it stays here in Havre," he said.

People interested in taking part or forming a team to jump can pick up pledge forms at the Havre Police Department, Havre High School or at numerous other businesses in town.

People who plunge will get a T-shirt and a ticket to the Northern football game, he said.

And, while cold on the outside, they will get a warm feeling inside, said Mandy Hansen, the publicity chair for Special Olympics.

"It's great to see the looks on the faces of the Special Olympians when they see people jump in the water," Pearson said. "They know people are doing this for them."

"That's why the police department got involved he said. "It's a good cause to get behind."

Agent David Bischoff said the Havre Border Patrol Sector is excited to support Special Olympics, because part of the agency's policy is to get involved in a community activities.

A Border Patrol team will be jumping, and Pearson said he will take the plunge.

The idea of jumping into the water may sound a bit scary, Pearson admitted, but representatives from the Hill County Search and Rescue team, in their cold-water attire, will be in the tub, helping people get out as soon as possible.

But even if that doesn't calm the nerves, there is an alternative.

"If you want to raise pledges but don't want to jump," we have a Chicken T-Shirt," said Hansen.