Polar Plunge took the man out of my Superman costume

Two Havre Daily News reporters John Paul Schmidt and Tori Thomas took part in Saturday's Sub-Zero Super-Hero Polar Plunge. Here is their account.

Makeshift and classic superheroes, along with sadist onlookers and Montana Special Olympics athletes, gathered at Blue Pony Stadium to watch me and others make ourselves miserable for a cause.

The Sub-Zero Super-Hero Polar Plunge had dozens of people "freezin' for a reason." People had been raising money for Montana Special Olympics for weeks and raised thousands of dollars. I was glad that Tori Thomas, Havre Daily News reporter and princess superhero, agreed to join our amounts raised so the amount I raised wouldn't seem so puny next to the Havre Police Department's whopping $3,700.

As I stood at the precipice in the Superman costume that a stranger let me borrow an hour prior (thanks Matt), I looked into the icy water with my usual bullheaded bravado, unaware I was a fool.

"One, two, three, jump!" the men in their diving gear yelled.

I was dumb enough to listen to them.

As soon as my body hit the water, visions of fireplaces and sunny days were wiped clean from my memory as if I were reading "The Giver" backward. My only thought was reminding myself what courtesy was as I waited for Tori to get out of the pool first and tried not to push her out of the way so I could get out of the pool, get in my car and drive back to my hometown in the New Mexican desert.

Once we were out, I sulked to the locker room like a wet rat and changed. As I fumbled with the zipper on the back of the full-body Superman costume and warmed up a bit, I started being less of a baby and was glad to have taken part in the Havre tradition and lent my hand toward keeping the Montana Special Olympics going. Though, to be honest, the amount I raised will probably only cover half of the Capri Suns for the Havre team.

The Sub-Zero Super-Hero Polar Plunge was my first charitable endeavor, and I think the shock of hitting that freezing water was a healthy karmatic punch to the face to remind me I never volunteered for anything in high school.

Thanks to my ex-girlfriend's mother, Sharon, my bar buddy, Anthony, and the Havre Daily News for donating under my name to this worthy cause, which I hope was the Special Olympics and not giving me pneumonia.

(John Paul Schmidt is a reporter with the Havre Daily News. He can be reached at 265-6795, ext. 21, or [email protected].)