Twenty years ago, Jefferson City High School (JCHS) math teacher Curt Yaeger took his first chilling dip into the waters of Public Beach No. 2 at Lake of the Ozarks State Park during the first Polar Plunge, and it literally took his breath away.
"At the time of the first plunge, my wife worked for SOMO (Special Olympics Missouri, who receives proceeds from the Polar Plunge and related activities), and they asked me if I wanted to participate. I also talked to a couple of other teacher friends to participate that year," he said. "It was definitely a surprise when I hit the water. I didn't realize that it would take your breath away when the water was that cold. It also didn't take us as long as I thought. We just went in, got out, looked around and said, "I guess we are done.'"
For Yaeger, he wasn't done after one fateful dip. He was hooked and has participated in Polar Plunge each year since its inception. In fact, the last eight years, he has dived into the waters of Public Beach No. 2 once an hour every 24 hours leading up to the main Polar Plunge event as a super plunger. The action of "plunging" may no longer take his breath away, but Yaeger is astonished at how the event has grown since its start.
"We only had about 20 people, so we all went in at once," he said about the first Polar Plunge. "Boy, how things have changed today."
Now with a new activity as part of the 2015 Polar Plunge activities this weekend, Yaeger will join more than a dozen super plungers and nearly 700 plungers during the 20th annual Polar Plunge today at Lake of the Ozarks State Park.
Becoming a super plunger
A 25-year JCHS teaching veteran, Yaeger was born and raised in Eldon and taught at Camdenton R-3 School District for two years before going to the Jefferson City public school system.
He is often not alone in representing his school, as other members of JCHS faculty have plunged in the past and the JCHS Student Council participates every year at the annual event, which is hosted by the city of Osage Beach and Osage Beach Police Department.
With many of his JCHS cohorts dressing up for the infamous Parade of Costumes that precedes the Polar Plunge, Yaeger has a different approach to Plunge clothing and one that has worked well now being a super plunger.
"I don't dress up. My theory is the less you wear the less you have to get off when you are done," he said.
Even with his own dress code, Yaeger said the biggest challenge is weather conditions. He said there have been a couple of years where snow and ice have been present during the event; however, for the most part, plungers have been pretty lucky.
"I think the most challenging plunge is the first one after it gets dark Friday (during the Super Plunge) because it just seems so different going in (the water) after it is dark," he said. "I think pacing yourself is the key. If you get too hyped up at the beginning, you just wear yourself out."
"Freezin' for a Reason'
A big reason Yaeger plunges each year is the cause: Special Olympics Missouri. For the last five years, he has served as the SOMO sports commissioner for volleyball. Having coached volleyball at JCHS, Yaeger has been able to learn new ways to stay up to date with the position.
However, he was also no stranger to SOMO before his current participation in the organization. He competed as part of a unified basketball team, which includes both SOMO athletes and non-SOMO participants, in the 2006 National Games. His group took second place.
"That was a fun experience. You get other people out in the game coaching on the court and getting to be a player beside these talented athletes," he said. "I also volunteer at many different events. ... The reason I plunge is to help with all of these great events that make it possible for such a great group of athletes to have a chance to participate. Once you get involved, you understand what a great organization Special Olympics is and how much they impact the lives of their athletes and the lives of the families of the athletes."