January 1, 2015:

I had always wanted to do a polar plunge. I figured doing it in a frozen Lake Erie would make it official. Yes, they had to break away the ice for us to go in. That day it was about -6 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill and there I was stripping down to my speedo. We’ll just say it felt a little brisk with the winds coming off the lake, but air temperature and water temperature do not feel the same. It was funny to have everyone look at my and say things like “that guy is crazy!”

I had to slowly work my way down the beach because it was full of jagged objects. In hindsight I wish I would’ve had a pair of flip-flops. Everyone who is about to takes a plunge starts to form a single file line. We’re now off the beach and standing on a thick ice sheet waiting our turn. You couldn’t run and dive in because it was a rocky bottom. That meant you had to carefully wade in, which caused your legs to go numb pretty quick. As soon as I made my way into the lake, the first thought that ran through my head was the Peyton Manning Nationwide commercial were he says, “Losing feeling in my toes.” I had this whole elaborate plan on how I was going to get warm again after I got out of the water. What really happened was I grabbed a towel and told my friend “Start the car and crank the heat!”

Is it crazy to do a polar plunge? A little, but I knew after doing a polar plunge in a frozen Lake Erie I would have no excuse to ever whine and complain about the pool being too cold again.

Pro Tip: If you do a polar plunge, don’t wear a lot of clothing. Why? Because when you get out of the water your hands don’t work and you have trouble getting out of it.