Special Olympics supporters take ‘Plunge’ in Fox Lake, Palatine

Temperatures were hardly Arctic for this year’s Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge, held Sunday afternoon in communities like Fox Lake and Palatine.

But it was no day at the beach either for the shivering mass of humanity emerging from the water at Fox Lake’s Lakefront Park or Palatine’s Twin Lakes Recreation Area.

The events were among 18 plunges held throughout Illinois on Sunday.

All the money at the Fox Lake event goes to Northeastern Illinois/Area 13, which serves Lake and McHenry Counties, said Anne Carroll, supervisor of the North Region of Special Olympics Illinois.

Carroll said online contributions are still being accepted, but so far the Fox Lake event raised $46,000. Carroll added that 213 plungers participated, up from to 205 last year.

“It was terrific,” she said. “One of the things I love about the Fox Lake plunge is it is truly a community event.”

In addition to the community members who volunteered to help organize the plunge or wade into the chilly water, Carroll said she was also pleased by the support from the village of Fox Lake.

“I can’t say enough about the village and how much support they provide,” She said. “It’s just tremendous.”

Among those in attendance was Congressman Joe Walsh, making a return appearance from last year.

The most money raised by a team was more than $4,200, from the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, while the highest amount collected by an individual was $1,700 from Jeff Norris of the Fox Lake Police Department.

Dani Murray, an 18-year-old student from Evergreen Park High School, was with the team Cooler Than a Brain Freeze that raised about $1,000.

“It was pretty cold,” she said. “Last year, I completely dove in (something you are not supposed to do), but this year I didn’t really get my head wet, so it wasn’t as bad.

“My cousin is a part of the Special Olympics, so our family really likes to support it,” Murray added.

Thomas Muehlfelder of Fox Lake won the costume contest, for an outfit that covered him from head to toe with seaweed. The prize was a “toilet plunger” trophy.

At the Palatine event, all money raised benefits the North Suburban Cook/Area 18 of Special Olympics Illinois, which serves north suburban Cook County.

Last year, the Palatine event raised $108,000, and area Director Dan Conley said organizers hope to top that number with Sunday’s proceeds.

He said registration numbers are also up, from 350 plungers last year to 425 on Sunday.

“We’re looking good, and the weather is certainly helping us,” he said.

In the past, Conley said, it has been cold enough to cancel the event. But Sunday, the water temperature was around 40 degrees.

Chill notwithstanding, the Mardi Gras flavor of the costumes donned by the plungers in both Palatine and Fox Lake complemented the bravado of their actions.

One Palatine plunger donned a bone that wrapped around his head, while another group wore pirate gear, complete with daggers.

Dean Prince from Bartlett and Kristen Johnson from Naperville, dressed up as gnomes with red caps and white beards in Palatine.

But Prince had a solemn purpose in mind; his jump was a memorial to his friend Justin Jensen, who died in July at age 22.

“His major was in special education, so I dedicated my jump to him,” Prince said.