MENDOTA – It was a sunny day, but the big yellow sphere didn’t do much to warm up the icy waters of Lake Mendota, as can be attested by the participants in the 2022 Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge on Feb. 26.

A total of 149 plungers decided to be bold and get cold in this year’s Mendota event that benefits the more than 23,000 traditional athletes and 13,000 young athletes of Special Olympics Illinois. This year’s Mendota plunge raised $37,470 for Special Olympics Illinois.

The polar plunge concept is simple: participants raise a minimum of $100 in donations from friends, family and co-workers in exchange for getting icy for the athletes of Special Olympics Illinois. This year, Plungers were able to choose if they would like to Plunge OUR Way or Plunge YOUR Way.

Plunge OUR Way was the same as in past years – attending the plunge in-person and jumping into frigid Lake Mendota. Plunge YOUR Way is the newest version of the Polar Plunge, as participants were able to get as creative as they wanted, whether that was at home in a kiddie pool, at the office with buckets of water, or any way to safely “plunge.” Plunge YOUR Way participants were asked to commemorate their plunge by taking pictures and videos, and sharing them with Special Olympics Illinois.

Nearly $25 million has been raised by more than 87,000 Plungers since the event’s inception 23 years ago. Its purpose is to simply raise funds to enhance Special Olympics’ mission: To provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families and other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

The first Plunge in Illinois was held in 1999 in Lake Bluff. The Mendota Plunge was added in 2017.