Dozens jump into Wasilla Lake to raise funds for charity

WASILLA - Maybe it's some lingering effects of the cold, or maybe I stayed up too late cobbling together a cape and underpants from newspapers and packing tape.

Either way, traditional news reporting just doesn't seem to fit with this year's Mat-Su Polar Plunge. Here, as a reasonable facsimile of a news story, is a list of random thoughts surrounding the icy dip and a few of the better quotes from my partner in plunging, my son Gabe Fish:

• Feb. 13, five days before the plunge: "What should I wear to do this? Street clothes aren't any fun."

Facebook suggestions included a diaper, butterfly wings and a gorilla suit. Not much help there, is what I'm saying.

• Feb. 16, the day before the plunge: "Why didn't I think of this sooner? Frontiers-Man! A newspaper superhero, guardian of truth, justice and public information."

• Feb. 17, the night before the plunge: "Two rolls of packing tape should be enough to keep it together long enough to jump in the water, right?"

• Feb. 18, arriving at Mat-Su Resort, taking a peek at the thickness of the ice: "Hmm. Not so sure about this now."

• Feb. 18, waiting in line to register: "This wait may very well wind up being worse than the actual swimming."

• Feb. 18, still in line to jump: "That's a sage piece of advice, especially coming from a man in a pink tutu."

The advice, from the inimitable Les Helfrich: "If your co-workers dare you to do something, say ‘no.'"

• Feb. 18, an hour later, at the front of the line, "The Sertoma folks sure are helpful. And man is this goodie bag heavy!"

• Feb. 18, walking to the hole in the ice: "My feet sure are cold walking barefoot on this ice ... oh, wait ..."

• Feb. 18, jumping in tandem with my son, Gabe: "I hope Gabe's foot cleared the edge because mine sure didn't. Ouch!"

• Feb. 18, just having surfaced, "Where's Gabe? There he is. I'll give him a hand up."

• Feb. 18, paddling toward the edge: "I should tell the dive team to just grab Gabe. I'd be doing a lot better if I didn't have to hold him up."

• Feb. 18, out of the water: "Man this hot-tub is nice."

• Feb. 18, reviewing the video my wife posted to Facebook while still on the ice: "That seemed a lot longer when I was in the water."

• Feb. 18, leisurely eating a well-earned lunch: "All told, that wasn't so bad. I can think of worse ways to raise $100 for Special Olympics and Valley Performing Arts."

Quotes from Gabe:

"That was actually kind of fun."

"I want to do this every year. Can I still jump when I'm 80?"

"I'm sorry about the cuts on your hand. I might have done that with my fingernails when I grabbed you."

"Next year we should make a costume for me."

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.