Over 100 people jumped into the chilly waters of Rolater Lake on a chilly New Year’s Day at the 2024 Cave Spring Polar Plunge hosted by the Cave Spring Historical Society.
Jim Hellreigel, Cave Spring resident, came prepared with a change of clothes for after the plunge. He said he was not nervous, but he braced himself for the impact of the cold water on a 40 degree day.
Hellreigel adds that he was challenged to take the plunge by Marley Peals, the Director of Cave Spring’s Downtown Development Authority.
Peals said that she wanted to take the plunge because she has heard that cold water is good for the body, and she wants to do more things that are good for her body this year.
The water would have felt even colder if it had been an unseasonably warm day, according to Peals’ logic.
Callie McCain, Polar Plunge co-organizer, asserts that the waters of Rolater Lake maintain a year-round temperature of around 57 degrees – that’s cold even in June and especially in January.
Proceeds from the Polar Plunge will be used by the Cave Spring Historical Society for upkeep and preservation of historic buildings in that community, says McCain.
McCain adds that there were a total of 105 people who took the plunge at this year’s event, which generated over $2,000 for the CSHS.
