B4 • METROSPECTIVE • February 25, 2010 THE metropolitan February 25, 2010 • METROSPECTIVE • b5

Ways to support
ABOVE: Meredith Voss, of the Kappa Alpha
Theta sorority at the University of Colorado,
cries out after dunking into the chilly water
at the Polar Plunge at Boulder Reservoir.
With temperatures around 40 degrees in
the water, participants were quick to get
back to their towels. Photo by Daniel Clements •
dcleme12@mscd.edu
LEFT: Dave Seper, left, helps lead the Law
Enforcement Torch Run team into the water
during the Special Olympics fundraiser. Photo
by Daniel Clements • dcleme12@mscd.edu
Special Olympics
The Special Olympics State
Basketball Tournament will
be held Saturday, March 6 at
the Gold Crown Field House in
Lakewood. It will feature 45
teams with competitions in Special
Olympics Team Play, Unified Sports
Team Play and Individual Skills
Competition. The event is open for
the public and free of charge.
SOCO is one of the 14 non-
profit organizations on the 2009
Colorado state income tax form
eligible for taxpayers’ voluntary
donations. As a Colorado taxpayer
you can donate all or a part of your
refund to SOCO by checking Box
31 on your 2009 state income tax
form.
The Special Olympics Colorado
2010 State Winter Games is a two-
day annual event and will be held
March 28-29 at Copper Mountain
Resort and Dobson Ice Arena in
Vail.

LEFT: Terri Beach reacts as she sprints into 40 degree

water at the Boulder Reservoir Feb. 20. Beach, who drove
from Erie, heard about the event while reading the local
paper and thought, “what a great idea!” Beach raised $530
in pledges from friends and colleagues. Photo by Leah Millis •
lmillis@mscd.edu

frigid fundraiser
A handful of brave souls take a dip in support of Special Olympics

By Ashley Moreland
amorela1@mscd.edu
Expressions of shock appeared on the faces of
the bikini-clad sorority sisters. They let out shrieks
and squeals as the icy water — like pins and needles
— pierced their skin and penetrated their bones.
Less than 20 seconds later, they frantically ran out
of the reservoir, grabbed their towels, briefly posed
for pictures, then dashed to the hot tub.
Special Olympics Colorado hosted the “Freezin’
for a Reason” Polar Plunge at the Boulder Reservoir
Feb. 20.
Participants, such as the women of the Univer-
sity of Colorado’s Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, were
required to raise at least $85, and all proceeds went
to the state’s Special Olympics program and to more
than 10,000 athletes.
Polar Plunges are popular Special Olympics
fundraisers across the United States. Colorado has
been hosting such events for three years, but this
is the first time one has been hosted in the Boulder
area.
“We came here to freeze for a reason,” said Kappa
Alpha Theta’s Megan Beranek quickly, as she dried off
after thawing out in the hot tub. Her skin was red and
the adrenaline of the exhilarating event still coursed
through her body.
Beranek’s aunt, Mindy Watrous, works for Special
Olympics Colorado, and because of that Beranek has
done volunteer work several times for the organiza-
tion. However, this was her first year participating in
a Polar Plunge.
“I’m in a sorority with these girls [so I thought],
‘Why don’t I just see if I can get a few of the girls to
come with me and try to raise some money?’” she said.
Beranek didn’t know the exact amount the team
raised, but said it was a lot.
Plunging into freezing water may seem like a crazy
idea, but the cause made it worthwhile for the partici-
pants. Beranek said jumping in wasn’t as bad as she
thought it would be.
“I was expecting it to be worse,” Beranek said.
“[But] don’t discredit it. It was freezing; it was cold.
But is was fun; it was worth it.”
Another participant, Stephanie Budd, agreed.
“The initial moment after plunging, my body was
in shock. [But] once I regained normal function, I felt
refreshed and exhilarated,” she said. “The girls on my
team were talking about how good it felt even though
it was freezing. I think we felt proud and supported by
the people cheering us on.”
Budd is also a member of the same sorority, but she
plunged with the CU Express Dance Team. She said
she had originally planned to participate with the so-
rority, but realized she had an opportunity to get more
people involved.
“When I asked them about it, they were really ea-
ger to participate and excited to make our own team,”
Budd said.
Budd’s team raised 10 times more than they were
required. In addition to her aunt’s involvement with
the Special Olympics, the organization is close to Be-
ranek’s heart for another reason: her uncle, Ben Wa-
trous, is a participant.
Last year Watrous participated in the summer Spe-
cial Olympic Games for the Southsiders team, where
he competed in the softball throw and 100-meter
dash. He has also competed in bowling and bicycling.
Watrous said he does well in the Special Olympics and
has won silver and gold medals.
Watrous was at the Polar Plunge to cheer on Be-
ranek’s and Budd’s teams.
“C-U! C-U! C-U!” he excitedly chanted as the dance
team prepared to plunge.
Although he thought they were crazy for jumping
into the water, he said he was happy they were there
and supporting the cause.
Sarah Traut, Law Enforcement Torch Run and spe-
cial events coordinator, estimated 60 people partici-
pated in the Polar Plunge.
“Obviously numbers aren’t quite where we want
them to be as far as plungers, but [we’re] really look-
ing at building it up here in Boulder,” she said.
Traut said she would like for the Boulder plunge
to become an annual event. Both Beranek and Budd
plan to participate each year.
“We talked about getting our whole dance team of 20
girls to take the plunge and [start] to fundraise for it fur-
ther in advance,” Budd said. “It was a fulfilling and fun
experience … it’s a very rewarding feeling to help out, but TOP: Jerry Hamill, left, huddles for warmth with his son, Holden Hamill, after participating in 2010’s “Freezin’ for a Reason.”
even better [because] it goes toward a great cause.” Hamill works as the Vice President of Development for Special Olympics Colorado. Photo by Luke Powell • lpowel18@mscd.edu