I love what I do, I really do. But sometimes I'm clueless. I get to be around cool people doing cool things. I ask them questions and I get to write about them. It's fun. But sometimes it is an exorcise in humility and an acknowledgement of air-headedness. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather feel like an air head than prove that I am one. So........ Today I covered the Two Mile Run County Park annual polar plunge. There were teams dress-up in costumes and it was a fun time. There may or may not have been adult beverages. I'll never judge. One team donned plunger hats. When this seasoned reporter saw this, I chuckled and took some photos. It was funny and from a cameraman's standpoint, cool as that place the devil resides! | Sponsors Educational opportunity |
A brief silence........
"Because it is a polar plunge!?!?!" said Jodi Baker-Lewis, one of the key event organizers. She was kindly unsure if I was joking.
I laughed immediately. It totally went over my head.
Sadly, it sailed clean over. I mean way over.
If I have any excuse, it is the concussion I suffered four months ago. I cling to that as my explanation for moments when I'm really just not that bright.
So yes the plungers on the head were not some Area 54-esque or Knights Templar deep state thing. They were simply because it was a plunge and nothing more. If my face were capable of blushing, it would have been as red as a Crimson Tide fan T-shirt.
Money was raised through a series of sponsors and the 30 to 40 participants who each paid 20 or 25 dollars to jump into the frigid waters.
Earlier in the week, they cut a large opening into the seven-inch thick ice to create a place for participants to jump, waddle or stroll into the lake and back out, all under the watchful eye of a couple Oil City Fire Department scuba team members.
And believe me, it was cold.
After learning what Cousin Eddie was about, I mentioned to Baker-Lewis that her team with the plungers on their heads should've paired up with the Cousin Eddies as one group based on an iconic scene from the movie.
We laughed. (Look it up if you have to!)