Jan. 1, 2017 – Big Cedar Lake, WI – The McGuire boys showed ’em all how it was done on Sunday afternoon during the 4th annual Polar Bear Plunge on Big Cedar Lake.
The event is organized by the House of Heileman’s.
Matt McGuire and his wife Lindsay held hands with Mason, 7, and Connor, 4.
“It was all my idea,” said Matt about getting his family involved.
Under sunny skies with an air temperature of 36 degrees and an unofficial water temp of 40 degrees, the family jumped off the carpeted launch pad and into the freezing lake.
Connor, dressed in red swim trunks and a forced smile, had his escape strategy planned; he wisely took the wooden ladder exit that was in arms reach.
Mason swam like Michael Phelps in the making and conquered the 40-foot length of the carved-out course.
“It was good and it was cold,” said Mason as he wrapped himself in a towel while standing on the ice. “This was my dad’s idea.”
Matt McGuire showed off and stayed in the water a bit. He said he was inspired by Wim Hof, AKA The Ice Man.
“He’s a Norwegian extremist who holds all these world records,” said McGuire. “Hof promotes breathing and exercise and cold-water treatments.”
Mason, who was rather tall for his age and “tough-as-nails” according to bystanders, initially said there was no bribery involved but then confessed. “He did bribe me for $100,” he said.
Dad piped up in the background. “The deal was Mason would get the money if he stayed in the water longer than he did,” he said.
The boys had a fan club on the ice. They stood in about an inch of water with a beer in hand. “Dad’s got deep pockets and short arms,” said one New Year’s reveler. “He should pay up!”
The other popular polar plungers were a father-daughter duo who participated with high drama last year when she shouted “Daddy get in here!”
The pair, in matching green suits, entered the water in tandem and finished with a splash of flair and family.
This year’s Polar Plunge was combined with a Geocaching event along with Munzee, which is a combination of Geocaching and Pokemon. “We had families here from Illinois, Minnesota and Arizona for today’s events,” said organizer Tami Mauland.