Polar Club to take dip in Mon River
Local daredevils will continue a seven-year tradition today when they plunge into the Monongahela River. With temperatures expected to hit the 40s today, members of the Polar Club in Fredericktown, will be disappointed with the “warm” water temperature.
“The colder the water, the better. Some guys swear by it,” said Pat Stay, safety director for the Polar Club, noting the water should be about 39 degrees today.
Stay says it’s the rush that keeps jumpers coming back year after year.
He said that last year 25 people jumped into the river water while 60 to 70 people gathered along the docks to watch.
“We have a lot of fun. One year we had to move ice away from the docks to jump. So you know the water was cold. But when you get out you’d be surprised at how warm it feels. It’s a hell of a rush,” he said.
Stay described the event as “organized confusion” but said the whole thing is “good, safe fun.”
“We use the buddy system and we make sure everyone who jumps in comes back out,” he said.
Stay said members of the Polar Club range from age 15 to mid-40s. He said they usually jump in shorts and T-shirts.
But he said last year someone jumped in a wrestling uniform and one year he jumped in wearing Depends.
“That was a mistake, the water weighed my shorts down to my ankles,” he said.
But Stay, who is 45, said he’s left all that fun behind him. He said he doesn’t plan to jump this year and as safety director will make sure everyone leaves the river safe and sound.
Stay said the jumpers jump into shallow water, approximately 4 feet deep, from off the docks near the Owls Club in Newtown, a social club in which many of the Polar Club members also belong.
He said the water is shallow enough that the jumpers jump in off the docks and then walk back to shore.
According to Stay, the Polar Club tradition follows the actions of Mike and Rick Zabrida Jr. of Fredericktown, whose cousins from Florida took the plunge one year on Jan. 1 following their grandmother’s funeral. Stay said the two have since continued to jump in the river on that date with those brave enough to follow along.
Today, Mike Zabrida lives in South Carolina but returns home every year to jump into the river, according to Stay.
“They are the ones who started it. Now it’s like a tradition. It’s a yearly event. Every year more people jump. Every year more people watch,” Stay said.
The Polar Club will take the plunge at noon today behind the Owls Club in Fredericktown.