University students and staff joined the Lewisburg community to participate in the annual Polar Bear Plunge on Feb. 7. The event consists of taking a “plunge” or a quick swim in the Susquehanna River–the catch is that it takes place during the dead of the February winter chill. Attendees gathered around the St. George Street ramp to watch people take the plunge.

“I didn’t really know what to expect at the Polar Bear Plunge, so walking up and seeing ambulances already lined up to whisk people away if they got hypothermia was pretty intimidating. I lined up for the last jump and when they blew the whistle to go, my friends and I dove underwater and then quickly ran back ashore. The air was actually pretty warm when I got out. The worst part was my feet because I was walking on a combination of snow and rocks. It was definitely worth it and I’m excited to plunge again next year,” Caroline Carr ’16 said.

Those who attended the event and took the plunge were awarded with commemorative T-shirts. There were also polar bear hats sold for $20 to benefit the Lewisburg Community Garden.

The temperature of the water was approximately a bitter 32 degrees as participants entered the river.

“It is definitely something to check off my bucket list. It certainly wasn’t as cold as I was expecting, but my feet were numb for a solid 30 minutes after getting out. It was nice to see so many members of the community there, even if they were just watching,” Alexander Kempf ’16 said.