Final Polar Bear Plunge reflects campus tradition

Final Polar Bear Plunge reflects campus tradition

A legendary East Carolina University campus event looks to go out with a splash on Friday evening with the 30th and final Polar Bear Plunge at the Eakin Student Recreation Center outdoor swimming pool.

"After 30 wonderful years we are closing this chapter on the Polar Bear Plunge," said Jenny Gregory, senior assistant director of communications and promotions for Campus Recreation and Wellness. "While we look back with gratitude and cherish all of the memories, we're excited to create new traditions."

While normally on the third Thursday of January, this year's event is taking place on a special night. Doors to the event open at 5 p.m. with the first jump scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

"We picked the 30th of January for the 30th jump," said Dr. Greg Corack, senior director of Campus Recreation and Wellness.

"We were hoping that with this being the last year, we moved the jump a bit earlier so that faculty, staff, alumni and former student staff could participate and spend the evening with us celebrating afterwards," added Gregory.

Corack estimates more than 15,000 jumpers have taken the leap in the previous 29 Polar Bear Plunges, including a record 1,200 in 2014. He and Gregory hope to set a record with the final jump.

"If we can get 1,500 jumpers between students, alumni, and different faculty and staff departments, that would be a successful event," said Gregory.

ECU students, faculty and staff should bring their 1 Card. Guests of ECU affiliates are allowed to participate with identification. In addition to the outdoor pool jump, activities in the indoor pool include four square, tug-of-war and key log rolling. After drying off, attendees can enjoy food, a trivia contest, table tennis tournament, a live DJ and cake on the center's basketball courts.

A custom designed T-shirt reflecting each event is a popular element of the Polar Bear Plunge. The shirt for the final year offers a unique way of looking back at the past.

"This year's shirt is a bit like an art gallery that showcases the T-shirt designs from over the years," said Gregory. "We were able to find the majority of the designs over the years except for a few of the early years. We'll also have commemorative playing cards with the 30th design. We encourage anyone who wants a shirt to get here early."

As much a part of the Polar Bear Plunge tradition as the pool jump is a student organization fair, which will be along the running track on the second floor of the building. Interested students can learn about opportunities to get involved in a wide range of campus activities.

The Birth of an ECU Tradition

The first Polar Bear Plunge was in January 1997 during dedication ceremonies for the then-new Student Recreation Center. Nance Mize, who served as the director of Campus Recreation and Wellness from 1982-2015, worked with former chancellor Richard Eakin to help the new facility go from an idea to reality.

"We were supposed to open the center a year and a half before, but there were multiple delays," Mize said. "The delays were why we opened in January, which was not an ideal time. I thought, 'What can we do that's going to be unique and get people excited?' I saw somewhere on the East Coast a story about people running into the ocean, and thought, 'I wonder if we could have people jump into the outdoor pool?'"

The first Polar Bear Plunge was the culmination of a week of activities to celebrate the opening of the new facility. Initially, 35 people participated in the jump, many of them staff members working under Mize.

"It was a tough sell at first. People saw me coming and would turn and run," Mize said of the inaugural jump. "We were dumping ice in the pool to make it even colder, even though it was already freezing."

As time went on, different campus partners helped the event grow as it turned into the center's birthday party.

"I think it grew because we involved other entities on campus," she said. "We had a point system for intramural sports at the time and residence life gave points for participating in different events. We added in Polar Bear Plunge to the point system and gave recognition to the residence hall that had the most jumpers."

With the growth of the event came a new way of jumping.

"At first we had everyone jump in the pool all at once," said Mize. "As it kept growing, people were jumping on top of each other and we couldn't see, so we divided students into groups of about 25 and gave them a glowing necklace to identify who was in the orange group or the pink group."

Mize feels that student participants are the biggest reason for the event's long-lasting success.

"Students were definitely our biggest and best advocates," she said. "I think we kept changing it and involving them in different ways and that's what helped sell it. They were excited about seeing who could bring the most from their residence hall or student organization. It was a great way to meet people."

Lasting Memories

For Mize, the Polar Bear Plunge's legacy is the building where it takes place.

"To me, the opening of the student recreation center is what the event symbolizes," she said. "It took 10 years for that building to go from idea to approved to open. It was kind of like a life's ambition to build the rec center. The Polar Bear Plunge had a good 30-year run, and I'm proud of the impact it made at ECU."

Gregory feels the Polar Bear Plunge is best remembered by its participants.

"A lot of campus events are centered around learning or service. This event is centered around community, Pirates and fun," said Gregory. "It's a time for our students to come together, let loose and be able to look back and say, 'I did something adventurous and crazy and something I never thought I'd do. I accomplished that and it was fun.'"

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