My friend’s 14-year-old son isn’t feeling well today. In fact, he’s been under weather ever since January 2nd—roughly 24 hours after he submerged his entire body in icy Lake Michigan, all in the name of F-U-N.
Despite frigid temperatures and sub-zero wind chills, my pal’s kid took the Polar Bear Plunge with a few dozen other crazies at Milwaukee’s Bradford Beach on New Year’s Day.
The annual “party” has taken place at the popular Wisconsin landmark every year since 1992. However, this is the first year my friend has finally acquiesced to her teen’s relentless begging and pleading to allow him to jump into a frozen lake on one of the coldest days of winter.
The Polar Bear Plunge is a rite of passage for hundreds of Wisconsinites and other Arctic thrill seekers around the world, though most of the people who dare dip their bare skin into frigid bodies of water typically have their driver’s license and can drink alcohol without facing jail time.
In fact, many of the Polar Bear regulars roll out of Milwaukee’s bars after a night of raucous New Year’s Eve debauchery and take the plunge in an effort to sober up. Such was not the case with my friend’s son. The kid has simply been fascinated with the tradition since he was in second grade.
Turns out 2011 was the year his mother finally gave into his incessant badgering and let him become an official Polar Bear.
Now she’s taking heat for doing so.
For the record, there is no age requirement to participate in a Polar Bear Plunge. Rather, during the registration process, all Plunge participants must sign a waiver. Participants under the age of 18 are required to have a parent or guardian present at the event, and he or she must also sign the waiver that details liability factors and other rules. In addition, according to the Polar Bear Plunge website, “young children are welcome to participate, but that decision is left to the sole discretion of the child’s parent or guardian.”
The winds were whipping the day my pal’s son swam amongst Lake Michigan’s ice chunks. However, his mother was armed with a ton of dry blankets and quickly ushered her first born to a raging fire as soon as he exited the slushy water.
Still, the kid got sick and now my pal’s in-laws and other family members are calling her a bad mom. Of course, there’s no telling if the boy’s fever is a direct result of taking the Plunge, but that matters little to those with wagging fingers.
Would you let your teen take the Polar Bear Plunge?
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