Marist Students Take Virtual Polar Plunge For Special Olympics

CHICAGO — Dozens of Marist High School students froze for a good cause Tuesday afternoon by taking a virtual plunge for Special Olympics Chicago/Special Children’s Charities. Rather than running into the crashing waves of Lake Michigan, the students ran through a torrent of water being shot from cannons.

Normally a huge fundraiser for the Special Olympics, the Chicago Polar Plunge is going virtual in 2021 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th)enlisted the help of the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Union Local 130, who designed and built a polar cannon for a COVID-19-safe plunge experience, the same device used to dye the Chicago River green on St. Patrick’s Day.

Students ran through the cascading water multiple times, ending their run by belly flopping in the snow in brisk 35-degree temperatures. Marist sophomore Tommy Beemsterboer decided to join his fellow athletes and classmates in the virtual plunge on a whim, and did not bring a dry change of clothes.

“That’s a good question,” Beemsterboer said, admitting that he had no idea how he would get home. “I guess I’ll call my mom.”

Beemsterboer ran through the spray four times. “I might as well just do it, I love the school,” he said. “The first two times it wasn’t that cold, but it got colder the third and fourth time.”

Autumn Victoria wanted to follow in the footsteps of her older brothers who participated in past polar plunges. She ran through the cannons with a friend.

“I ran through six times, plus a dive,” Victoria said. “I’m always in a group that wants to do stuff, plus this school is new experiences and doing it with your friend made it all worthwhile.”

Some students were plunging for siblings who are Special Olympians. Nolan Baudo, 15, a Marist sophomore, sailed through the spray for his 11-year-old brother Parker, a fifth-grader at St. Barnabas School who is training for his first Special Olympics. Baudo has been immersing himself in freezing cold water for five years with a team, Parker’s Party, named in honor of his little brother.

“A couple of weeks ago we started a whole thing, and it started going viral on Instagram and other social media,” he said. “It’s great to see the support out here from the community and Marist community that supports me and my brother.”

O’Shea, who also sits on the board of directors of Special Olympics Chicago/Special Children’s Charities, has plunged and raised funds for the Chicago Polar Plunge for 20 years. The students and athletes of Marist High School have been plunging at North Avenue Beach for several years.

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