Sloper Plungers Brave Icy Pond to Support Young Campers
- Philip Thibodeau
- 12 hours ago
- 3 min read
Just a few months from now, Sloper Pond will be full of area children swimming, boating, fishing, and making friendships and memories to last a lifetime.
This past Saturday afternoon, however, Sloper was taken over by a crowd of adults who were dedicated enough – or, some might say, crazy enough – to jump into its icy waters in order to raise money for those children.
Saturday’s Sloper Plunge, hosted by the Southington and Cheshire Community YMCA, was the 21st such event. Mark Pooler, CEO of the Y, kicked things off by looking back in time to the first plunge, which raised about $10,000 to help families afford the cost of camp attendance for their children. He said that he and Jackie Nadeau were the only people from that first event who still take part in the jump.
The Sloper Plunge became a true tradition the following year when Southington Police Chief Jack Daly suggested that he and some of his officers join in. Ever since, more and more community groups have participated, sending teams of anywhere from two to twenty brave volunteers to jump into the water.
Assistant Camp Director “Too Tall” Tom Sangeloty and his crew spent the past few days creating open water in the dock area by cutting a hole in the ice with their chainsaws. The water, Sangeloty estimated, was about 33 degrees Fahrenheit. Saturday was a warm and sunny day with a high of about 53. So, if one assumes that the human body temperature is 98, getting stripped down for the plunge means experiencing a drop of 45 degrees, with the plunge adding another 20 degrees of chill.
So what does it feel like to jump into a pond that is mostly covered in ice? According to Paul Chaplinsky, a veteran of past jumps, it is, well, shocking. “When you first go in, it’s a shock to the system. You want to breathe but there’s a brief period where you feel like you can’t; it feels like many seconds, though it’s probably just a few. When the air is warm like it is today, it can be an extra shock. If it’s freezing, your body is already kind of acclimated to the cold before you jump. But if it’s warm, there’s a much bigger contrast when you go in.”
“A neighbor of mine has a pool,” he added, “and he does a plunge every day. He stays in for up to four minutes. They say once your body gets to a certain point, it kicks into overdrive, and that’s good for your immune system – so they say.”
The Y had a number of first responders in place as a precaution in case anyone experienced difficulties; a lifeguard, a firefighter in a wet suit, an ambulance, and a CERT van. None of hundreds of plungers on Saturday seemed unduly distressed, though one or two took a risk by diving into the water instead of jumping – a no-no, given that the water inside the dock is only about five feet deep.
After making their way back to the muddy beach, some participant raced to put on warm clothes. Yet even more lingered in their wet garments, absorbing the sun, taking selfies, and trading hugs and fist-bumps before heading back up to the parking lot.
The Sloper Plunge raises money by having participants canvass their friends, family, and neighbors for donations to support their jump. This year’s fundraising total came in at about $110,000, which, according to Pooler, works out to about 300 to 400 individual sessions of camp.
“That money,” said Justin Hubeny, the director of Camp Sloper, “gives an opportunity for kids to experience one of our three camps in the summertime: YMCA Camp Sloper, YMCA Camp Quinnipiac, or YMCA Camp Naciwonki. It gives those kids a chance to come to camp who otherwise, financially, wouldn’t be able to. I personally believe all kids deserve a Sloper and a camp experience, to make friendships and to connect with staff members and learn new skills.”
Outsider photographer John McDonald captured some of the excitement at Sloper:
For more photography by John McDonald, see CT Drone Source.
