BAZETTA - James Carnes, dressed as a large pink bunny rabbit, felt pretty warm in the moments before running into the mostly ice-covered and mud-filled area of Mosquito Creek Reservoir for the sixth annual Mosquito Lake Polar Plunge for Special Olympics.
It was not long before the volunteer firefighter was wet and shivering.
"I came out here to support a good cause," Carnes, of Johnston, said.
Jeff Ratini of Cortland, dressed as a pirate, said he was "Freezin' for a Reason" during his participation in the plunge into the icy water at Mosquito Lake.
"I did this last year for the first time as a response to a dare," Ratini said. "It is a little chilly when you come out of the water. I definitely will be going home and taking a hot shower after this."
The two men were among nearly 200 people who took the plunge as part of the annual fundraiser for the Special Olympics.
Special Olympics Ohio provides year-round sports training and competition for adults and children with intellectual disabilities, according to the agency.
"This is the largest participation we've had at Mosquito Lake," Paige Ludwig of the Special Olympics Ohio said. "That is significantly up from previous years. We had about 137 plungers last year."
Approximately $33,000 was raised Saturday. The Mosquito Lake Polar Plunge is the first of nine plunges that will happen in Ohio over the next two months. The next two Polar Plunges are Saturday in Sandusky and Dayton.
Travis Anderson, 18, of Johnston, was a first-time polar plunger on Saturday.
"Some friends of mine and a couple teachers at school were going to do this, so I decided to do it," Anderson said.
Jimmy Reed 17, of Mecca, and Quinten Provost, 18, both students in the Maplewood school district, teamed up to be the "Sexy and I Know It" team. The teens won first place in the group costume contest, wearing skintight leotards.
"We thought this would be fun," Reed said.
"It would be cool," Provost added, shivering with each word he said. "It's definitely cold."
Ken Merwin of Bazetta dressed as a redneck fisherman.
"My wife used to work with disabled people until we got into a motorcycle wreck in 2002," he said. ''We were both hurt. She is not allowed to work anymore. This money goes to the Special Olympics kids and that's what it's all about."
Lori Horetzky of Cleveland, a member of the Youngstown Parrot Head Club, attended to support people taking the plunge.
"I did this two year ago," Horetzky said. "I got out to edge of the ice, I turned around and could not tell my legs to move fast enough to get away. I couldn't move. I will never do it again unless I'm well fortified before going out there."
Jamie Lowther, aka "Wonder Woman," also with the Youngstown Parrot Head Club, said the organization's motto is to party with a purpose.
"Today our purpose is to freeze for the Special Olympics," Lowther said. "This is my third year doing it. I figured not everyone will do something like this, so I think those who can should and I can."
Michael Spence of Girard raised more than $650 for Special Olympics.
"This is my first year," Spence said. "I was going to do this last year but I got sick. Doing the Polar Plunge is something I always wanted to do since I was a little kid. When I found out this was for Special Olympics, this was a no-brainer."
Spence already is planning to 2013's polar plunge.
"I want to raise more than a $1,000 next year," he said.
Paul Gustovich of Niles, also known as Buckeye Santa, has participated in the Polar Plunge every year since it has been in Trumbull county.
"This is my sixth time doing this," he said. "This is about the kids. This is a nice charity. It is like a winter festival. You just get out your car and jump in the water. Don't think about it, because you'll over think it."
