Hundreds gathered to kick off the Special Olympics by plunging in freezing water.

“It’s just fabulous. I keep looking around and people keep coming in. It is just a overwhelming support and we appreciate it,” Polar Plunge Coordinator Paula Eppley- Neuman said.

“It’s a great turnout. We almost raised 26,000 dollars towards Special Olympics. So this is great, seeing people have a god time and get ready to plunge,” Student  volunteer Luke Trotz said.

Rescue crews provided safety for all of the plungers.

“We surround the perimeter this way when the plungers dive in and dive out. We don’t want them to go under the ice,” Scott Grahm said

Meteorologist Jim Burton helped organize the plunge and has a few tips for plungers.

“The air temperature is around 26 degrees, water temperature is34, so the shock is coming out not going in . That is the key to plunging,” Burton said.