Teams are Set for YMCA Camp Sloper's Annual Polar Plunge

The annual Polar Plunge is back!

We are just one month away from the Eighth Annual YMCA Camp Sloper Polar Plunge, and as residents in the community prepare for the annual jump into the icy-cold waters of Sloper Pond, the teams are set and fundraising is kicking into high gear.

The annual event, which will take place on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2013, at 1 p.m. on the grounds of Camp Sloper, is one of the biggest annual fundraisers of the year for the camp.

All funds from this event will be donated to provide financial assistance to help send children and teens to YMCA Camp Sloper this summer for a meaningful day camp experience.

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The YMCA released the following on Tuesday:

Mark Pooler, outdoor center director at Camp Sloper, is excited about this year’s line-up and expects to have a successful event that raises money for camp scholarships. 

“We have had such generous donors and very brave plungers in the last seven years, it has become a tradition for Southington” stated Pooler. 

The 2013 teams will include the Southington Fire Department led by firefighter Bob Hunt, and the Southington Board of Education led by Superintendent Dr. Joe Erardi, Board of Education Chair Brian Goralski and High School Teacher Bob Lasbury.

In addition, the Southington Politicians Team under the leadership of Mike Riccio and Dr. Al Nateli, and the Calvanese Foundation Team under the leadership of Foundation Board Member Lauren Forgione, Alyssa Calvanese and Aqua Turf Maitre d’, Donny Jenkins, will return again in 2013. Team Southington, joins the action for the second year in a row and is led once again by Southington Town Manager Garry Brumback. Of course, the Southington Community YMCA will have a team too, led by Pooler and Executive Director John Myers.

“Every year we add a new team to the event to build off the success of last year and get more people involved in the fun” said Pooler. “I am pleased to announce the Feature Team for 2013 will be ‘Team Lake Compounce’ led by General Manager Jerry Brick.”

Team Lake Compounce will be made up of employees and friends that want to join the cause.

“We are excited to be a part of a great community tradition that will help kids in our great town of Southington. It is a privilege to help kids in our community and we are delighted to be part of that effort” stated Jerry Brick.

Interested in seeing more on the Polar Plunge? Check out these videos from the Sixth Annual Polar Plunge in 2011 and the Seventh Annual Polar Plunge in 2012.

Anyone interested in taking the plunge this year should contact Mark Pooler at (860) 621-8194 ext. 304. Each plunger must raise a minimum goal of $100 to plunge, must be at least 18 years old, and be part of a team.  If you aren’t ready to take the plunge, we invite all spectators to join the fun.

“Last year we had close to 200 spectators which really motivated our plungers and added fun to the event,” Pooler noted. 

Team YMCA and Team Southington are always looking for new plungers and happy to have any brave souls join in on the fun!

Pooler also announced that sponsorship opportunities are available again this year. Business or families who would like to support this event through sponsorship should contact Donna Ayer at the YMCA for more information at (860) 628-5597.

Polar Plunge banner sponsorships are $250 each. 

“There is nothing better in this world than seeing a child with a smile on their face, and YMCA Camp Sloper does this each and every day! I am proud to be a part of a great cause like this and it really is a lot of fun” says Bob Lasbury, Southington High School Teacher and Boys Basketball Coach, who will be taking the Polar Plunge for the fifth time in 2013.

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