“Sometimes you just gotta challenge yourself.”

Those words by Anne Riotto of Barnesville explains why she and others jumped in the Mauch Chunk Lake Saturday during the ninth annual Polar Plunge to benefit Marian High School of Hometown.

She later posted on Facebook. “The air was so cold and, even though the water was significantly warmer than the air temp, it didn’t matter because about 2 seconds after you pop your head out of the water and tell yourself, “OK, that was OK. That was the worst of it.”

Then she said, “You start the swim back to shore and realize, “No … no, that doesn’t seem to have been the worst of it. This part is definitely the worst of it.”

But then you get out of the water, into the wind, and you’re like, “Do I even recognize the concept of ‘worst’ anymore? And why don’t I have feet? I think I left my feet in the water.”

Riotto and her daughter were two of 31 people who took part in the plunge. Sixteen chickens supported them from the lakeside beach.

The thermometer on the wall read 16 degrees, and it did warm up a bit, but the wind chill factor made it much worse.

While not for everyone, this type of event does bring out the adventurous.

“I actually started this for St. Joe’s (Jim Thorpe),” said Kathy Goff, organizer and coordinator. “It was my neighbor’s idea, Bob Shaninger. When St. Joe’s closed, this event was near and dear to my heart, so we decided to bring it over to Marian. I’m a Marian grad, both my kids … one is a Marian student, the other graduated in 2020.”

Normally the event is held the last Saturday of January to coincide with the start of Catholic Schools Week. However, due to the extreme cold and wind that Saturday, it was postponed until Feb. 5.

The Blue and Gold Club, the fundraising arm of the school, will use the money at Marian where needed. Some areas where previous donations were used include scholarships, sports uniforms and equipment, and for the high school band.

Those who braved the cold water were awarded a T-shirt and of course, bragging rights for making the jump.

Afterward, Jenna Goff and Lauren Reaman, both students at Marian, explained why they took part.

“We did it last year,” Goff said. “The adrenaline’s great!”

“Why not?” Reaman added.