Polar Bear Plunge on Big St. Germain

8th Annual Polar Bear Plunge

Thanks again to the unending commitment, hard work and creativity of founders and organizers, Mike Wolf of WRJO Radio and George and Lois Rudiger, former owners of the St. Germain Lodge along with hosts Kaye and Rob Manthei, new owners of Fibber’s, The 8th Annual “Northwood’s Original” Polar Bear Plunge at Fibber’s on Big St. Germain Lake was a phenomenal success. An astonishing $32,000+ was raised to benefit Camp Angel/Camp Teen Angel and other programs of Angel On My Shoulder.

A huge crowd of spectatators watched in awe as Mike Wolf and Amy Linnett of WRJO Radio in Eagle River along with Rob Manthei, owner of Fibber’s led a record setting 169 “warm hearted” polar plungers into the icy waters of Big St. Germain Lake in “shivering” support of those living with or affected by cancer.

Once again, creative attire and antics (belly flops, cannon balls, snow angels, somersaults and even leap frog games) prevailed to the delight of those gathered to witness this fun and festive event.

Three veteran “plungers”, Dick Lemke, Russ “Moses” Huizinga, and Charlie Taylor reunited once again to “chill out” for charity taking the plunge for the eighth consecutive year.

We salute top fundraisers, Moses Huizinga, a “hot” $1,735 in pledges and Dick Lemke (raffle coordinator/seller extraordinaire), along with J.J. Johnson (a fifth year plunger) both who brought in over $1,000 in pledges.

New this year was a 30-hour “Pledge-A-Thon” from noon on January 2nd through January 3rd at 6:00 pm on WRJO Radio co-hosted by the one and only, Mike Wolf, and the remarkable Amy Linnett both disc jockeys at WRJO. Mike and Amy stayed on the air 30 hours to create awareness of Angel On My Shoulder and how it benefits those living with or affected by cancer.

Over 100 adorable stuffed Polar Bears generously donated by Northland Marine in Three Lakes, WI were up for adoption on the “Thon” by pledging a donation to the program. The names of all those adopting were entered into a special drawing. Mike Wolf noted, “It takes less than one minute to take the Plunge but it provides a weekend full of fun for the kids at Camp Angel”.

Generous contributors of top raffle prizes included Mercury with a Big Water Bow Mount Trolling Motor donated by Rob and Kaye Manthei, owners of Fibbers (winner-Julie Cyra of East Troy); Ron Hallstrom of Sports and Marine in Woodruff, a Bombardier DS50 Mini ATV (winner-Robert Stingl of St. Germain); and Timber Wolf Lumber & Hardware in Manitowish Waters donating a stainless steel natural gas grill (winner-Sue Lemke from Arizona).

The front of the commemorative plunge shirt (affectionately known as the “badge of courage” by those taking the plunge) this year was creatively designed by fourteen year old, Caitlyn Hook of St. Germain. Camp Teen Angel camper, thirteen-year-old Kortney Cleveland of Wisconsin designed the back of the 8th annual polar plunge shirt. Camp Teen Angel campers submitted the shirt designs and Kortney was the winner for this year’s event.

A touching tribute was the presentation of a special “Guardian Angel” award by the Dick Lemke family of Sayner, WI to Mike Wolf in grateful recognition of Mike as a truly exceptional individual who generously gives of his time and talents to make a difference in the community. The Lemke family has experienced the kindness and support from Angel On My Shoulder in their lives and in turn has given back to the organization by volunteering at our fundraisers and camps. Sue Lemke created a beautiful patchwork quilt, which was raffled off following the plunge.

Fibber’s Restaurant and WRJO Radio are the main sponsors of this frosty festival with a wonderful boost from the local media… The Lakeland Times; Vilas County News Review, and B93 Radio. A heartfelt thanks to White Pine Printing for posters & raffle tickets and Diverse Design Group for the signage.

The Town of St. Germain; the Vilas County Sheriff’s Department; Plum Lake Ambulance Crew; Timber Bay Sport & Dive; and the ice cutting crew led by George Schroeder of Northshore Dirtworks are gratefully acknowledged for serving as our safety support group. Special thanks for the use of the “after the plunge” hot tub on the beach by the Pool People and Sam’s Rental for the heated tent for the plungers.

Lois Ruediger, event coor-dinator, summed it up this way, which truly expresses our sentiments as well: “We wanted to take the event to the next level this year. With the help of WRJO and their innovative promotional ideas and commitment to staying connected with the community, we did just that. There are so many people who deserve credit for the success of this fundraiser. From the plungers who brave the icy waters, to the hole cutting crew, to the individuals who pledge money, to the businesses who sponsor prizes, to the people who buy raffle tickets on the day of the plunge, I extend a very special thank you. It’s definitely a team effort all the way.”

Watch for details on the 9th Annual Polar Plunge and revisit the 8th Annual Polar Plunge by visiting the websites of www.angelonmyshoulder.org or www.wrjo.com.

You are “warmly” invited to join us for some Northwoods fun and fundraising at the Ninth Annual “Northwood’s Original” Polar Bear Plunge scheduled for Saturday, January 3, 2009, at Fibber’s Bar and Restaurant. The “plunge” is set to begin at High Noon.

If you are interested in plunging, cheering, donating, volunteering, or becoming a sponsor, we invite you to contact us.

The prestigious Polar Awards…

• Glory Board ($1,500-$2,499)
• George Ruediger $1,503
• Steve Soltwedel $1,515
• Gayle Peters $1,540
• Fritz Richter $1,599
• John Soulier $1,620
• Cecil Stewart $1,666
• Deb Carlberg $1,878
• Dan Ojala $1,993
• Alison Castro $2,100
• Charlie Taylor $1,970
• Courtney Draeving $2,313
• Larry Braasch $2,351
• Angel Board ($2,500-$4,999)
• Sue McCutchin $2,939
• Trig’s $4,500
• Halleluiah Board ($5,000+)
• J.J. Johnson $5,075
• Russ Huizinga $5,822
• Pete Adams $6,400
• Dick Lemke $8,825