Thousands of Wisconsinites will once again brave the icy waters to support Special Olympics Wisconsin athletes during the 2020 Polar Plunge.
With the debut of the new Oconomowoc Polar Plunge, there will 13 locations to choose from across the state. This Plunge season will also mark the 20th and final year of the Muskego Polar Plunge, which will be retired after 2020.
“The Polar Plunge is very important to Special Olympics Wisconsin because it helps raise money for athletes to compete in Special Olympics and it helps them achieve more in life and stay healthy.” – Special Olympics athlete and new Polar Plunge Ambassador, Seth Rehrauer
The new Oconomowoc location won’t be only new thing about the 2020 Polar Plunge, however. This year will also feature the new Polar Plunge Ambassador program that help train select athletes, Unified partners and even supporters to visit schools, businesses, law enforcement agencies, and other community groups to recruit new teams and supporters for this year’s Plunge.
Polar Plunge Ambassadors
Seth Rehrauer is a SOWI athlete from the Oregon Area Special Olympics who was among the first group trained as a 2020 Polar Plunge Ambassador. He’s uniquely positioned to share the impact of Special Olympics on an athlete’s life because in 2018, he represented Wisconsin in swimming at the Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle, where he won two golds, a silver and a bronze. This is the highlight of his Special Olympics career and one of the highlights of his life.
Seth Rehrauer (left) scores a team of plungers as a celebrity judge for the 2019 Madison Polar Plunge
Rehrauer was also selected as a Polar Plunge Ambassador in part because he loves being a Special Olympics athlete and he enjoys sharing its impact on his life. “If I hadn’t joined Special Olympics I would not have met the friends I have now, and I would not have had an opportunity to participate in sports like my older brothers did in high school,” Rehrauer said.
He was joined in the first Polar Plunge Ambassador training by his mom, Gretchen Rehrauer, and Unified partners Kenzie Selk and Peyton Bohn of Columbus High School. They’ll serve as Polar Plunge Ambassadors for the Madison Polar Plunge. Around the state, additional athletes, Unified partners and supporters will be trained in the coming weeks to be Ambassadors for the Plunges in their region.
The first trained Polar Plunge Ambassadors for the 2020 Polar Plunge. Left to right: Gretchen Rehrauer, Seth Rehrauer, Peyton Bohn and Kenzie Selk.
Rehrauer, who participated in the 2019 Madison Polar Plunge as a Celebrity Judge, was also selected for his familiarity with the Polar Plunge and why it’s so important to the 9,000 athletes of Special Olympics Wisconsin. “The Polar Plunge is very important to Special Olympics Wisconsin because it helps raise money for athletes to compete in Special Olympics and it helps them achieve more in life and stay healthy,” Rehrauer said.
In 2019, thousands participated in the Polar Plunge and helped Special Olympics Wisconsin raise over $1.3M for athletes like Seth Rehrauer. We can’t wait to see what our supporters have in store for 2020!
