Freezing for a good cause
Shepard athletes power up for polar plunge, raise $15K for Special Olympics
Bridget McDermott had never been colder in her life.
“It felt like pins and needleswere going through my body,” saidMcDermott, a senior softball player at Shepard.
Sherman Dixon had icicles form on the tips of his hair.
“Itwas freezing cold,” said Dixon, a senior wrestler for the Astros.
McDermott and Dixon, however, would subject themselves again to the frigidwaters and bitter temperatures if given the chance.
The two student-athletes were part of 36 mentors from 14 varsity sports teams in Shepard’s Power PE program who participated in a polar plunge on March 9 at Leisure Lake in Joliet.
The goalwas to raise $15,000 for Special Olympics Illinois. The 36 mentors and 15 Shepard staff members exceeded that goal by hundreds of dollars.
ItwasMcDermott’s second time taking the plunge as part of the Power PE program.
This year, however, was a different experience, thanks toMotherNature.
“We had that crazy polar vortex, which made it feel 10 times colder in thewater than last year,” McDermott said. “But at the same time, itwas almost refreshing. It was like a breath of fresh air.”
ExceptMcDermott and the rest of the participants could literally see their breath.
Thiswasn’t fun in the sun.
“That’s true,” she said with a laugh. “But Iwould do it again.”
Sowould Dixon, who finished in fourth place in the state this season in Class 3A at 170 pounds. He actually removed his shirt and dove head first into the chillywater.
“The group of people I waswith, we made a pact thatwe had to go under the water,” Dixon said. “Itwas so cold. Itwas brutal. But we raised a lot of money for a good cause.”
Raising money is only one of the benefits of the Power( Physical Opportunities With Exceptional Rewards) PE program, which gives general students likeMcDermott and Dixon the opportunity to serve as mentors for the school’s special education students in a physical education setting.
The mentors are responsible for modifying activities based on the physical and behavioral needs of their buddies and making sure all students are included and active.
“It’s about providing a better sense of community,” Dixon said.“We’re all one.”
Mentors also help organ- ize events such as movie night and respectweek, and assist with practices and games for Shepard’s three Special Olympics teams— unified soccer, basketball, and track and field.
Special education teacher Ashley Lythberg and physical education teacher Scott Richardson teach the Power PE class.
“This is the fourth year of the program,” Lythberg said. “It’s grown a lot. We currently have 110 students across three sections of the class, with another 50 students whowant to be mentors on awaiting list to get in. The program has contributed greatly to the overall inclusive culture at Shepard.”
Being amentor has had such a profound impact on McDermott that she plans to become a special education teacher. She will attend St. Francis and play softball.
“When Iwas a freshman, Iwaswatching one of the (Special Olympic) basketball games at the school,” she said. “I knew right then Iwanted to be a part of the (Power PE) program.
“It was competitive, but everyonewas helping each other. Itwas very loving and taught me to include everyone, respect everyone and treat everyone howyou want to be treated.”
Dixon called his experience as a mentor “life changing.”
“It’s humbling,” he said. “It’s mademe not take anything for granted and to be kind to everyone. We’re one big family.”