Polar Bear Plunge at Fermata Club takes first-time participant's breath away

Jan. 9—Accompanied by her family, Chastity Cincotta showed up at the Fermata Club for the sixth annual Polar Bear Plunge on Saturday.

It was her first time participating in the event, but Cincotta was prepared.

"I've got a robe and towel waiting," she said. "The car will be hot, and I've got a Crock-Pot of chicken noodle soup at home."

Paige Rabon, secretary of the Fermata Club's board of directors, reported that 14 people in all registered for the Polar Bear Plunge.

The cost per person was $25.

For spectators, the event was free.

At the time the Polar Bear Plunge took place, late in the afternoon, the temperature of the water in the Fermata Club's swimming pool was 54 degrees and the air temperature was in the 40s.

"I've talked about doing this for several years," said Cincotta, who works at Newberry Hall.

What finally made her decide to go for a short winter swim was an offer from Patrick Carlisle to sponsor her.

Carlisle and his wife, Natalie, own Newberry Hall.

"He said he would pay for it, so I said, 'Then I'll do it,'" Cincotta said. "I expect to be very cold when I get out — very, very cold."

There were lots of gasps and big splashes when she and her fellow plungers hit the water.

Most got out of the pool quickly.

Soon after Cincotta pulled on her robe and wrapped her towel around her head, she said she was comfortable.

But Cincotta admitted that the chilly water was a shock.

"It took my breath away," she said. "I have never been so cold in my life."

Steve Arnold, who wore a three-piece suit, was a returning Polar Bear Plunge participant.

"I do it for the heck of it," he said. "It's good for a laugh. I'll rinse the suit out in water at home and hang it up to dry. It will be fine."

Arnold, who lives in North Augusta, is a volunteer member of a dive team in Georgia that searches for drowning victims and performs other tasks.

During one dive, he recalled, "deputies were on the shore with assault rifles keeping the alligators away."

Compared to that, the Polar Bear Plunge is "not bad," he said.

Money raised by the Polar Bear Plunge helps pay for improvements to the Fermata Club's facilities.

"Sometimes it's been used for restoring a building," Rabon said. "Sometimes it's been used for restoring our tennis courts. This year, the funds are going to be used to restore our pool. It's 15 years old, and there are some major repairs that need to happen."

When a Polar Bear Plunge is held at the Fermata Club, it is open to the public.

"It's a fun community event," Rabon said.

The Fermata Club is at 841 Whiskey Road.