Glass half full: Windsor’s first Polar Plunge ushered in smiles, laughs and about $70K for Colorado’s Special Olympics

Dan Frazen, left, and his son, Logan, run out of an icy cold Windsor Lake Saturday, March 27, 2021 as part of Windsor’s first Polar Plunge. Photo by Kelly Ragan

By Kelly Ragan

Dan Frazen and his son, Logan, haven’t missed a Polar Plunge in years. Year after year the two embrace the shock of the icy water. 

“It’s like swimming in slushie!” Logan, 18, said. 

Each year, the Polar Plunge raises money for Colorado’s Special Olympics – something close to the Frazen family’s heart.

“We think everybody should be able to play sports,” Frazen said. “…It’s not just about raising money, it’s about raising awareness about inclusion.” 

Inclusion for kids, like Logan, who have intellectual disabilities. Even if life is a little different for Logan, who has the cognative level of an elementary school kid, he loves sports. He’s done everything from shot put to 400-meter relay races (his favorite) to 100-meter dashes. He loves the Unified Sports program at Poudre High School in Fort Collins, which aims to bring folks with and without intellectual disabilities together to play on the same team. 

“I love getting involved and having friends,” Logan said. “Most of my friends are Unified Sports people.”

For the Frazens, the Polar Plunge is usually a family affair. With COVID-19, it was a little smaller this year. Photo by Kelly Ragan.

Usually, the Polar Plunge is a big family affair, Frazen said. Usually, a bunch of Logan’s friends and Unified teammates come out to cheer them on, too. 

But with COVID-19, they kept it small and took precautions, such as getting vaccinated, wearing masks before and after the plunge, and maintaining distance. 

Frazen is, after all, Greeley’s Emergency Manager. He took on the job in 2019 after a career with the Greeley Police Department. So, for about half his tenure in the new role, he’s been in the thick of navigating a pandemic. 

This was the first year the Town of Windsor hosted its own Polar Plunge. It was the first time signs asking folks to wear masks were put up for the event. Instead of having one big plunge with a huge crowd, event organizers scheduled smaller groups to come at time slots spread throughout the morning and early afternoon. It was important to be safe, especially with so many Polar Plunge and Special Olympics supporters having disabilities that could make them more vulnerable to COVID-19. 

Many things were different. But many things were the same. 

Shrieks of delight and breathless giggles rang out across Windsor Lake Saturday as small groups hurried in and out of the cold water as fast as they could, their wet swimsuits and t-shirts clinging to goose pimply skin. 

Logan Frazen won a trophy Saturday for being the top individual fundrasier. Photo by Kelly Ragan.

“It’s so cold!” Someone shouted. 

“Let’s do it again!” 

Bobby Shainline, sergeant with the Windsor Police Department, helped organize the event. He’d participated in the Polar Plunge for several years, he said, and when the Fort Collins location fell through he realized Windsor had a perfectly plungable, cold  lake. 

The goal, Shainline said, was to bring in about 20 teams and raise around $42,000. 

But the turnout was much better than that. 

“We have over 40 teams and we’re close to $70,000,” he said Saturday. “It’s incredible to see how many people came out.” 

Logan even won an award for being the top individual fundraiser at the event. 

At about 2 p.m., Frazen and Logan took their positions on the sandy beach. Chilly wind whipped around them. Charging forward, they raced into the freezing water, splashing and laughing until they were submerged.    

Even if the cold was uncomfortable, it was worth it.