Spirit of Sport offers Polar Plunge

There will be basketball games, sports contests, an outdoor water plunge and more Friday night as part of the annual Spirit of Sport event, which benefits Special Olympics Indiana athletes. \nThe event, now in its 30th year of existence, is designed to give students the chance to interact with each other in a fun environment while also supporting a philanthropic cause, said Joanne Orrange, the assistant director of special events for the Division of Recreational Sports, which is playing host to the event. \n"We really like to say that we have something for everyone," she said. "You don't have to be athletically inclined to have a great time at this event. We're trying to get a good mix of individuals to come out." \nThe evening is expected to raise $7,500 for Special \nOlympics Indiana, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit organization that provides sports training and athletic competitions to children and adults with mental disabilities. Since 1976, Spirit of Sport has raised $320,000 for the organization, Orrange said.\nThe largest generator of funds comes from the evening's popular Polar Bear Plunge activity, where participants raise a minimum of $60 in donations before jumping into an icy pool outside the HPER building. \n"It's freezing cold, but it's exhilarating, and I think it just proves people's passion for Special Olympics," said Debbie Hesse, president of Special Olympics Indiana. "To be crazy enough to jump into freezing cold water really proves someone's passion." \nSpirit of Sport begins at 5:30 p.m. with the Special Olympics basketball games, where mentally-disabled athletes, from kids to adults on eight different teams, will compete on the court. It will be followed by "spirit games," like karaoke and Oreo stacking contests, and more traditional games like volleyball and dodgeball.\nAll the spirit games are free and open on a first-come, first-serve basis to students, although tournament games, like dodgeball, require a small fee. Orrange estimates 3,000 to 4,000 students will attend.\n"I like to think they come out to have fun, to play, while raising money for a good cause," she said. "I really hope that they leave there realizing that they're a part of something bigger, and they're giving back to their community."\nFor the Special Olympics athletes themselves, Hesse said Spirit of Sport provides an opportunity few others can match. \n"They get to show their skills and have a great time while they're doing it, and that's why they enjoy coming year after year," she said. "We don't do many events like this ... for the athletes that participate, it's just a special time."\nSpirit of Sport is organized and planned by a committee of 50 students. For more information, visit http://www.recsports.indiana.edu/sos.