You know her. She’s the nice lady with a mohawk and a broad smile.
Sometimes the vertical hairstyle is blonde-ish, and other times April Thompson’s aerodynamic hairdo features multiple shades for special occasions.
And that might include Oglebay’s annual Polar Plunge that’s scheduled for January 25 at Schenk Lake during the park’s WinterFest celebration. The plunging begins at 1 p.m. that Saturday, and it’s followed by ice sculpting, skiing and other activities at the Nutting Winter Complex, and a free, evening concert featuring “Zack Attack” is set for 8 p.m. at the Pine Room.
Not only will Thompson compete in the costume competition, but she’s hopeful to repeat as the top fundraiser, too. Last year, she collected $1,650 thanks to more than 30 donations, and those dollars flow directly to Special Olympics of West Virginia.
“I can’t tell anyone what I’m doing with my hair this year because of the costume contest,” Thompson insisted during a recent interview on River Talk 100.1/100.9 FM. “Last year, I dressed up as ‘Captain Underpants,’ and I won the contest; the year before I was ‘Boo’ from Monsters Inc.; and the first year I was a polar bear and had a lot of fun with it.
“I’m dressing up again this year but I’m not telling anyone to keep it a secret until I get up there for the Plunge,” she said. “I like doing the costume thing and I’ve done made a lot of them in the past for Halloween and other events. But this year … I have to keep it a secret because people have started to get very competitive with the fundraising and the costume contest.”
Not only has the excitement and anticipation for the event increased each year since the first in 2021 but so has the crowd. The first Plunge took place while pandemic restrictions were still in place in West Virginia, so the event attracted less than 100 spectators and participants. Last January, Schenk Lake was surrounded by spectators.
That’s why Thompson is now working on donations for this year’s Plunge, and Rick Veon – owner of Belmont Brewerks in Martins Ferry – is collecting in her honor between now and the annual splashdown, as well.
“One of the jumpers came up to me last year and said he wasn’t going to let me out-raise him, so he started asking people to donate right then and there. So, I did the same,” Thompson said during the River Talk interview. “It turned into a war of sorts because people were donating to him and donating to me. I think we ended up raising the same amount there at Oglebay, but I still won because the extra money put me at $1,650 for the year.
“I’m a competitive person so I do like to win, but it doesn’t matter when it comes down to it,” she said. “It’s all about Special Olympics and I believe we raised over $10,000 last year and that’s a nice sum of money. I hope to get that amount increased by a lot this year, and I’m really happy Rick and the people at Belmont Brewerks are helping me now.”
Hold Your Breath
Cystic Fibrosis is a rare disease suffered by as many as 40,000 U.S. citizens every year, and Thompson just so happens to be one of those Americans.
So, each leap into a frozen lake in the middle of Oglebay is a bit more than breathtaking.
“I didn’t know how it would affect me, and I was a little worried about it. The coldness of the water did bother my lungs a little bit that first year, but it wasn’t anything major, to be honest. And it hasn’t bothered me the last two years,” Thompson explained. “The first year, I even got a bloody nose, but I took care of that pretty fast, and it didn’t bother me that much at all.
“The other jumpers have told me it makes them feel the same, so maybe it’s just a natural way to feel after jumping into a frozen lake in the middle of winter,” she said with a laugh. “It really is fun, and it helps people who really need the help. If the money I raise helps make the Special Olympics events better events in some way, then I’m happy I do it.”
It’s her medication that thins her fair so much that the mohawk became her favored hairstyle, but Thompson doesn’t let much else stop her from activities like training for and participating in the Tough As Nails competition in Wheeling during the Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend each May. Training for the Polar Plunge, though, requires different methods of preparation.
“I take cold shows,” she said. “At the end of a regular shower, I turn the hot water off and stand there trying to get used to it. I never do, though, but it still reminds me of how cold that water’s going to be. It’s been pretty snowy and cold so far this January, and it’s supposed to get below zero next week, so I know the water is going to be frigid.
“There’s really nothing that can get your ready for water that cold,” she said. “I get out of that water as soon as possible,” she said. “All I worry about is getting out of the water and getting something over me as soon as possible.”
The Polar Plunge is hosted by Oglebay representatives and supported by Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration, and the participants will make their leaps at the boat docks. The boathouse concession stand will offer cold and hot drinks and a number of different food items.
“As long as I can keep jumping, I will,” Thompson added. “The athletes with Special Olympics are worth it.”
If you wish to help April retain her title, you can visit the Special Olympics – West Virginia website.
