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MERRITT HERALD THURSDAY, March 13, 2014 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
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Merrittonians take plunge in winter challenge Safety risks raise concern
By Michael Potestio the herald
reporter@merrittherald.com
The 2014 Winter Challenge has taken social media by storm over the past few weeks, and it’s also been making a splash in Merritt. Videos of people submerging themselves in a cold lake or river have popped up all over YouTube and on Facebook as well. Challenge takers make videos of themselves jumping into water and dunking their heads in or making snow angels without much in the way of clothing, then daring others to partake in the challenge within 24 hours. On Tuesday afternoon at about 3:30 p.m., 12 people in three separate and groups gathered along the banks of the Coldwater River near the Coldwater River trailhead behind Merritt Central Elementary for the winter challenge. Alana Aspinall, 45, and her boyfriend spent a few minutes looking for a safe spot to take the plunge, one where the waves were slow enough and where there was no ice beneath the surface. As they were searching, a group of four came along. Students from Merritt Secondary School were looking for a dunking point as well so that Grade 9 student Caleb Loewen could fulfill his challenge. A group of six – two sets of grandparents and their respective grandchildren – also came down to the river for a winter challenge, equipped with towels and hot beverages. Two members of the family, 60-year-old John Robertson and his niece, 13-year old Jensen Cavaliere, had been dared by a fellow family member. Lying down on her back, the frigid waters of the Coldwater River rushed over Aspinall, who described the plunge as breathtaking and awakening. This was the first time she had
Merritt Secondary Grade 9 Caleb Loewen takes the plunge into the icy waters of the Coldwater River for the 2014 Winter Challenge, a new viral video sensation that has hit the web in recent weeks. Michael Potestio/Herald
taken the plunge into water for the winter challenge, she said. “Cold, really cold,” she said, clinging to the towel wrapped around her. For Aspinall, taking the plunge was symbolic. Her cousin is battling cancer, and this was meant as a way to send her some positive and healing energy. “I feel powerless in helping her otherwise,” Aspinall said. For Robertson, the appeal of
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the challenge was being able to nominate others, while for Jensen, it was the dare aspect. With camera phones in hand, Robertson and Cavaliere’s family members watched as they each took a turn dunking themselves under the water. Cavaliere told the Herald the water didn’t feel cold at first. “It wasn’t bad when you first hopped in, but after you get out you can’t breathe and it’s like, ‘Oh
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my gosh, I just did this?’” she said. Loewen said his winter challenge experience wasn’t as bad as he thought it was going to be, though he said the plunge into the icy water made him feel like he’d been “shot in the stomach.” “It was cold, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be,” Loewen said. Loewen said there are many students at MSS who are participating in the winter challenge.
It may be intended in the spirit of good fun, but the winter challenge is not without its risks. Some people have been doing the stunt late at night, and some instances have involved alcohol. Nicola Valley Search and Rescue told the Herald that people who swim in an icy river such as the Coldwater River are at risk of immersion hypothermia, frostbite, entrapment and drowning. Temperatures in Merritt’s rivers are only a few degrees above freezing, and the human body loses heat 250 times faster in water than in air at the same temperature. Search and rescue crews won’t send in team members for a rescue if a person has slipped underneath ice because it’s too risky. With ice still present on the rivers, the risk of entrapment is high — especially in areas of the rivers with a current strong enough to sweep a person off their feet. Aspinall said people need to use common sense when conducting this challenge. “Use your common sense. Don’t go somewhere where the water’s rushing, you don’t go alone,” she said, noting videos of people doing the challenge at night make her cringe. Aspinall also said anyone with health issues should talk to their doctor beforehand. MSS principal Bill Lawrence told the Herald students have been participating in the winter challenge at lunch, but some are even skipping class to take the plunge. He said he wants students to know there is an element of danger to the winter challenge. “If you do go in and you go under the ice, you’re pretty much — you’re dead,” Lawrence said.
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