By Michael Purtell
Learning to love the winter cold is key to adjusting to the North Country campus at SUNY Plattsburgh.
Plattsburgh State’s Wellness Week was capped off with the second annual Winterfest celebration. Students were invited to Hawkins Pond to enjoy barrel fires, eat free walking waffles, drink hot chocolate and take the Burrrghy Plunge into the icy waters of the pond.
The event was also the host of a food drive which collected non-perishable goods for the student food pantry. The drive collected three large boxes of donations.
“Today has been a great success. It’s a very cold day, but everyone’s enjoying themselves and it’s for a great cause.” University Police Chief Patrick Rascoe said.
PULLING A CROWD
The event hosted several different crowds over its three hours. Students, faculty and staff all rotated in and out of the event grounds.
“I’m so proud of how the community came together to support the event,” said Dr. Karen McGrath, the Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success. “Today is just about the community having fun and enjoying winter in the Adirondacks.
The entire Cardinal men’s lacrosse team made an appearance about an hour into the festival. The group arrived excited to participate in the Burrrghy Plunge, and brought several bulk boxes of canned goods for the food drive.
Out of the 48 man roster, 10 athletes took the plunge to raucous applause by teammates and other spectators.
“Our coach sent the festival info to our group chat,” Graduate student Anthony Faber said. “It got a bunch of our guys fired up to do the plunge — and it’s always great to donate too.”
The team encouraged the less excited participants in the plunge with the classic mantra: “Do it for the ‘gram.” Faber joked that the posts were another reason the team was so excited to attend the Festival.
“It’s always good to show your face in the community and help out with donations.” Faber said.
Many members of the women’s soccer team arrived at Winterfest later in the afternoon, ready to have a good time in celebration of Wellness Week, said sophomore Grace Reeve, who took the plunge.
In total, 61 students braved the icy waters of Hawkins Pond.
“It shows we can do anything,” Reeve said.
Campus Sorority Delta Phi Epsilon made an appearance late into the event, taking a group plunge.
A GROUP EFFORT
Winterfest is the culmination of multiple sponsors and organizers. McGrath led a committee of Enrollment and Student Success employees, which spearheaded the event’s planning and execution.
Other organizations were instrumental in the event’s activities. Chartwells provided catering including free walking waffles and hot chocolate and the Plattsburgh Fire Department cut the hole in the ice for students to take the plunge and ran safety.
“We have great partnerships with the Plattsburgh Fire Department and Chartwells,” Rascoe said. “It’s led to a great success.”
The City of Plattsburgh also provided the warming barrels for the fires at the event. The barrels offered warm spots for participants to congregate in the winter weather.
CAMPUS IDENTITY
As a SUNY in the Adirondacks, embracing the winter weather is important to the campus experience. Being able to attend events in ice and snow is a perk of Plattsburgh State, McGrath said.
“One of the things we really have going for us at SUNY Plattsburgh is our location,” McGrath said. “We’re so fortunate to have four seasons, and so we have to celebrate winter and make it into something special.”
Embracing the cold is why the event ties in well with wellness week. Encouraging students to leave their dorms is important in the cold weather.
“We’re just trying to get people outside for Wellness Week,” McGrath said. “We’re celebrating the great outdoors of the Adirondacks and getting people out in the environment.”
Even if students don’t take the plunge, facing the cold weather is enough of a confidence booster, McGrath said.
The success of the event has guaranteed the committee will try to keep it an annual tradition.
“We’re gonna do this every year,” Rascoe said. “It’s only gonna get better and better.”
