Dozens brrr-ave icy temps for Glassport legion’s polar plunge

The Glassport American Legion holds the annual event to raise money for the Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs.

Phil Sorrentino Jr. of Glassport sprints shirtless out of the Monongahela River, grinning after taking part in the Glassport American Legion’s annual New Year’s Day Polar Bear Plunge. Jeff Helsel / Mon Valley Independent

The Polar Bear Plunge in Glassport doesn’t last very long.

For those running in, including me in years past, the shock hits all at once. Breath gone. Icy water biting hard. And then it’s over.

What lingers is the cold that settles in after, and everything that happens once people scramble out, towel off along the riverbank, and eventually make their way back to the Glassport American Legion.

This year, I didn’t make the run. Sick and sidelined, I stayed dry and watched instead, which gave me a different view of a tradition I’ve come to know well.

Participants gather along the riverbank as the Glassport American Legion’s annual New Year’s Day Polar Bear Plunge gets underway Thursday. Jeff Helsel / Mon Valley Independent

Two years ago, I took the plunge myself and was welcomed in immediately. Faces became familiar quickly. But until this year, I never stayed long enough to see what came next after everyone dried off.

The seventh annual Polar Bear Plunge, hosted by Glassport American Legion Post 443, was held at the 10th Ward Atlantic Avenue boat launch at noon and benefited Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs.

The plunge itself lasted seconds. The hours surrounding it tell their own story.

Before anyone stepped into the river, volunteers were already at work along the bank.

Several inches of snow lined the shoreline, and thin sheets of ice had begun forming on the surface of the Monongahela. Snow was cleared, a warming tent was set up nearby and wooden pallets were stacked and burned to keep people warm.

Along the riverbank, the scene formed early. People arrived bundled in toboggans and thermals, some already stripped down to jean shorts despite the cold. Legion T-shirts peeked out from beneath coats. A few wrapped themselves in fur robes while waiting their turn. McKeesport Ambulance Rescue Service stood by as participants paced, laughed, and tried not to think too hard about the water collecting ice just a few feet away.

Once out of the river, the scene turned chaotic. Wet clothes were swapped for dry layers. Towels were passed from hand to hand. Momentum built as the thrill and chill spiked adrenaline. People laughed as they shook off the cold, often with friends, family, or strangers on standby offering a towel, snapping candid photos, or handing someone a cold beer, ironic as it may be.

The after-plunge gathering has become as much a tradition as the jump itself.

The phrase “double dipping” came up more than once, a nod to the plunge’s late organizer, Michael “Sam” Gouker, who was known for running back into the river for a second, and sometimes even a third, round. Those conversations often unfolded right along the riverbank, as people stood dripping and debating whether to dry off for good or head back in, while organizer Lisa Brinkman and friends livestreamed the moment for those watching from the comfort of home.

Sam’s daughter, Amber, again stepped into that role when she proudly walked alone, back into the water in honor of her dad.

“My dad’s not here, so I do it instead,” she said. Amber went back into the river alone, carrying on the tradition her father started and the phrase he coined.

Later, she and her mother, Bonnie, were back to work in another familiar way, helping feed everyone once the cold wore off enough to feel hunger.

Inside the Legion, the warmth came fast.

The aroma of chicken, mashed potatoes, and kielbasa filled the air.

Bonnie and Amber brought Swedish meatballs down to the bar, a small but steady contribution to a meal built by many hands.

Volunteers moved easily through the space, checking on one another, refilling trays and making sure no one was left standing alone.

Behind the bar, Kathy Downes had already been at work for hours.

She started setting up around 8:30 a.m., cooking and preparing before the doors opened, knowing people would want somewhere warm to land.

“Everybody comes in cold, smiling, and ready to talk,” Downes said. “They just want to warm up, have a drink, and be together.”

Sam was instrumental in organizing the plunge for years, and while his presence is impossible to separate from the event, this year’s focus was on what happens after the water. The gathering. The conversations. The sense of community that keeps bringing people back. Over the past two years, I’ve found myself talking with Bonnie and Amber and feeling the same warmth that welcomed me my first time here. Their openness, and the way they continue to show up surrounded by people who loved Sam, is woven quietly into the day.

No one rushed out. It felt less like an after-party and more like a reunion, the part of the plunge that never makes the flyer.

Over the past six years, the event has raised $17,027 for Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs.

The organization, based in Williston, Fla., has paired more than 460 service dogs with individuals living with visible and invisible disabilities since 2010.

In Western Pennsylvania, Guardian Angels recently broke ground on a 102-acre training facility in Robinson Township, where up to 60 service dogs a year will be bred, raised and trained.

The site will include indoor and outdoor training spaces, housing for trainers and recipients, and a nonprofit veterinary hospital that will also offer low-cost services to the community.

The cause gives weight to the tradition.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, an estimated 22 veterans die by suicide each day. Guardian Angels reports that not one veteran has taken their own life after being paired with a service dog.

Still, the mood surrounding the event wasn’t heavy.

This new year, I am humbled to be part of my own tradition. Bearing the cold. The warmth after the cold. The conversations after the shock. The shared understanding that everyone there chose to start the year the same way.

Cold. Uncomfortable. Together. Donations from the event continue to support Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs. Contributions can be made by check payable to Glassport American Legion, earmarked Polar Plunge.

Across the Valley, traditions like this endure because people keep showing up, not just for the cause, but for each other.