Things are about to get downright frosty for some intrepid students at the University of Alberta.
The seventh annual Chillin’ 4 Charity event takes place next Wednesday. On that day, students with the Alberta School of Business will jump into a pool of ice water hoping that the flash freeze gives added momentum to the United Way’s fall fundraising campaign.
The event sees students come together in the spirit of teambuilding, community boosterism and complete defiance of basic human survival instincts.
St. Albert resident Braden Lauer is one of the team and he’s taken the plunge in the past. The business law major says it’s as bad as most people would think, but it’s not so bad considering the hot tub that awaits participants after their icy dip. Plus it does so much to help the community.
“I’ve jumped into the freezing cold water before. The anticipation is the worst part, just watching everyone jump in ahead of you. I’d do it again. I’d keep doing it. It’s for charity. I think it’s a really good thing to put on,” he said.
The event also supports the school’s JDC West team. Based on Jeux du Commerce, JDC is the largest student-run business competition in Western Canada, involving 12 universities with more than 650 delegates.
In January, a three-day event will feature a variety of academic and athletic competitions and social challenges, including a parliamentary debate. Schools vie to win points toward being named school of the year.
While JDC West is primarily an academic competition, spirit and charity play a significant role. For the past six years, the University of Alberta has hosted the Chillin’ 4 Charity campaign.
The event has a broad popular appeal and tries to keep everything cool between opponents, said Nicole Huygen, vice president internal of the U of A’s team.
“It’s a mix of Fear Factor and Survivor, so there’s quite a bunch of elements slammed into this competition,” she said. “There’s a very huge spirit component to it too, so you’re always supposed to cheer for the other universities, not just yourself.”
The group donates 100 per cent of the proceeds from Chillin’ to the United Way, and it hopes to break the $100,000 mark with this year’s event.
Joining Lauer as the St. Albert contingent on the team will be Birkley Doll. The finance major has never done this event before but has done polar bear dips in the past, “one too many times,” she confessed.
“It’s for a great cause,” she said, mentioning that there are more people doing it this year than in years past. “It’s going to be very exciting. There’s about 150 students jumping into this water!”
To learn more or to help the students achieve that goal, pledges can be made via the group’s website at www.chillin4charity.com or visit www.albertajdcwest.com for more information.
