As of yesterday afternoon, I have signed-up for my first event of 2011: The Parker Dam Polar Bear Swim!

This involves a quick swim (maybe 2 meters) in very, very cold water. If you’re never seen a polar bear plunge type of event, it goes something like this:

1. Park officials cut a big square of ice off the top of a frozen lake.
2. Participants, sporting appropriate attire for a summer day at the beach, line up to jump in.
3. One by one, participants take the plunge.
4. Participants climb out a ladder on the other side… or are overcome by the freezing cold and pulled out to safety by the officials.
5. A crowd of spectators watches, cheers, and probably laughs.
6. Participants vow to never do it again, but then they forget how much it hurts, and proceed to do it again next year.

Now, this polar bear swim is certainly not a physical challenge like running a marathon, but it’s somewhat similar – both events attract people who think it’s fun to do very uncomfortable things!

I’m not completely out of my mind though. This is all for a good cause – to raise money for the local YMCA. That makes it feel like I’m doing some good this weekend, rather than simply satisfying my craving for stupidity!

I will post a video of my swim next week! (I’m sure a video of girls like I have pictured would be more enjoyable for most, but hey, I do what I can.)

Thank You for Your Donations!

And of course, thank you to everyone who went out of their way to send in a donation…

• Bob & Pearl Iliff of Louisville, KY.
• Marikaye DeTemple of Bigler, PA.
• Rosella Duttry of Clearfield, PA.
• Thomas Kuracina of California.

Thank you for your donations! Together we raised $75 for the YMCA. Your generosity combined with my stupidity, I think we make a good team!

Parker Dam Polar Bear Swim Video

Here is the video of me taking the plunge!

That was refreshing and invigorating!

Photo credit: Flickr/Wikipedia

Want to help others? Want a tax write-off? Want to donate to a bicycle-related charity?

There are plenty of them out there. Take the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA), Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), and League of American Bicyclists (LAB) for example.

But there are other cool charities out there spreading the good news of cycling and helping those in need around the globe. Here are eight lesser-known charities that still have great missions:

Eight great bicycle-related charities, right there.

Well, actually I ended up listing nine, but “eight” and “great” rhyme, so I think that is just fine.

Update: “Fine” rhymes with “dime” which is ten, so how about I list a tenth charity?

How many communities out there regularly band together to fight for a fallen comrade?

I posed this question to myself over the weekend after reading an email from fellow webmaster “Ultra Rob” about the current situation with one of cycling’s most enjoyable voices – “The Fat Cyclist.”

You can get the latest news on the touching story at FatCyclist.com, and you can read the news from Ultra Rob here.

Peruse the stories above, and if you need to buy any cycling gear today, take a look through Ultra Rob’s store, as some of the proceeds from sales will be put towards the Fat Cyclist “Susan’s WIN” Fund.

But back to the question… after mulling it over, I think a lot of communities, especially in the sports world, really band together in the time of crisis. It’s probably because we can all see ourselves in the same situation.

Someone had a nasty crash or got hit by a car? That could happen to any of us, any day. From recreational riders to professional downhillers like Tara Llanes, the possibility exists, and we can only hope and pray for the best.

All the while hoping that there are cyclists out there willing to help in the time of need… From what I’ve seen, these kind people are definitely out there.

Another example I wanted to point out today is a blog from CDF Networks, where Chad is starting something called the “1 For Charity Blogger Challenge” which is all about bloggers supporting charity in a small but powerful way. Chad posts business and marketing tips on the CDF Networks blog, but the real reason to check it out is that he is a fellow mountain biker!

Right now CoachLevi.com is basically a free resource, but you’ll see some more charitable features here in the future. One thing you may have seen is that I also write for a website called Squidoo. Squidoo shares a portion of their revenue with their authors, and authors can choose to take that money or donate it straight to a charity of their choice.

Since I write a lot about cycling and sports nutrition, I naturally chose to have Squidoo donate my earnings straight to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

And don’t forget to read: 8 Great Bicycle-Related Charities You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

Or of course you can always make your own donations to the charity of your choice

Thanks for reading this Public Service Announcement and be sure to come back tomorrow when we return to our regularly scheduled cycling training, racing, and nutrition advice!