It happened again. For the eleventh year in a row, Will Stewart jumped into the icy cold water of Clark Lake on Christmas Day. Why would he do such a thing? Will explains that on the first such Christmas Day, his grandmother had given him a snorkel. To show his appreciation, he didn’t want to wait until summer to try it out. And so, the tradition began.
This year, Will was joined by his sister’s boyfriend, Chase Fors. Katherine and brother, Connor, were part of the entourage. After you see the dynamic duo make their jump, Connor offers his commentary in the post-jump interview.
Video and story: Rick Belcher
Thanks to Katherine Stewart for her help.
Click for Christmas Day 2019.
There is a story about Will’s Grandpa Bruce and his holiday “polar bear swim” from many years ago. Long before Will was even a whisper of a wish, Will’s Grandpa Bruce and Uncle Don were iceboating over the Christmas holiday. Now, Bruce and Don were well known for their deeds of bravery and foolishness. Racing their cars down Jefferson – even Eagle Point Road at times, night time skinny dipping with friends … and many other stories for another time. However, this holiday, their adventure was ice boating. As luck would have it, the ice over between Consumer’s power and Kudner’s previous home was a little thin. And, you guessed it, their ice boat dove into the water. Uncle Don was able to pull Will’s Grandpa Bruce from the frigid water in the nick of time. Drs. Mary and Jack Bentley – helped warmed both men and administer medicinal substances. I think they found them where we kept the Bourbon and Scotch. Happy to say the “Polar Bear plunge that holiday had a happy ending. Glad to see Will is carrying on the family tradition of hardiness and adventure.