Here it comes again

A bunch of my friends and I get together on new year’s day for an annual tradition. This tradition involves using a chainsaw to cut a hole in the ice of the Rideau River (in beautiful, but somewhat chilly, Ottawa), clearing out the ice and then taking turns jumping into the water. Here’s a picture of me doing this last year:

There’s more pictures here. Why do we do this? Good question. The best answer is something along the lines of temporary insanity. However, we’re now onto year ten of this foolishness and I can’t wait. I love this event. It’s fun. Honestly.

Not only do I get to strut around half naked in subzero weather (after spending a good hour doing reasonably hard physical labour to set it all up), but I get to raise money for the local children’s hospital.

When we first started doing this craziness, we looked around for a suitable charity; the children’s hospital was an obvious choice. So now, we jump in the water every year to raise money for the kiddies. This year is no exception.

So I’m looking for sponsors. Donations of more than $10 are tax deductable (for Canadians anyway). Every little bit counts. It’s for the kiddies afterall.

Even better… if you’re in the Ottawa area on January 1st and want to participate, drop me a line.