Instead of a cold dip in the pool, participants raising money for the Special Olympics got a cold shower on Saturday.

Rescheduled from March due to the pandemic, the Jackalope Jump overcame challenges to help raise more than $1,500 for Wyoming Special Olympic contestants Saturday afternoon at Homesteader Park. Current health safety rules prohibited the group from using a pool for their annual polar plunge, so they instead got a “wall of water,” explained Powell police officer Matt Koritnik, who helped organize the event.

“We decided we’d squeeze it in before the holidays and make sure we got something in,” Koritnik said of the move.

About 40 were originally signed up to get wet for the charity, but only 10 actually faced the rain of pain due to COVID-19 issues.

It was a sunny day, but a cold breeze made for some painful drenchings. Volunteers from the Powell Volunteer Fire Department brought out the Snozzle truck to provide the water works while those raising money for the event showered in the freezing water straight from a nearby hydrant at the visitor’s center.

“I started to feel a little ice cream headache,” said patrol division supervisor Sgt. Matt McCaslin after he took a second turn in the shower.

The fundraiser is the biggest source of revenue for Powell’s Special Olympics team. About 60 athletes from Powell participate at no cost to them or their families.

“Every dollar we raise helps them,” Kortinik said.

Local athlete Mary Kate Herrera won the award for the most money raised in the fundraiser. Herrera participates in basketball, swimming and bowling in the annual competition and has several gold medals to show for her work. Herrera is also one of only 10 Health Messenger athletes in the state. After a long training regimen, she became a global messenger and public speaker for Special Olympics Wyoming, an advocate of health for all athletes throughout the state and a member of the Athlete Input Council.