Polar Bear Plunge lures hundreds to Milwaukee's lakefront

MILWAUKEE -- The annual Polar Bear Plunge lured hundreds of people to Milwaukee's lakefront on Tuesday afternoon, January 1st.

The annual event kicked off at noon on New Year's Day. Anyone who is willing to brave the bitter cold air and the chilly waters of Lake Michigan is invited to take part.

On this sunny day, there was no shortage of people willing to take on the challenge of jumping into the water. The water temperature was about 15-20 degrees warmer than the air temperature on this New Year's Day. So the real chill for most may have come when they left the water and ran for their towels.

In the crowd of people lined along the icy Bradford Beach were first-time plungers like Christine Crawford. Even though she was on crutches after injuring her hip, she still went in.

"It's a right of passage in Wisconsin, right? There's brats, there's cream puffs, there's all of this stuff. You've got to do the Polar Bear Plunge," said Crawford.

Then there are the experienced plungers; people who have made this a tradition for the last 30 to 40 years. Mother and daughter team Paul and Becca Hare have been doing the plunge for nearly a decade. They sported foam hair-dos on Tuesday.

"It is unbelievably freezing. I've never felt anything like it. Your entire body freezes up, you can hardly move. I don't know why we do it now that I`m explaining it," said Becca Hare.

Members of the Milwaukee dive team and fire department were on hand to keep an eye on everyone. 

After running out as fast as they can in, many plungers are already looking forward to finding out what else 2013 has in store for them.