Hill braves icy depths for cancer research — again

• Homer ‘Polar’ jumper logs 11 years and nearly $90,000 after 2010 jump

By Naomi Klouda
Homer Tribune

When it comes to diving into frosty, 33-degree water, there’s not too many ways to help prepare, said veteran Polar Bear Jump Challenger Christie Hill.
Dressed in her 1950s costume of a purple poodle skirt and white saddle shoes, Hill took the frigid plunge into Resurrection Bay at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. A wintry, brisk wind nipped at her back.
“I woke up at 5 a.m. and was petrified,” Hill said. “There’s nothing you can do to psyche yourself up — even after 11 years. Still, it’s nothing compared to what people with cancer are going through.”
Hill has been jumping at the event that raises money for the American Cancer Society every January since 1989. (She took a year off while pregnant with her daughter.) This year, she took second place in fundraising efforts with some $11,175.
In 2005, 2007 and 2008, Hill placed first for raising more than anyone else in pledges. Almost all of it came from her Homer sponsors.
“I was trying to figure out how much I’ve raised, and honestly I don’t know,” Hill said.
But if she had to speculate, she figures she’s raised somewhere between $80,000 and $90,000 for the cancer society over the years.
As far as the actual jump is concerned, Hill said there is little she can do to prepare.
“The actual time spent in the water isn’t long, but the idea of being exposed and wet in the chilly elements is just as daunting as the actual task,” she said.
One year when she jumped, the windchill was 27 degrees below zero. Another year, it was a balmy 50 degrees. This year, at just above freezing, it was a mild one.
Or at least somewhat tolerable.
The event attracted some 128 entrants this year, with a special guest appearance by James Weatherby. An astronaut who has taken six missions to outer space, Weatherby got a few words of encouragement from Hill as they waited their turns to jump.
So far this year, $157,000 was turned in, said “Polar Bear” Marilyn, a volunteer organizer for the event. Another $20,000 should be collected over the next month or so from employers who matched fundraising goals with their jumping teams.
The challenge began in 1986 as a three-day event that includes a parade, winter carnival and bowling tournament. All events benefit the American Cancer Society (Alaska Division) and Children with Cancer. Hill, marching in the parade prior to this year’s jump, said attendance seemed to be down this year. She saw fewer spectators to the event than it normally attracts.
Nineteen members from local Coast Guard units, including Sector Anchorage, Maritime Safety and Security Team Anchorage, Marine Safety Detachment Kenai, the Coast Guard Cutter Mustang and the Coast Guard Auxiliary also announced they were taking the plunge into Seward harbor.  
“All the events and activities for the weekend directly support the treatment of children and adults who have cancer,” said Capt. Robert Forgit, Coast Guard retiree, who emceed the festival’s fundraising auction.
“It’s an opportunity to bring Alaska communities together for a great cause that’s fun to do,” Forgit explained. “And it’s fun to watch.”
Alaska Coast Guard units have taken part in the Polar Bear Jump for more than 20 years. Early Coast Guard jumpers performed a ritual “Coat Rack salute,” arriving in dress uniform and stripping to swim trunks, baring chests painted with “USCG” in black letters. 
Fun as the event may be, what stays in the forefront of Hill’s mind is the reason behind the event: doing something about cancer.
Raised in Homer from the time she was three years old, Hill said she lost three friends to cancer just this year. Her mother is a cancer survivor, and three grandparents all died of cancer.
“It’s horrible that I have to jump in memory of someone every year,” she said.
Asked at the awards ceremony why she continues to do this, Hill said she could see “first-hand, the effects of cancer on her friends and family.”
“I swore I wasn’t going to cry,” she said. “And then there I was, saying ‘I am so sorry for crying.’ It means a lot to me.”

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Posted by Newsroom on Jan 20th, 2010 and filed under Headline News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.