A group of people in camouflage uniforms leap simultaneously into a swimming pool during a Polar Plunge event, with a brick wall and event sign in the background.

OSU’s 5th annual Cowboy Country Polar Plunge features 150 participants

Friday, February 27, 2026

Media Contact: Jeff Hopper | Communications and Media Relations Manager | 405-744-5827 | jeff.hopper@okstate.edu

The 2026 Cowboy Country Polar Plunge, uniting the Stillwater Polar Plunge and Oklahoma State University’s “Chilly Cowboy,” took place Feb. 21 at the Colvin Recreation Center’s outdoor pool, bringing the community together to raise critical funds for more than 12,400 Special Olympics Oklahoma athletes and Unified partners statewide.

At a cool 54 degrees, 150 participants showed up on Saturday to support the Special Olympics, raising $25,160 and counting. Each person paid a $75 fee to jump in support, and open donations were collected before and after the event.

“The Special Olympics represents what being a part of the Cowboy Code is all about,” OSU President Jim Hess said. “They dream as big as the sky, they finish what they start, and they support one another and all those folks around them.”

This event featured many jumpers of note from across the community, including Dr. Hess. Stillwater Deputy Fire Marshal Dustin Portman brought some of his team out to plunge in support.

“The Special Olympics is huge in Stillwater, and has been for years,” Portman said. “It means so much to this community. For us to be able to take part and really get back involved this year has meant a lot to us.”

During the event, OSU was recognized as the first and only college in Oklahoma to be recognized as a Special Olympics National Banner Unified Champion School. This accomplishment represents huge strides in inclusive sports and active staff, student and community engagement.

“Just walking up, you can literally see people jumping up and down and just so excited to raise money and just come out and support everyone,” OSU student attendee Sidney Street said. “It's a really cool opportunity for students and members of the community to just come out and represent OSU and the values it has.”

Alongside the Polar Plunge, OSU just hosted its 40th Special Olympics Summer Games this past May, where athletes competed in everything from track and field to cornhole, powerlifting, basketball, bowling, tennis and more.

“Events like these really pull everybody together,” Portman said. “Especially being this cold, and everybody getting in and everybody feeling the pain together, it kind of just draws everybody closer and, more importantly, gets people talking about the cause.”

Hundreds of bystanders, friends and family showed up to watch the event. People in costumes, uniforms and teams took the plunge and made their contribution to the Special Olympics cause.

Donations are still open, and there’s still time to donate. Visit this link to support Special Olympics today.