“All in your head”: Students’ Chilling Ritual of Cold Plunging

At noon on a windy, chilled December day, a group of students raced into the bank of the Spokane River on NIC’s campus. The water was around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. 

For a few of them, it’s a ritual they observe up to 3 times a week.

Ice baths, or cold plunges, are a common method of recovery employed by athletes- NIC’s own Christianson Gymnasium training room contains an ice bath. 

But as this Outdoor Recreation Leadership student understands, there’s a multitude of benefits awaiting anybody willing to submerge themselves in freezing H2O. 

Anthony Overholt, 20, is a third-year student of NIC, a Residence Assistant in the dorms, and an ORL trainee. For the last two years, he’s taken weekly dips into Lake Couer d’Alene, or the connected Spokane River in the fall and winter months.

“I started my [club] in August of 2022,” he said. “The average temperatures are around thirty degrees [Fahrenheit],” he paused, “freezing.” Overholt was on the tail end of the post-plunge shivers as he spoke. 

Overholt’s ritual is notable, but more so is the fact that he’s recruited other residents to join him two to three times a week for a chilly swim. Sam Denney, a sophomore, is another ORL student. He’s been joining Overholt once a week since August of last year. 

When asked if he feels the benefits of cold plunges, Denney shook his head sideways and said “Yes.”

Perhaps not as shocking as the feeling of entering below-freezing lake water, is the origin of another of Overholt’s club members: Pablo Hinojos, an international student from Cancun, Mexico. For the last three months, he has joined Overholt.

“Not long after meeting Anthony, I began doing them,” Hinojos said. Cold water is a different sensation from what he’s used to back home. “I live in a place where we have warm, Caribbean beaches,” he said. “I enjoy it, I spend time with friends, and I think it’s a good thing to do after exercise.”

Overholt, Denney, and Hinojos all concurred that the regular trips into frigid water had served to improve their mental toughness and wellbeing. They suggested that everyone give it a try. 

“It’s all in your head,” said Denney. “Anyone can do it, and it’s really not that bad once you get in the habit of doing it.”

While the practice of cold plunging does bring a multitude of benefits and is a proven recovery practice, the Sentinel advises against submerging oneself in freezing water for extended periods of time without other people present in case of emergency. Plunge responsibly.