C’mon in, the water’s fine!

Hundreds of revelers celebrated the new year with a ceremonial dip Sunday in Lake Coeur d’Alene.

In a moment of merriment, bathers flung off ski coats, terry bathrobes and fleece vests to reveal bare chests, bare legs, Bermuda shorts and bikinis. The bathers ran shrieking into the lake and clamored out just as quickly.

The Polar Bear Plunge started precisely at noon. It was finished by 12:02, but the shrieking continued.

“Have fun, stay young and be crazy,” said Chuck Meyers of Nine Mile Falls, Wash., summing up the spirit of the event.

“It only counts if you get your hair wet,” added his wife, Terrie, who wore a flowing rainbow-color caftan, in contrast to her husband’s formal top hat. “You have to be a total plunger.”

“I’m afraid that I’d have a heart attack,” said Debbie Knutson, a self-described paparazzi who was at the beach to snap pictures of five of her closest female friends in their swimsuits. The women – friends for 20 years – waited for the countdown in bathrobes and plastic leis. Knutson kept her coat on.

“We have to go all the way,” said Linda Van Fleet of Harrison, one of the women and a first-time Polar Bear Plunge participant. “We’re too old not to.”

Sunny skies and relatively balmy 43-degree weather helped boost the turnout for this year’s event. But Carl Couser also deserved some of the credit for the festive crowd at Sanders Beach.

Twelve years ago, the Lakes Middle School teacher began awarding 1,000 bonus points to sixth-graders who participated in the Polar Bear Plunge. The points are part of a reward system for good behavior. At the end of the school year, they can be cashed in for books or sports equipment.

Every year, sixth-graders grab the lure. Many coax their parents into the lake as well. Couser counted about 35 of his students and dozens of former students at the Polar Bear Plunge on Sunday.

“Of course, the weather’s nice,” Couser said. “You’d probably have one-tenth the people if it was 15 degrees. But I bet my students would still be here.”

Erin Roan and Holly Mueller, now both 19, have shown up at the Polar Bear Plunge ever since they were in Couser’s class. “It’s fun, and it’s our tradition,” Roan said.

Every year, they don a costume. This year, the outfits included wings, colorful tights and funky wigs. “Every random thing we could find,” Mueller said.

The Polar Bear Plunge has also become a tradition for Chad and Denise Bennett of Rathdrum. Chad Bennett took his first plunge 10 years ago, and his wife joined him three years later. Every year, the couple bring a group of friends and the official timepiece – a battery-powered clock held by a stuffed polar bear. It’s attached to a long pole. Chad Bennett waves it above the crowd, shouting out the countdown to noon in five-minute intervals.

“My family lives in Iowa, but we can’t go there for Christmas because we might not get back in time for the plunge,” Denise Bennett said.

Every year, her husband tries to set a record for length of time in the water. He’s up to 40 seconds.

The Polar Bear Plunge capped a full morning for Luke Klohe and Peter Miller. The 16-year-olds rang in the new year until 6 a.m. on Sunday. After a brief nap, the two cross-country runners from Lewis and Clark High School drove to Coeur d’Alene with Luke’s mom and sister, where they all ran five miles in the annual Hangover Handicap race. Luke and Peter finished with the plunge.

“They need something to tell their therapists when they grow up,” joked Luke’s mother, Ellen, who offered her services as a “towel girl.”