How to Virtual Plunge

A Plunging At-Home Guide

Many of our Plungers mastered the art of virtually plunging since COVID, but as a reminder or if you are new, check out this page to make sure your Virtual Plunge is top-notch! As a Virtual Plunger, you will receive your Plunge sweatshirt, be able to participate in our Virtual Plunger of the Year competition (more details coming soon), and most importantly, support the 4,340 athletes of Special Olympics Maryland!
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  • Super Soakers
  • Water Balloons
  • Bucket of Ice Water
  • Sprinkler Run
  • Inflatable/Plastic Pool
  • Ice Bath
  • Truck Pool (use a tarp liner)
  • At Home Plungefest

We are overwhelmed by your commitment, enthusiasm, and creativity in transforming the current circumstances into a super-supporter Virtual Plunge event. 

An important caution: Cold/freezing/frozen water presents obvious and not-so-obvious dangers and is risky at any depth to people of any age, mobility, or health status. You must – MUST – exercise caution and personal responsibility in your Virtual Plunge activities! SOMD cannot identify or control the risks of every Virtual Plunge activity and has not endorsed or approved as safe any particular Virtual Plunge activity. 

Be smart, be safe, and be careful – for you and all who join you in your Virtual Plunge activity.  In whatever form your Virtual Plunge takes, follow all applicable water (and freezing water) safety and COVID-19 protocols. Have fun with it; but above all, BE SAFE. 

Thank you!

Filming Best Practices

Capture your at-home Plunge!

In our new virtual world, the demand for video and digital content has increased exponentially. By now, we are sure that you have the hang of video recording, but if you are still new to the whole video thing, keep the following tips in mind when filming your Virtual Plunge at home!

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Lights

Don't stumble into bad lighting! We recommend filming your Virtual Plunge outside for the best lighting and to make it as cold as possible, BRRR! If you are not able to film outside, avoid spotlights and bright windows behind you, which can throw off the exposure of your video.

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Camera

The best way to film a video is in landscape mode (holding your phone sideways). If you have a tripod, use it to film. If you don't have one, you can stabilize your phone or camera using boxes or a window sill. You can also ask your housemates to be your camera crew for filming your Plunge!

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Action

When you are set up and ready to film make sure you remember to smile and speak loudly! If you are filming with a friend, have them give you a count down of when to start. If you are filming alone, utilize the self timer feature on your phone to make sure you capture your whole Virtual Plunge!

Virtual Plunge Examples