BLUE BEND, W.Va. - In what's being called a "first of its kind" during the sixth annual Greenbrier Valley Polar Bear Plunge Freshman Polar Bear member George Piasecki apparently welcomed with open arms being named the 2009 "Official Rotten Egg."
GVPBPC President Christian Giggenbach said he was "stunned" at the unusually bizarre turn of events and would be consulting with the Polar Bear Judicial Review Board for a determination of whether Piasecki should be reprimanded or possibly fined.
"I've reviewed the video footage shot by our official videographer Scott Steele and I've also seen the photograph taken by Kay Hanna," Giggenbach said. "And I'm just as shocked and stunned as anyone else is. I'm certain that during the pre-plunge briefing ceremonies that I clearly explained the ramifications of being named the official rotten egg."
Giggenbach implemented the "rotten egg" designation during last year's plunge and says the tradition will continue despite the alleged controversy. The 2009 event, which raised nearly $900 for the Lewisburg Child and Youth Advocacy Center and had an overall attendance of about 100, was otherwise "unmarred," Giggenbach said.
The spectacular video, which is now starring on the Internet Web site known as You Tube, shows Piasecki laying back from the pack of polar bear members after Giggenbach clearly gives the command: "Last one in is a rotten egg." As the other 20 or so polar bear members sprinted into the icy waters of Anthony Creek, Piasecki can be seen casually strolling toward the creek in the same fashion as if he were heading to a local pub.
At one point in the video, Piasecki also apparently even mocks President Giggenbach by turning to the crowd and leisurely waving.
"That's what really got to me," Giggenbach said as he wiped a tear from his eye. "I can understand if he wants to break the rules, but why rub it in with a leisurely wave is beyond my capacity to reason. My hands are tied. I have no choice but to take this to the judicial review board."
When reached by satellite phone at his weekend time-share high atop Kula Kangri in the Mountains of Tibet, Piasecki calmly described Giggenbach as "completely insane."
"Giggenbach has taken leave of his sanity, if he ever had any to begin with," Piasecki said as he reached for another cup of freshly-squeezed goat's milk. "When Giggenbach blurted out something about rotten eggs, I thought he meant that sulphur water from the nearby four-star resort known as The Greenbrier was going to be served while everyone was cooking their deer-meat-on-stick."
Although Piasecki would not confirm that he purposefully tanked sprinting into the water, he did grin when asked if he enjoyed the title of "2009 official rotten egg." Piasecki then rejected the notion of being this year's rotten egg because, "I plunged into the water twice."
"I relish the title and I dare anyone to try and take it away from me," Piasecki said, as he searched for another large, furry goat. "Especially that nutso Giggenbach guy. You should have seen what he was wearing at the plunge. He had on camo hunting pants; a bright orange shirt that said "Who's Da Man?" and he also had a huge hunting knife strapped to his side. You tell me who's crazy?"
Giggenbach declined to respond when informed about Piasecki's latest comments, but did defend the wearing of the large hunting knife.
"Look, how else would we have cut up the deer meat from the 8-pointer I bagged last fall? The post-plunge party wouldn't be the same without deer-meat-on-a-stick," Giggenbach retorted. "I'm not allowed to comment anymore because of the pending investigation, but I'll be happy to talk off the record about it."
Giggenbach said the judicial review board (which is solely comprised of the president of the polar bear plunge club) will most likely reprimand Piasecki with a heavy sentence.
"I'm thinking something along the lines of making Piasecki carry the bell across the footbridge next year," he said. "Man, that thing is heavier than it looks."
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