Name: Lucia Webb

Pronouns: she/her

City: Minneapolis, MN

Profession: Operations Director at U2FP

Fundraising Goal: $1,000

Describe your event, including location, distance, goals, and activity type:

I am going to participate in an amateur 25 meter ice swim on February 22nd! I have been cold plunging in Lake Nokomis since last winter, but I have never attempted a swim. The event organizers will saw open a 25 meter two lane pool in Lake Johanna, in St. Paul, and will have warming stations set up. Since I’m doing the non-competitive version of the event, I will be able to wear neoprene booties, and gloves if I can borrow some from a friend.

In a few sentences, describe your connection to U2FP, why you chose to race in support of U2FP, and whether you have a personal connection to spinal cord injury and paralysis:

I have been the Operations Director of U2FP for the past four years, and while I did not initially have a personal connection to spinal cord injury, I do now, as I have become friends with my coworkers, board members, and event attendees with SCI. I decided to race in support of U2FP because I care about our mission, and also because it would provide accountability and keep me from wimping out :)

Is this your first event like this? If not, what else have you done?

First time doing an ice swim! I have done plenty of just standing still in the frozen lake though.

Do you listen to anything when you train? If yes, what?

Either the birdsong and silence of the lake, or the gossip of my fellow dippers if I go with a group - the juicier the gossip, the faster the time goes! :)

What are you most excited and/or nervous about?

I am very excited to try something new, and for the adrenaline rush I’m sure will come when I’m finished! I also am looking forward to meeting new people - I always enjoy the community part of ice dipping. I am nervous about having my hands and head in the water for the time it will take to swim 25M. I am used to spending 5-10 minutes in water that cold, but usually keep my hands and head out. I’m not sure how my body will react to actually trying to move through the water - it’s hard/impossible to find a place to practice swimming any distance in 33 degree water!

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I like to read, cook, craft, and spend time with my friends. I also love to be outside, and I love spending time in water (frozen or otherwise).

Anything else you’d like to share?

Thank you so much for your support of Unite 2 Fight Paralysis. The work we do is impactful and is not being done by any other organization. Because we are led by people with lived experience of SCI, and not governed by the incentive structures of a larger organization/hospital system/academic institution, we are able to nimbly work on creative solutions to the actual problems that plague the translational pipeline that gets curative ideas from labs to humans. I/we are so appreciative of your support.