Penguin Plunge 2012: Meet Tonya L. Kloiber

Special Olympics Connecticut’s annual fundraising event, , is set to take place at on February 19th.

in an effort to raise money and awareness for

Name: Tonya L. Kloiber (aka Rockhopper)

Town of residence: New London

Occupation: Animal Control Officer in New London

First Plunge? Yep. Crazy, huh?

Why take the Plunge? My Team Captain from Shoreline Roller Derby had asked me months ago to do it with her when I came to our Halloween party dressed as my namesake. It's pretty appropriate since my Derby name is Rockhopper, which is a type of penguin. I agreed, and here I am, getting ready to plunge along with a few other crazy girls from the Derby league! 

What does Special Olympics mean to you? When I was younger, my parents and I used to help out with the Special Olympics along with the motorcycle club we rode in. To see all those athletes with huge smiles on their faces, win or lose, was so great. To me the Special Olympics is all about making sure EVERY athlete gets to compete in their sport, no matter how good or bad they do. Or even how odd their sport may seem. After all, I do Derby.

Are you plunging on Feb. 19? Email the answers to these questions and a jpeg photo of yourself to elissa@patch.com.