Sarah Palin accepts the ALS ice bucket challenge

Former Gov. Sarah Palin, R-Alaska, jumped on the ice-bucket-challenge bandwagon in a video posted Sunday, cutting a check to help a young man fighting Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, and urging a few famous names to do the same.

And much as she tried to avoid it, yes, she was also doused with a freezing bucket of ice water.

"Of course I accept the challenge," Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, said in the clip posted on YouTube. "You know what, though? I'm too old for this, really. And don't you guys think, c'mon -- at this stage in my life, my career, aren't I a little too prim and proper for all that ice bucket water dump thing? Piper did it. She took care of that part of it for me, OK?"

Instead, Palin said she'd just write the check and "double the amount."

After pouring herself an iced glass of Diet Dr. Pepper, her preferred version of the ice bucket challenge, Palin nominated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and "he whom she has recently said is her favorite Republican," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to complete the challenge.

As she finished speaking, someone offscreen grabbed a bucket of ice water and dumped it over her head. Palin shrieked, leaping out of her chair and running away as a girl was heard giggling in the background.

Apart from Palin, a few other political figures have recently shed their reserve and endured a soaking for charity, including former President George W. Bush, and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

The challenge has been the viral hit of the summer, saturating social media, but it's also raised a considerable sum for ALS research and treatment. As of last Thursday, the ALS Association had received $31.5 million in donations since July 29 of this year. By comparison, the group raised just $1.9 million during the same time period last year.