SEASIDE HEIGHTS – Around 8,000 people made up of about 570 teams plunged into the icy surf on a cold Seaside morning, raising more than a combined $2.5 million to benefit Special Olympics New Jersey.
Including spectators, approximately 65,000 people came out to boardwalk for the 31st anniversary of the Polar Bear Plunge. For over 55 years, Special Olympics New Jersey has provided year-round sports training and athletic competition in 24 Olympic-type sports for thousands of children and adults with intellectual disabilities, completely free of charge.
The morning began cloudy with some rain dropping but the sky turned blue around the 1 p.m. plunge time that featured an air temperature in the mid-30s and water temperatures in the low 40s.
“This is my seventh year,” Cheryl Klouda of Columbia New Jersey told Jersey Shore Online.com. She was dressed in a shark costume and holding the duffle bag she got this year to hold her change of clothes.
“I have friends who come down here to plunge with me. Our team is We Plunge Forward dot, dot, dot.” She added, “one of my friends has a daughter who has cerebral palsy and I started plunging for her.”
Klouda added that her trick to staying warm after the plunge “was to bring plenty of blankets. This year I have five members for the team. Last year I had more. Two are from Pennsylvania, a couple are from New Jersey”
Some plunged in bathing suits, others in street clothes, and many donned colorful costumes. Law enforcement personnel monitored the crowded area.
Some even plunged as a duo such as the brother and sister “Plunger Party” team of Vinny and Emily Kearns from the northern end of the state.
“I’ve been wanting to do this forever and never did it and figured why not,” Vinny Kearns said.
“I signed my sister up for this. She didn’t have much say,” he added laughing. The duo sported plunger hats. “We tried to make a team and then nobody said they wanted to do it.”
Wawa, the official coffee partner of the Polar Bear Plunge in Seaside, was onsite again this year with their mobile truck to provide free coffee and hot chocolate. When asked how many cups of hot beverages they would be handing out during the day, Wawa worker David Homer said “probably around 10,000.”
His fellow Wawa volunteer from the Howell store simply replied, “lots.”
Wawa spokesperson Portia Welch said the convenience store chain has had a presence at the plunge for about 10 to 15 years and along with area store volunteers they bring along their mascot, a costumed goose each year. She put the cup count of java and hot chocolate at 12,000.
On the subject of costumed mascots, the Polar Bear Plunge wouldn’t be the same without Joe Sarnoski, a retired police captain from Lyndhurst, who once again served as the event’s mascot and cheered people on as the official polar bear. This year he took photos beside another costumed polar bear and sported a red T-Shirt in contrast to his usual blue shirt.
Dressed as the Frozen Hoses were members of the Mixed Bag of Nuts from Fort Dix. “My brother in-law is a fireman so we decided to go as firemen this year,” Scott Cabe of Toms River said.
“We have been here doing this for 10 years,” Pam Evans of Stanhope said. She and Cabe were joined by two West Orange residents who were part of the team. Caitlyn Shelly, who was plunging for her second year and her dad Dan Shelly who was plunging for the first time.
“I come up with the ideas for costumes every year. Last year we were Minions and the year before we were leprechauns and the year before that we were ice princesses, even him,” Evans said, pointing to Cabe. “And the year before that we were squirrels because we’re a mixed bag of nuts.”
The event which is presented by Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) will benefit thousands of Special Olympics New Jersey athletes. It originally began on the beaches of Point Pleasant. It moved its home to Seaside Heights years ago with the only interruptions being Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and the pandemic in 2021, when it was held virtually.
LETR is part of a state-wide campaign coordinated and managed by all divisions of Law Enforcement officers and officials to raise dollars and awareness for Special Olympics New Jersey.
Senior Director of Marketing and Communications Jeremy Davis said, “This year’s plunge is one of the largest in our history and will provide necessary funds to support programming and countless opportunities for thousands of Special Olympics New Jersey athletes.”
