Polar Plunge for Special Olympics rolls cold and deep Feb. 1
I moved to Lewes from West Chester in summer 1975 to accept a teaching job at Cape Henlopen High School. We lived on McFee Street, and I couldn’t believe you could go to the beach every day five times a day. I decided I would go every day of the calendar year 1976, which I did at Cape Henlopen State Park.
I coached state championship cross country teams in fall 1977 and track in spring 1978. We celebrated by jumping into the ocean.
In 1978 I formed the Atlantic Polar Bears, and Pete Reed, a T-shirt guy at that time, made up shirts. That February there was a northeast storm blowing. I showed up along with four high school track girls in two-piece bathing suits. I told them, “No, I ain’t that guy; this sends the wrong message and anyway it's too dangerous, and where’s Jane?"
Jane was in the ocean ducking ice-cold waves of slop and froth. I screamed at her, “Get out,” and she said, “I’m trying.”
I ran into the white water and with my feet still on the bottom I snatched the back of Jane’s long wet blond hair, turned around and ran back to the wet sand with her in a hair tow carry. Jane Wagner Murphy is still my close friend 36 years later, that crazy kid.
The Atlantic Polar Bears were put in the freezer and resurrected as the Lewes Polar Bears in 1982. That is the same month my column, People in Sports, appeared in the Whale newspaper along with a fictional character called Fat Like Me who gave advice to fat people writing in. I played both parts for three years; it was the beginning of me using fictional characters and deceased relatives to make profound points and observations I could never do on my own.
The Lewes Polar Bears rocked in icy waters five times a year from November through March. There were some bitter winters back then, and guy friends smeared lard on each other, which was permitted by the unwritten rules. A “legal jump” was full immersion wearing a traditional bathing suit Plunging into the ocean more than once was discouraged and recognized for what it was, showmanship based on insecurities.
The Lewes Polar Bears attracted regulars and irregulars, to use a heartbeat metaphor. There were New Year's Day events with over 300 jumpers and sometimes in March there would be just five.
There were no newsletters or membership lists, there were T-shirts and hats sometimes, but most times not. It was Sussex County; our attitude was, “If you want recognition, join the Rotary Club.”
In 1992, Ann Grunert of Delaware Special Olympics came to me about dovetailing with Special Olympics for a fundraiser. The more she talked about pledge forms and publicity, the closer I got to falling asleep, except you can’t help but love Ann because in addition to being cute and smart as any CEO in America, she is authentic and committed to helping special athletes. And so February became the month for the fundraiser, and in 1992 we started at Cape Henlopen State Park.
According to Delaware Special Olympics, “The plunge has grown each year, beginning in 1992 when 78 plungers raised $7,000 to last year’s effort of 3,252 bears raising more than $725,000. Since its inception, the plunge has raised more than $7.525 million." I am given a piece of stained glass after each jump by the artist Dragonfly for my role in the history of the event, but greedily I have been asking for a Get Out of Jail Free card from the Delaware State Police or an honorary doctorate from the University of Delaware. So far, like the rear-view mirror on a top-of-the-line Mercedes S-Class coupe series, no dice.
The plunge is Sunday, Feb. 1, in Rehoboth Beach; if you are not on the Boardwalk you may want to be tested for dyslexia. More information on the plunge and all weekend events can be found at www.plungede.org.
