Record-setting Polar Plunge lights up Rehoboth Beach

Last week, we tipped our pen to the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics Delaware in anticipation of the excitement and community spirit this event has aroused every year for the last 21 years.

That was well before we knew a record 3,685 people would jump into 47-degree water after raising a record of more than  $650,000 this year alone – $100,000 more than last year’s record-setting total.

Other states might raise more cash with plunge events, but there’s not likely to be a better display of enthusiasm and energy anywhere. That the number of participants and the amount of money raised keep growing despite lingering hard times and a stubbornly sluggish economy just emphasizes the spirit of sportsmanship and good will this event demonstrates.

Anyone who attends can’t help but be amazed at who shows up for the event. Families, high school and college groups, grandparents and grandchildren, work-based groups and neighborhood-based groups, 20-year bears and first timers – an amazing cross section of America – all gather on the beach, shivering in their bathing suits as they await the start.

Money raised at the plunge helps Special Olympics Delaware offer training to more and more athletes every year and helps the organization offer a growing list of events where these athletes can shine.

Special Olympics Delaware’s goal is to promote understanding, acceptance and inclusion among people with and without intellectual disabilities. Coaches and athletes work to build sports skills, confidence, strength, motivation and self-discipline, and as those skills grow, so do relationships among people with and without disabilities. It has happened more than once in the pursuit not only of excellence but also of sportsmanship, that special athletes had something to teach one another and their coaches.

In the last few years, the number of athletes who have participated in Special Olympics Delaware events has increased from 1,100 to 3,500, with as many as 500 coaches and 4,000 volunteers on hand to cheer them on.

We salute everyone who participated and who assisted in making this year’s event the most successful ever.