Community Corner

Polar Bear Plunge Planned for Jan. 28

Event benefits Pennsylvania's Special Olympics.

 

On Saturday, Jan. 28, hundreds of supposedly sane people are going to jump into the freezing cold Delaware River at .

These brave bathers will be “freezin’ for a reason” as they participate in the 4th annual Eastern Polar Bear Plunge – a fund-raising event that benefits the Special Olympics Pennsylvania, the state’s largest year-round organization devoted to sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

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Individuals and teams can register for this event online by pledging to raise $50 per plunger. Teams are encouraged to show their Plunge spirit by setting up tents and hanging company, school or team banners.

“This will give your team a meeting place and the opportunity to capture cool team photos,” the website stated.

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Joining the other bathers will be celebrity plunger NFL player Dan Klecko who co-hosts a radio show on 94.1 WIP SportsRadio. Klecko played his college ball at Temple University and earned three Super Bowl rings with the Patriots and Colts. His dad is former NFL defensive lineman Joe Klecko.

If taking a dip in frigid water doesn’t sound like fun, you can still be a part of the fun by registering as “Too Chicken to Plunge.”

The website offers some tips for first time plungers:

  • Wear your plunging suit under the clothes you wear to the event – then you don’t have to change into it just to change right back out of it!
  • Choose your “Plunge Day” outfit (or post-Plunge gear) with this is mind – you will be cold and possibly numb, so loose-fitting, easy-on clothes without a lot of snaps, zippers or buttons are best. When your fingers and toes don’t work so well, it’s not so easy to get some of that stuff back on
  • Bring a loose pair of shoes to wear after the Plunge – something that will slip easily on and doesn’t have tricky laces (think Crocs)
  • Carpool, or even better, charter a bus with a whole group of friends. The park only holds so many cars !
  • Do not dive in – this a safety regulation and will be enforced by the safety team
  • The water is cold (it is January after all!) and will take your breath away
  • Do not run into the water, there might be things in the water you cannot see. You might step on them or kick them and trip
  • Do not be the first to go into the water if it is your first time. Remember there will be many people behind you and if you get in there and decide you do need out immediately, it will be very difficult to do so quickly
  • Bring a plastic bag for wet clothes, a backpack to hold dry clothes, two  towels -- one to dry with and one to stand on, a dry partner to hold your valuables while you are in the water, river shoes for going into the water, clean dry under garments to wear after Plunging, and a disposable waterproof camera that you can carry into the Plunge Zone with you

Click here for more information on this event.


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