Not for all the money in the world.
That’s what most people would say if someone asked them to don a Speedo then take a cool dip into the ocean – in February.
But Polar Bear Club members readily admit they aren’t most people. Each year, hundreds of them plunge into frigid bodies of water in the middle of winter for charity, health, and fun.
Next Sunday, three Secaucus residents will join about 3,000 other brave souls for the 16th Annual Polar Bear Plunge in Seaside Heights. Sponsored by the Law Enforcement Torch Run, the plunge benefits the Special Olympics of New Jersey, a statewide organization that serves about 17,000 disabled athletes each year. Money raised from the Polar Bear Plunge enables the organization to provide sports activities to physically challenged athletes free of charge.
“I’ve done it five times. This will be my sixth year participating in this event,” said Secaucus native John Pein last week. “A friend of mine introduced me to it. He basically told me that people get together and run into the ocean in February. I wasn’t until I got to the event that I realized it was a fundraiser. The first time we did it, we were kids and I basically did it ’cause it was fun. Now I do it ’cause it’s something I really want to do.”
A special ed teacher in North Bergen, Pein said he also has an extended family member who is a four-time Special Olympic gold medalist in power weight lifting, a fact that has only deepened his commitment.
After doing the event several years in a row by himself, this year Pein has pulled in nine friends and coworkers to join him on a team called the Sea Monkeys.
Many of his teammates, including Secaucus residents Kyle McEnroe and Joseph Haslach, are first-time plungers.
“Times are tough right now with the economy being what it is,” said McEnroe, a corporate salesman from Secaucus. “Doing this seemed like an easy way to give something back at a time when a lot of people aren’t giving as much.”
The Special Olympics asks each member of a team to raise $100, which includes a $25 registration fee to participate, plus $75 in donations. A team of 10 people is expected to raise at least $1,000. The Sea Monkeys have already exceeded the minimum but would like to raise more.
“I think we’ve raised about $2,000 so far,” said Haslach, team captain of the Sea Monkeys. “We’d really like to try to raise $5,000 if possible.”
Cold showers
Pein, a former hockey player who considers himself “an outdoor guy and a Polar Bear at heart,” said, “The cold doesn’t really bother me.” But he acknowledged that not every Sea Monkey shares his love of frigid temps.
“I’m not generally a cold weather person. Even in June, I think the ocean is cold,” McEnroe said. He jokingly added that taking cold showers may be a good way for him to prepare for the plunge.
But McEnroe’s more experienced friend said there’s no such thing as preparation.
“There really is no preparation for the shock you experience when you first enter the water,” Pein said, admitting the frigid water still grips him when he first takes the plunge. Entering the water as quickly as possible is the best strategy, he noted. A gradual entry only accentuates the water’s chilly temperature.
Pein said he generally goes into the water twice, stays in long enough for some photos to be taken, allows a couple of big waves to completely soak him – then heads for a towel, clothes, and a hot drink. The whole plunge is over in a few minutes.
“I’m not really doing anything to prepare,” Haslach said, taking a page from Pein’s playbook. “I’m just going to try to do it as quickly as possible, get it over with – then get inside.”
To donate to the Sea Monkeys, visit www.njpolarplunge.org.
E. Assata Wright can be reached at awright@hudsonreporter.com.