Brookhaven Polar Plunge shifts but still raises money for Special Olympics

A polar plunge became a polar spray down.

A few minutes before the start of Saturday’s 15th annual Town of Brookhaven Polar Plunge, the hundreds of daredevils at Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai prepared for an audible.

Officials determined the whipping wind, producing gusts of 32 mph out of the northwest, created choppy conditions in Long Island Sound too dangerous for swimming — even if some only planned to dip a toe.

In place of the traditional plunge, participants huddled in groups on the beach as a Mount Sinai firefighter chilled them with water sprayed from a hose.

“It wasn’t as cold, but it was still exciting,” said Abby Streek, a Sayville High School senior participating in her fourth plunge. “The hose would come around, you’d get splashed and pelted with water.”

Streek was one of about 20 students in the school’s Athletes Helping Others club who raised just under $4,000 for Special Olympics New York, the event’s host.

Stella O’Shea, a Sayville junior, has raised more than $1,000 in each of the past three years.

“This is just such an awesome day,” said O’Shea, who hopes to become a special-education teacher.

Special Olympics New York hosts the plunge to raise funds and awareness for its athletes. The Cedar Beach event is held annually the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Alexis Dawson, the organization’s director of development, said Saturday’s event, featuring more than 500 participants, raised about $135,000.

"I think people enjoy the tailgating atmosphere, but more than anything I think people enjoy raising money and spreading awareness for our athletes," she said.

Diane Colonna, the vice president of downstate operations, said the Cedar Beach plunge "has a community vibe to it."

“The same people have come year after year," she said. "But they’re all here for our athletes.”

On average it can cost $500 for a single athlete to compete in Special Olympics competitions each year, Dawson said. There are more than 4,000 Special Olympics athletes on Long Island.

Most participants joined teams that raised money together. The top honor went to Team Sachem, a group of teachers, staff members, students and community members, who raised about $31,000. Three additional teams surpassed $10,000.

Emily Frosina, a special-education teacher in the Sachem school district, started the team 10 years ago with just a handful of people and it has now grown to more than 50 participants.

The wind chill Saturday made the "feel like" temperature 28 degrees and longtime participants said this year was the coldest in memory.

Cassandra Scala, a special-education teacher assistant at Sachem, brought along a pair of dancers she coaches to plunge with her for the first time.

“We’re doing the coldest one and it can only get better from here,” Scala said.

Jocelynn Stone, who works with Frosina, said she had helped fundraise for the team in past years and decided to take the plunge for the first time.

“I’m going to do it! I’m excited,” she said before plans shifted to the spray down.

As the second group of plungers steadied themselves on the beach in front of the firefighter's hose, Trey’von Holland stood at the front of the pack alongside fellow Bellport High School football players who are part of the school's Athletes Helping Others club.

Holland, a senior, embraced the chill as he stood shirtless with water raining down from above.

He said he had looked forward to swimming in his first plunge, but the hose splashdown “was amazing, too.”

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

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