ar
nual Pol
25th An
Bear Plunge
All In
At the 25th Annual Special Olympics Polar Bear Plunge,
NJ State PBA Locals show why they keep returning to their favorite fundraiser
The thin blue line spanned the length
of the Seaside Heights boardwalk for the
much-anticipated winter beach day. No
rain nor winter winds could keep NJ State
PBA members from flocking to the shore
for their annual call to action for the Spe-
cial Olympics of New Jersey (SONJ) Polar
Bear Plunge.
Take in the Plunge
From the mass of state corrections officers to the first-timers to
those who have plunged two, three, four or more times, read
all about the PBA members who participated this year.
14 pages of coverage begin on page 32
Stories by Amber Ramundo and Mitchell Krugel
Photos by Amber Ramundo
PBA insignias marked busses, flags and
members along Ocean Terrace and many
of the side streets intersecting the main
drag running through town. It was clear
that the PBA had, once again, showed
up and stepped forward to back SONJ so
that every Special Olympic athlete across
the state could continue to compete and
participate without cost.
As the crowd of 7,000 participants
prepared for the dive into the 40-degree
water, NJSPBA President Pat Colligan
and Executive Vice President Marc Kovar
took in the scene from the balcony of the
Spicy Cantina restaurant. Even through
the eye of the rainstorm that dampened
the beach an hour before the 1 p.m.
plunge, Colligan and Kovar weren’t sur-
prised to see that hundreds of PBA mem-
bers had come out to support the cause.
“It’s amazing that on their day off,
these members take the time to come out
for such a great cause,” Kovar stressed.
When the booming voice of NJ 101.5
radio host Big Joe Henry came over the
speakers, the impact of the PBA’s com-
munity support was made known as he
stressed the immense aid that law en-
forcement provides SONJ each year.
“We have great support from a lot of
organizations here today, but this event
is driven by law enforcement,” he noted.
To sanction the ongoing support of the
NJSPBA, Colligan and Kovar presented
Big Joe Henry with a $25,000 check for
the SONJ, allowing the Polar Bear Plunge
exceeded its $2 million goal by elevating
the fundraising total to $2,048,158.
“We would like people to know that
right now in New Jersey, hundreds of po-
lice officers are responding to calls that
you’re never going to read about,” Col-
ligan spoke over the radio waves. “They
are heroes every day. Hats off to law en-
forcement.”
As PBA Locals stormed the shoreline
with flags waving, each member focused
on the reason they were about to take an
icy dip in the middle of February. And
beyond the unified call to action to sup-
port Special Olympic athletes, members
also found other motives.
For some, the 25th Annual Polar Bear
Plunge was about chasing the exhila-
ration that hit when the waves crashed
over them. For others, it was the rush of
solidarity that built as the crowd of thou-
sands dug their toes into the sand while
counting down to the big splash.
“It’s a thrill. It’s something you have to
be there to experience,” Elizabeth Local
4 member Sean Campbell described. “It’s
the feeling of unity, togetherness and ev-
erybody is here for one reason and one
cause.”
There are plenty of reasons that so
many PBA members commit to the event
each year, and that may be why the Po-
lar Bear Plunge is so easy to raise money
and draw support for. But when the horn
sounded and the stampede of Special
Olympics supporters ran in unison to-
ward the water, their reason for freezing
was as crystal clear as it’s been for each
of the 25 years that law enforcement offi-
cers have come to the shore: to give SONJ
athletes a tangible look at the crowd that
has their back.
“It’s a great organization and this is a
simple way to raise money,” Jim Crowell
of Rahway Local 31 noted. “Get a bunch
of cops out here, we jump in the ocean,
we have a great time. It’s an easy fund-
raiser.” d
www.njcopsmagazine.com
■ MARCH 2018 31