42
NEW JERSEY COPS ■ MARCH 2014
The
Perfect Wave
A record-breaking
2014 Polar Bear Plunge
returned to Seaside Heights and
enjoyed its biggest year ever.
■ BY JOSHUA SIGMUND
■ PHOTOS BY ED CARATTINI JR
It’s P-minus-two minutes (that’s P for Plunge), and the first wave
of the 6,000 daredevils about to brave the 33-degree water are
standing on the pristine sand, hands over their bare chests, or bikini tops where appropriate, some clad in costumes while the national anthem plays over a loudspeaker. Overlooking the beach as the
final countdown descended to zero, tens of thousands of spectators – more than ever before – cheered “U-S-A, U-S-A” with the men
and women and the usual monstrous contingent of NJ State PBA
members about to embark on the largest ever Polar Bear Plunge,
back in Seaside Heights for the first time since Superstorm Sandy
ravaged the annual fundraiser for the Special Olympics’ true home.
Following the Polar Vortex that covered New Jersey in way-toomany-feet of snow, Feb. 22’s 50-degree day enforced that the stars
truly aligned for the largest Plunge ever.
“If you believe in a higher authority, someone was certainly looking down today,” said Kevin Burke, the chairman of the Polar Bear
Plunge and a retired New Jersey Law Enforcement Officer. “We’re
back home again, and it always feels good to be home.”
The event raised more than $1.4 million for
Special Olympics New Jersey, a feat achieved
in no small part through the efforts of
official Plunge Sponsor, the NJ State
PBA.
“It’s been a team event, and (PBA
President) Tony (Wieners) has been
the Rock of Gibraltar,” Burke
explained. “He’s always there. Without his and Keith Dunn’s Herculean
efforts, there’s no way we are raising
over $1 million,”
Nobody was more delighted to
have the plunge back in town than Sea-
side Heights Police Chief Tom
Boyd. He appeared to drive
around town throughout the day
in an attempt to thank every single plunger and spectator who
braved the traffic to get here.
“Between Sandy, the governor
and the Boardwalk Fire in the
news recently, we needed this,”
Chief Boyd said. “I knew we we’re
going to break all the records
today. The beach was perfect, the
weather was great and people
wanted to come back and support
the shore.”
The weather, the return to Seaside Heights, PBA Executive Kevin
Lyons’ challenge to Locals to step up participation and Special
Olympics fever that has engulfed New Jersey this year combined to
give the 2014 plunge some truly memorable moments.
Nobody on the beach will forget the presence of Lakewood Local
71. Bearing their flag like the warriors in Braveheart, Lakewood
Local 71 always seems to be at the front of the mad dash to the
splash. “We’re always one of the first in,” stated Officer Lenny
Nieves. “The brotherly love we have for each other drives us to the
front every year.”
And there were truly heart-warming moments like Aberdeen
Township Local 163 member John Powers brining his two daughters for their debut plunge. Before plunging for the ninth time, Powers offered his kids his seasoned advice:
“Be quick, let the first wave get in, and then run in,” he said he
told them. “Then, dive quickly, turn around and get out. As long as
you get yo