Community Corner
New Date Set for Special Olympics' Polar Bear Plunge
Frigid temperatures and bone-chilling winds canceled last weekend's fundraiser. Organizers have decided to give the event another try.
By D. Frank Smith
Fear not, cold-water lovers. A second chance is being granted for Polar Bear Plungers in March.
Special Olympics Maryland announced this week that the new plunge date will be March 8 at noon. The new plunge date is just three days after the day set aside for the Cool School Challenge on March 5, where thousands of students will take their own special plunge.
The plunge was canceled this year for the first time in its 18-year history due to inclement weather. On the morning of the event, a frozen shoreline greeted would-be plungers at Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis, along with winds of up to 25 mph, creating waves up to 3 feet high, according to a notice posted Saturday on the Special Olympics Maryland website. Organizers then made the tough decision to cancel the event.
Fear not, cold-water lovers. A second chance is being granted for Polar Bear Plungers in March.
Special Olympics Maryland announced this week that the new plunge date will be March 8 at noon. The new plunge date is just three days after the day set aside for the Cool School Challenge on March 5, where thousands of students will take their own special plunge.
The plunge was canceled this year for the first time in its 18-year history due to inclement weather. On the morning of the event, a frozen shoreline greeted would-be plungers at Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis, along with winds of up to 25 mph, creating waves up to 3 feet high, according to a notice posted Saturday on the Special Olympics Maryland website. Organizers then made the tough decision to cancel the event.
More than 7,000 people had signed up to take a dip in the Chesapeake Bay to raise money for the Special Olympics. Spokesman Jason Schriml said in an Associated Press story that organizers are rescheduling because they expect about 5,000 people to attend the event in March.
Event organizers have said they are incorporating a snow date into their planning process for future plunges, according to The Capital.
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