It’s time to sign up for the 7th Annual ucpn Polar Bear Plunge which will be held on Sunday, March 6 at Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Beach/Park. Everyone is already gearing up for the fun.
Atlantic Steamer Fire Company ex-chief Frank Ozol is the liaison between the fire company and ucpn. He is also on the Polar Bear Plunge committee. “We are one of the sponsors of the Plunge, he said. “I am going to have the East Norwich Juniors (firefighters) assisting us. I’m also going to try to get the Nassau County Police Explorers to come and help. We had them last year and they were a great help with crowd control. We get a pretty good crowd so we need help,” he said.
The firefighters are very involved in the event.
“We always have EMTs in the water in case someone is hurt or gets out of breath; and we have a boat in the water.
“We usually go in with about a dozen firefighters raising money and taking the plunge,” he added. That includes Mr. Ozol himself who has been a regular polar bear swimmer over the years.
Volunteers from the Atlantic Steamer Fire Company will also serve grilled hot dogs to everyone’s delight! DJ Danny Kelly will provide the music and there will be dancing polar bears and other surprises! There will be free soup, coffee and hot chocolate too! Event happens rain or shine. An indoor assembly area is available in case of inclement weather – the Atlantic Steamer boathouse nearby.
The event is for a really worthwhile cause, supporting the United Cerebral Palsy of Nassau. The ucpn has been assisting individuals with disabilities since 1948. Today, over 1,800 children and adults with disabilities participate in the vital programs and services offered by the non-profit agency.
Last year’s event hosted about 200 swimmers and a huge crowd of supporters “on shore” at the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park beach, cheering them on. They hope to increase that amount this year with more swimmers and sponsorships. They invite members of all community groups, schools, teams and organizations to join us as swimmers, as sponsors, by donating raffle prizes or just helping spread the word to friends and neighbors. It is always a fun day and we know you will enjoy your participation!
The ucpn is grateful to the Town of Oyster Bay for hosting the swim and all the swimmers, sponsors, volunteers and supporters of the Plunge. They invite everyone in the community to join them on March 6. Please contact them if you are interested in participating at 378-2000 ext. 651 or visit www.ucpn.org for swimmer registration forms, sponsorship and other info.
