Brrrrr ... Polar Bears take plunge in Rehoboth Beach

For the record, of course, it was cold. It's winter.

The sun was behind the clouds. The digital thermometer at Thrasher's French Fries read 45 degrees, and it was windy enough that the American flags at Rehoboth Beach were pretty much blowing perpendicular to the flag polls.

But they came anyway – more than 3,500 people – wearing fleecy loungewear, fuzzy white bear hats and mittens and  thick, plush bathrobes – all of which were cast aside for the 30-second dash into the Atlantic Ocean, a dip under the waves and the run back out. It happened so fast, it was almost like driving through the crossroads Sussex County hamlet of Hardscrabble, where you blink one eye and you've missed it.

Through chattering teeth, University of Delaware freshman and football team corner back Nasir Adderley of Philadelphia could barely catch his breath.

"It was freezing. It was freezing," he said.

But, he said, it was for a great cause.

The 25th annual Lewes Polar Bear Plunge raised $820,000 this year, up from $780,000 last year. The money supports Special Olympics Delaware.

Carrie Staker, the immediate past president of Special Olympics Delaware, said the participants, the volunteers and staff make the event possible. There were divers in the water to help any Polar Bears who might run into trouble, boats just off the beach and people stationed along the sand to keep Polar Bears away from the wooden jetties that were exposed two weeks ago during a winter storm.

Staker said organizers were hoping for 3,500 Polar Bears on Sunday. Typically, they attract about 400 new bears each year.

"I have plunged when it was 20 degrees out," Staker said. "You have such a burst of adrenaline."

Michael Nash, current Special Olympics Delaware president, was doing his ninth plunge.

His most memorable, he said, was "the year we had snow on the beach. … It was just so cold."

The best conditions are when the water and air temperature are similar, he said – sort of like on Sunday.

At the moment of the plunge – at 1 p.m. – the air temperature was 45 degrees, and the water temperature was 43 degrees.

Last year, the water was a chilly 37, and the air temperature was 41.

The coldest plunge was in 1995 when there was a minus-20 degree wind chill. There were just 339 people who made the plunge that year.

The fundraiser had its start in 1992 when 78 people plunged at Cape Henlopen State Park. They raised $7,000 for Special Olympics Delaware. In 1998, the event moved to Rehoboth Beach and has been growing with participants and fundraising.

The money goes to support the Special Olympics programs in the state. They, too, have also grown since the first Special Olympics track and field event held at the old Wilmington High School in June 1971. The program, for both adults and children with intellectual disabilities, now offers 20 sports and a series of events that feature them.

Ultimately, Staker said, it would be great to have one person plunge for each of the 3,700 Special Olympians in the state so they can match "bears for the number of athletes."

Some bears, like Sacha Mardesich, 11, of Dover, decided to plunge because they know people who are effected by intellectual disabilities.

Her friend, Reagan Garnsey, 9, said she enjoys the community service aspect of the event.

Katie Wood of Dover, the associate principal at Smyrna Elementary School, brought along five students and several staffers to this year's plunge.

"We're super excited because we raised a lot of money," she said.

And, she said, some students at the school participate in Special Olympics so this is a way to support them.

Wood did the plunge in 2015, too, so she knew what to expect.

"I came a little more prepared," she said. "This year I brought socks to keep my feet warm."

Anna Zebley, a first-time plunger from Bear, had some fun with her attire. She wore a toilet bowl plunger on her head.

"I'll be a Polar Bear plunger," she said.

Kenny Horseman and Daniel Lane, both of Salisbury, Maryland, were first-time polar bears, too.

Both men said it was a fun thing to do, plus it was for a good cause.

"The funny thing," Lane said, "is I don't get in the ocean in the summer."

Note: This story was changed to correct the name of Thrasher's French Fries.

Reach Molly Murray at (302) 463-3334 or mmurray@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @MollyMurraytnj.