By Doug Miller
The Polar Bear swim, which began modestly in 1999 but has grown into a regional phenomenon, benefits the greater New York chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Donations were still pouring in on Tuesday night, and event co-founder Pete Meyers said he expected to pass last year's total of $120,000. An early estimate put the total take at more than $125,000. "The crowd was great, and this progressively gets bigger," Meyers said. "Last year we had an amazing crowd because it was 55 degrees, and we easily beat that number this year."
The legend of the Long Beach Polar Bear Club continues to grow. As the story goes, it began in 1999 when Meyers and his friend Kevin McCarthy invited some friends to join them in what had become a ritual: jumping into the Atlantic to prepare themselves for the Super Bowl.
One of the friends had a very young son, Paulie Bradley, who was suffering from and soon died of cancer, and the event became a way to raise money in his name. Bradley had qualified to have a wish fulfilled by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which makes extravagant dreams come true for terminally sick children, but he died before the foundation took up his wish.
The number of friends taking part in the swim has grown each year, and the money raised has as well.
Patricia Gambale, a spokeswoman for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, said the amount raised last year fully funded 20 wishes. The children who benefit will be from New York City or Nassau County. Since it opened in 1983, Gambale said her chapter had granted some 6,000 wishes.
As the event grows, it is becoming clear that the Make-A-Wish Foundation and its many clients are not the only beneficiaries of this event. The City of Long Beach, while not officially affiliated with the Polar Bear event, happily reaps the good PR the event provides.
And nobody complains of having many thousands of people flood the city on one of the biggest party weekends of the year, on the opposite end of the calendar from the tourist season.
Even many of those smart enough to stay out of the ocean get involved in the event. Lifeguards come and help out, unpaid, to make sure everyone who jumps in jumps out again. For the sixth year in a row, the ambulances standing by were not needed.
"Everyone rallies around it," Meyers said. "The police were really helpful; Billy Martone, who does beach maintenance, did a phenomenal job. The lifeguards go out in full wetsuits and crazy wigs and just helped everyone feel safe."
The bars open early, hoping those who come for the swim will stay for the Super Bowl. Since it takes a certain amount of joy of living to wade into 40-degree water, the bars are more than willing to provide good spirits and warm company for participants afterward. "We definitely get a nice morning push," said Ben Freiser, a manager at Minnesota's in the West End. "You got the young guys coming in to warm themselves up beforehand with some whiskey. Some guys were wearing bathrobes, thinking they were training before a fight. ... Afterwards they hit the whiskey again to warm up that body and drop some sand on my floor. And a bunch of us always jump in."
And while the economic benefits can be tallied, City Manager John Laffey said, other benefits can't. "This generosity, this enthusiasm - this event embodies the spirit of Long Beach," he said.
To donate, send a check to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Care of the Long Beach Polar Bear Club, 1111 Marcus Ave. Suite LL22, Lake Success, N.Y. 11042.
