Photo By Cpl. Victor A. Arriaga | Participants brave the cold water Saturday during the 7th annual Polar Plunge at MCB...... read more read more
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JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - Marines, Sailors and civilians braved the cold Atlantic Ocean water at Onslow Beach Jan. 11 for the 7th annual Polar Plunge.
The event, hosted by the Special Olympics of Onslow County, raised awareness for individuals with disabilities. Participants, wearing costumes or team shirts, competed to see which individuals and teams could brave the frigid water longest.
“This is a great event,” said Dora Gaskin, the event coordinator for the event. “The community and participants are always really good sports and are beyond helpful every year no matter how cold.”
Every year, the event gets bigger, this time garnering roughly 500 participants taking the plunge, said Gaskin.
“The amount of support we see each year is overwhelming,” she said. “I have a son who participates in the Special Olympics, so I always love to see those that come out.”
The Polar Plunge event hits close to home for some. Nohelia Guillot, a martial arts instructor in Jacksonville, came out to raise awareness for her own son, who has autism, as well as support her best friend’s son with Down syndrome.
“The water was freezing and felt like knives going into my skin but I did it for my son and my friend,” said Guillot. “When I was in the water with all those other people, it made me feel good that so many people care and came out for a good cause.”
If the only way to raise awareness was by jumping into cold water, that is exactly what Staff Sgt. Travis McRae and his team set out to do.
“As soon as you jumped into the water, you could feel your feet go numb but you just went with it because it was for a good cause,” said the formal schools chief for 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, who was part of team “Mandatory Fun.” “We wanted to build our camaraderie and help in any way we could.”
After the event, participants received refreshments, warming up and mingling with fellow participants.
“You could see by the amount of people that came out that everyone had a blast,” said Gaskin.
| Date Taken: | 01.11.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 01.15.2014 17:38 |
| Story ID: | 119216 |
| Location: | JACKSONVILLE, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 70 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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