Despite the brisk winter weather Sunday, several hundred people descended on Cadboro Bay for a beach party — complete with frigid dips in the ocean.
Local police, sheriffs and other groups braved the cold water in the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics B.C., the first of eight such events around the province in February and March to benefit athletes with intellectual disabilities.
First to frolic in the waves Sunday was the Special Olympics team, including Lidia White — one of the Victorians taking part in the recent B.C. Special Olympics Winter Games held in Kamloops.
White said this year’s cold-water experience was far from her first.
“I’m also part of a different group and we go in on a regular basis,” she said.
White said Special Olympics is something she always enjoys. “I’ve had a really good time competing over the years.”
She said jumping into cold water “is good for your mental health.”
“You kind of feel a sense of pride in yourself after.”
Fellow Special Olympian Jen Ferrier addressed the crowd and told participants they were “freezin’ for a reason.”
She also spread the message that “it’s OK to be different.”
“I spent most of my life trying to be someone who I wasn’t,” Ferrier said. “I was hiding in the shadows of my diverse ability.
“When I came to Special Olympics 19 years ago, I saw that it’s OK to stand out from the rest of the crowd.”
Victoria Police Chief Del Manak, who led a 25-member team, said he spent a lot of time getting mentally ready for an icy swim.
“Nothing can ever prepare you for this moment,” he said. “But when I look at the Special Olympic athletes, the smiles on their faces and the number of medals they won in Kamloops, it’s just amazing.”
“It’s critical that we support them in any way that we can, and police organizations have been doing that for over 40 years.”
Police Chief Dean Duthie, his Saanich counterpart, said the water “was definitely as cold as I thought it would be.”
“It always amazes me that after we come out it actually feels not bad.”
His department is a strong backer of Special Olympics, along with so many others, he said. “It’s important for us to be here, and we’re all in it together.”
The fundraising total at Sunday’s gathering was closing in on the goal of $50,000, with over $20,000 generated by Victoria police.
Donations can be made at plunge4specialolympics.crowdchange.ca/27602.
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