C.W. Post Athletes To Take The "Polar Bear Plunge" To Benefit The Make-A-Wish Foundation
Brookville, N.Y. (Jan. 27, 2010) - Members of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University are trading in their hats, scarves and gloves for bathing suits, goggles and towels on Sunday, February 7 when they join the Long Beach Polar Bears in their annual Super Bowl Splash to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Metro New York area.
The cold-weather swim in the Atlantic Ocean will be held at Riverside Beach at Riverside Blvd. and Broadway at 1 p.m. The C.W. Post SAAC hopes to raise $1,000 in support of the charity that grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.
Right now about a dozen C.W. Post athletes are committed to the shivery splash, including Sydney Hagen, a junior international studies major from Exeter, New Hampshire who plays on the field hockey team.
"It's going to be great," she said. "I'm used to the cold ocean year-round. This isn't anything I can't handle."
The event was brought to the attention of
Deirdre Moore, the head coach of the C.W. Post women's basketball team, by a C.W. Post alumnus who is the grant director for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Metro New York area.
"We are really excited about this opportunity," said
Meghan McNamara, advisor to SAAC and the head coach of the C.W. Post women's lacrosse team. "This is a fun way to make a difference."
C.W. Post's 15 athletic teams are part of the East Coast Conference, eight Division II schools from Long Island, Queens, upstate New York and Connecticut. As a whole, the ECC SAAC raises money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. At the end of the year, McNamara said, the goal of the C.W. Post SAAC is to grant a wish for one child. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is the largest wish-granting organization in the world with 65 chapters in the United States and its territories and 33 international affiliates spanning five continents. The proceeds will be in support for the Make-A-Wish Foundation for the Metro New York area.
Even those who aren't willing to take the plunge are welcome to cheer on those brave enough to endure the freezing temperatures. "It's a unique event," Hagen said. "Who doesn't want to see people run and jump in the ocean in the middle of February?"