By Marissa Griswold,Monmouth Academy

Most people spend the winter time in doors by the fire, sipping hot cocoa on the cold winter days, or at least bundle up when they are outside shoveling the drive way or making snow men. That was not the case this year for the girls of Monmouth’s basketball team. Instead of relaxing on the couch, feeling the winter blues, they were ready to jump into the ocean.

It was New Years’ Day and the girls had just gotten out of basketball practice. But they could not just go home. Instead, they suited up in bathing suits layered over long sleeve shirts and spandex pants. The coached also got in the spirit and wore swimming gear, which the girls could not help but laugh at. They were ready to go to Portland’s Annual Polar Dip that funded the Special Olympics. Lined up side by side, the girls and hundreds of others would be running into the ocean to help the Special Olympics cause. In order to enter the Polar Dip, each girl had to raise one hundred dollars. With the help of parents, all the money was raised, and all the girls who wanted to go could. As they geared up, girls sped out of the school; everyone was so excited or in some cases, shivering already.

Previously the days before the dip, some girls wanted to make the day a little more interesting. Three of them got together and with a roll of cloth and some maroon paint, they created MA diving capes, which would be worn in the icy water and could maybe help get them on the daily news. When the girls reached their destination, everyone was ready to go. The beach was filled with people from all over. Some also had the idea of making costumes, such as a man dressed as a human lobster. The girls wasted no time putting on their capes and shiny masks of different colors to help finish off the look. Wrapped in quilts and waiting for the horn to sound signaling that the dip had begun, they stood side by side.

Thank goodness the weather was nice that day, or it could have been a miserable time jumping in the water. Before the horn blew, the Monmouth basketball team got together and did a little team cheer to get everyone pumped up. It was finally time to go and the horn sounded. It was complete chaos, as thousands of people ran into the cold ocean. Legs turned numb as they touched the water and just as fast as they went in, they come out. That was except for some of the girls who just loved the water and the coldness didn’t seem to bother them. Some went for two more dips. It took a little more pushing to get all of the coaches to go in, but in the end mostly everyone got wet. They bundled up again and huddled together ready to get dry. The day was full of excitement, anxiousness, and really cold feet, but it was totally worth it!