The 2021 Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge is going virtual this year due to the spike in coronavirus cases.
The annual icy dip into the Chesapeake Bay benefits the Special Olympics of Maryland, and it has drawn thousands to Sandy Point State Park each year to see people in swimsuits jump into the chilly water in the middle of winter.
The fundraising event is going virtual this year, as the event marks its 25th anniversary.
“With the increased spikes in COVID-19 over the last several weeks and predictions for it to continue to escalate into January, we made the right and important decision to go virtual only,” said Jim Schmutz, president and CEO of Special Olympics of Maryland.
Participants are asked to send in videos of them plunging into the water over a two-month period from Dec. 8, 2020 to Jan. 31, 2021.
“We care greatly about the health and safety of our Special Olympics Maryland community and hope that all of you will join us in our first-ever virtual plunge,” said Loren Plaxen, an athlete from Montgomery County, who joined Schmutz in the making the announcement on Facebook.
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