On Wednesday, January 1, Mattapoisett’s Town Beach was packed with people from near and far starting the year off freezing. Moments after the clock struck noon, the crowded beach-goers experienced firsthand the biting cold of the winter sea. Though it was 50 degrees, far from polar, the overcast weather and bitter wind made up for it. Some ran in and ran out. Others dunked their heads and shook their hair. Others got acclimated to the cold and floated around in the water for many excruciating and exhilarating minutes.
The polar plunge in Mattapoisett started around 2013, according to Keep on Plungin’. The local group raises funds through the event with the sale of baked goods, coffee, and hot chocolate. All proceeds are for local families battling cancer and its accompanying enormous costs. The American Medical Association calculated that in 2022, Americans spend $16 billion out of pocket for cancer treatment. This number was and is projected to continue to rise.
While the event itself, on the surface, seems masochistic, there were not any in attendance who did not carry with them a smile afterwards, hot chocolate or not. The tradition of polar plunges in America are generally believed to have started in New England in the early days of the 20th-century and have been an annual New Years staple in the region and nationally since.
By Sam Bishop