Brandywine Hundred’s Joe de Rosa is different from the average thrill seeker.
For a start, he’s 79 years old.
The great-grandfather of three will travel to Rehoboth Beach to participate in his eighth Polar Bear Plunge for the Special Olympics Delaware next Sunday, and this time he’ll be joined by three other generations of de Rosas.
“If I can do it at my age, I think my family members can accept the challenge that they can do it at least as well as their father or grandfather,” he said.
| Take the Polar Bear Plunge
Feb. 7, 1 p.m., Rehoboth Beach Register online at www.plungede.org or register at the event, Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Sands Hotel in Rehoboth Beach Day-of registration begins at 10 a.m. under a tent at Rehoboth Ave. and the boardwalk Registration costs $50 plus an additional $10 for online pre-registration |
De Rosa will participate with his son, Andrew, who will be doing his third plunge, his grandson, Dylan Watson and great-granddaughter, Arianna Barr, who will both be doing their first plunges.
Their participation is his early 80th birthday present, he said, and he’s hoping they can inspire more family members to plunge next year.
The frigid Atlantic Ocean makes many people nervous, but the cold water isn’t so bad, de Rosa said.
Since turning 72, he has done annual plunges at Rehoboth Beach, Sea Isle City, N.J., and Ocean City, N.J., and decided to start plunging because he was looking for a more edgy activity, he said.
“There aren’t many chances for someone my age to do something that’s exhilarating, exciting and not dangerous,” he said. “It’s not like bungee jumping or sky diving.”
He wasn’t worried about the frosty water temperature because he prepared for that first plunge by taking cold showers, he said. In fact, the colder the air temperature is, the warmer the water feels by comparison, he said.
“Eight years ago they were pretty cold days,” he said. “The temperature has been mild the past few years.”
The trick is to focus on having fun, he said, and de Rosa has worn some pretty interesting swimsuits to get a laugh from fellow frozen plungers. He’s worn a chili pepper bathing suit, a pair of Santa Claus swim trunks and this year he’ll be wearing a tuxedo swim suit, complete with tie and top hat.
