HORRY COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – Taking a swim in the ocean during February doesn’t exactly sound ideal, but for Special Olympics athlete Zack Young, there is nothing he would rather do.
The 14th Annual Polar Plunge raised over $100,000 dollars for South Carolina and Horry County Special Olympics athletes, like Young.
“I’ve been doing Special Olympics all my life. You meet new friends, new family; you get to compete with people. It’s awesome,” Young said.
Over 700 people took the plunge on Saturday, and the mothers of the Special Olympics athletes say the public’s encouragement means everything to them.
“This community comes together to support our athletes like no other,” Lisa Brown, Assistant Director for the Horry County Special Olympics, and a mother to a Special Olympics athlete said.
Other mothers say the cause has been a positive outlet for their family.
“As a parent, it allows us to have other parents that we can talk to and relate to, and our kids are accepted, and it’s an awesome environment,” Faith Mclaughlin, a mother of an athlete said.
Young says the bonds he has built with his teammates and competitors makes the plunge into the icy cold water worth it.
“It makes me feel like they’re family, so when we talk, we’ll act like we’re family,” Young said.
To learn more about Horry County’s Polar Plunge, click here.
