OGUNQUIT — Twenty-four plunges. Twenty-four hours.

A group of law enforcement officers and community members ran into the ocean at Ogunquit Beach every hour, on the hour, for a full day this weekend, braving the wet weather and freezing waves. The excruciating task benefited Special Olympics Maine, an organization near and dear to the participants.

Special Olympics Maine facilitates sports training and competition for people with intellectual disabilities, serving more than 5,000 athletes statewide.

Though Special Olympics Maine holds cold-water dips every year, this weekend’s “super plunge” was the first of its kind in the state. The super plunge enlisted 15 polar plungers — 12 members of Maine police departments — to take 24 dips and raise thousands for Special Olympics. By Sunday morning, the group had already raised more than $78,000 collectively.

“It’s tremendous to see the support; it’s tremendous to see 15 individuals come out and take the plunge, all of the 24 hours,” said Special Olympics Maine President and CEO Ian Frank.

Sgt. Jim Cook of the Windham Police Department reacts after dipping into the Atlantic Ocean during the Maine Law Enforcement Super Plunge in Ogunquit on Saturday. Cook’s fiancée Catherine McAllister is at right. Daryn Slover/Portland Press Herald

To put on the event, Special Olympics Maine partnered with Law Enforcement Torch Run, an organization of law enforcement volunteers that raises funds for Special Olympics programming.

“This is the single largest fundraiser in the history of the (Law Enforcement Torch Run) for the state of Maine,” said Lewiston Police Detective Craig Johnson, one of the organizers. “Every penny of that goes to the athletes, to the athlete experience.”

Participants were in high spirits during their second plunge on Saturday at 1 p.m. With a long night ahead, they were thankful to Ogunquit’s Norseman Resort for providing warm rooms to rest in between plunges.

“It’s always horribly cold, but then you get this very strange, hot feeling a few seconds after you get out of the water, just that adrenaline,” said participant and Ogunquit Deputy Police Chief Ashley Wade.

Special Olympics athlete Megan Rosenberg, of Brunswick — who competes in track and field, soccer, basketball, downhill skiing and golf — was in the audience on the shore Saturday.

Ogunquit Chief of Police John Lizanecz, right, and Erica Rock of the Lewiston Police Department dash from the Norseman Resort to the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday during the Maine Law Enforcement Super Plunge in Ogunquit. Daryn Slover/Portland Press Herald

“It’s pretty fun to watch them jump in the ocean for all of us athletes, I think it’s really great,” said Rosenberg, who is a member of the Special Olympics Maine executive board. “And it puts a smile on my face as well.”

Rosenberg has gotten into the chilly water herself at the annual “lobster dip,” a Special Olympics fundraiser held on New Year’s Day in Old Orchard Beach.

Megan Rosenberg’s mom, Maryellen Rosenberg, said the practice of plunging into the cold water for a good cause takes “guts and determination.”

“To do this for 24 hours, and to jump in, it’s not only bravery, but it shows that they’re willing to do something for the good of someone else,” Maryellen Rosenberg said.

Frank, of Special Olympics Maine, said that there are lots of ways for people to get involved with Special Olympics Maine — from raising money to cheering on athletes at their games and events.

“We’ve got almost 75 events statewide, so coming out and volunteering, we have fundraisers happening year-round as well, so whether that’s a plunge, or a golf tournament, or a local bake sale,” Frank said. “There’s also opportunities to be a coach, be a unified partner with our athletes, so we encourage you to come out and participate.”

Copy the Story Link

Happy Sunday. I hope everyone had a pleasant Saturday — I am currently in Florida to attend the first league match for the Portland Hearts of Pine, which occurred yesterday evening in Naples against FC Naples. And though I’m here supporting Maine’s soccer team, I have another Maine team to talk about today.

The Maine Mariners, ECHL affiliates of the Boston Bruins, will wear the above knight’s armor-inspired jerseys this coming Wednesday, April 2nd. The promotion, dubbed Renaissance Night, is being held in support of Maine’s 988 lifeline, a suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline. This is the last Mariners one-off jersey of the season. We covered the previous ones here (just last week) and here.

Local renaissance fair performers will also be present at the game. Oddly, the photo shoot was held at Portland’s Victoria Mansion, an 1860 Italianate house that now operates as a museum not far from the Mariners’ home arena. The Victorian era is pretty far from the medieval Europe that renaissance fairs try to evoke, but then again it’s not like Portland has a 12th-century church where they could go to get a real medieval feel for the photo shoot. We’re an old city, but not quite medieval old.

Anyway, the connection between suicide and mental health awareness and ren faires seems tenuous at best. The press release for the new jersey starts with “It doesn’t take a knight in shining armor to check on your friends.” It’s a worthy cause, no doubt — the jerseys feature a prominent “988” patch on the right chest, and will be auctioned off after the game, with a portion of the proceeds going to Maine 988.

The jerseys feature several silver elements with fake shadows to look like individual plates of armor. The jersey crest has a metallic sheen, faux chipping, and dots around it to make it appear bolted-on to the “armor” below, with elements designed to look engraved beneath it. The same engraved designs are also on the sleeves, above a gold sleeve stripe. The same shade of gold is used for a stripe at the hemline.

Like I said when I covered the Mariners’ Best Buddies jerseys last week, I don’t plan on turning Uni Watch Weekends into my own personal Maine Sports Fiefdom, so I do apologize about the glut of Maine sports coverage that’s occurred since I took over this role. Like I said then, though, it seems as if we are living in the halcyon days of Maine sports uniforms — new alternate identities for the baseball team, more one-off jerseys for the hockey team than I can keep track of, and a soccer team whose identity has become an instant hit globally. Maybe it’s time for the basketball team to step up!

ORONO, Maine (WABI) – Over 200 athletes had a ball Saturday as Special Olympics Maine held their annual Central Maine Basketball Tournament.

University of Maine’s Memorial Gym provided the perfect place to play with teams or work on individual skills, says Special Olympics Maine’s Sports and Programs Manager Sarah Phelps.

“We have two different splits. We have our traditional five-on-five all athlete competition that’s in here and also in The Pit. So it’s all athletes competing against each other,” Phelps explains. “Then we have another division called Unified which is athletes and partners. So, it’s really special to see everybody’s just included and it’s really fun.”

One rookie unified team made their debut this year: The Shooting Stars cheerleaders!

The cheer squad is coached by Bennett Meister, 19, who has a background in both cheer and coaching unified sports.

“I’m a unified partner and a coach for seven different Special O sports,” says Meister. “My sister has been in Special Olympics for several years, and so I’m really just looking to give an opportunity for more people and more athletes since there is no cheer in the state of Maine right now.”

Meister adds that cheer provides a great way for Special Olympians to get active even if they don’t play sports like basketball: “Athletics are great for your physical and your mental health. And I’ve noticed with a lot of my clients that it gives them joy.”

Building joy, athletic pride and community were the names of the game Saturday.

Alongside athletes, Phelps credits volunteers like the UMaine Women’s Basketball team, Maine Principal’s Association and Brewer ROTC for making the tournament possible.

“They’re building community, they’re having fun. They’re showing off their skills. It’s really special and we’re happy to put on an event that kind of highlights their talents,” Phelps describes of the significance of Saturday.

For many, Special Olympics Maine is a great way to stay active while forging new friendships.

“I love it!” Athlete Dale Hall says about the program. “I enjoy being out, being with all your friends, doing everything with all of our staff we had here today.”

“They’re like a family to me,” comments Amanda Weston, another long-time Special Olympics athlete, about the connections created. “It is so important to the community because it helps us grow better!”

This sentiment is echoed by Special Olympic athlete Destiny Winslow, who says the largest takeaways she gains from her participation are: “The friends, community, the teamwork.”

As Special Olympics Maine gears up for their summer competition beginning in June, Phelps says they are always looking for new volunteers, coaches and athletes to join the team.

For more information on Special Olympics Maine, visit their website.

Copyright 2025 WABI. All rights reserved.