The Annual Long Beach Polar Bear Super Bowl Splash

The Long Beach Polar Bear Club has nothing to do with those big, furry animals that prowl around the Arctic. Club members are people who, according to their own website, are motivated " by camaraderie, a touch of madness and a common goal: to honor the memory of Paulie Bradley and to keep his young spirit alive in others." Paulie Bradley passed away at the young age of four years old in 1997.

To fulfill their mission, the Long Beach Polar Bear Club has held a "chilling" event on Super Bowl Sunday every year since 1998. They get together on Long Beach during the winter and hop into the freezing cold water of the Atlantic Ocean to raise money for their favorite charity. All the proceeds go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. In February 2010, the Long Beach Polar Bear Club's "cool" swim raised over $500,000 for the foundation.

If frolicking in the freezing Atlantic is your idea of a good time, you can join the Long Beach Polar Bear Club at their next Super Bowl Splash... or maybe you'd just like to watch. (Count me in as one of the spectators.) Learn how at the Long Island Polar Bear Club website.

To donate or to become a corporate sponsor of a Super Bowl Splash, please go to the Long Island Polar Bear Club Super Bowl Splash.