OCEAN CITY — A slow, steady drizzle welcomed revelers New Year’s Day in America’s Greatest Family Resort, but the wind was light, the air and water temperatures mild, making it a great day for the First Dip in the Ocean.
An Ocean City tradition created by the First Night Committee about 20 years ago, the event features hundreds of participants lined up on the beach ready to brave the chilly waters of the Atlantic Ocean — and hundreds of spectators lined up on the boardwalk to watch — as a way to usher in the new year in an invigorating, titillating fashion.
Some undoubtedly were washing away the sins of the previous evening, while others, who attended the city’s popular alcohol-free First Night celebration, were just extending their holiday weekend.
Waiting under one of the boardwalk gazebos, trying to stay dry just a little bit longer, Mark and Courtney Wazny of Allentown, Pa., said they had joined friends Derek and Janice Forbes at their island home for the weekend.
The Forbeses recently purchased their home and were spending their first New Year’s Day as island residents.
Mark Wazny, 33, had taken part in a previous polar plunge in Poland, where the temperature was below freezing, but the others were rookies. They admitted it was a pretty soft first outing for them but said they were looking forward to, ahem, getting their feet wet.
“Even with a rainy, overcast day it’s still fun to do and, honestly, probably the best day to do it because the weather is so warm,” Derek Forbes said. “What are you going to do the day after you celebrate New Year’s Eve? Why not do something fun and kind of zany or different?”
Eric and Kelly Schoch of Bethlehem, Pa., were registering for the event inside the Ocean City Music Pier. Told to use one form per family, she said only one member of the family was doing it, and it was not her.
Kelly Schoch said she was not going in the water but instead was there to support her husband. Asked why he wanted to do it, he couldn’t come up with a good reason.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“He’s saying ‘Why not?’ and I’m saying ‘Why?’” Kelly quipped.
The couple said they enjoyed First Night events the prior evening, noting the Japanese drummers were among their favorites.
An island event is never complete without the city’s reigning royalty, and Miss Ocean City Maddyn Randazzo, Junior Miss Ocean City Makenna Fleming and Little Miss Ocean City Arianna DiAntonio were representing.
The pageant princesses stand up strong against everything from children’s sticky fingers during saltwater taffy sculpting contests in the summer to wind-blown hair while riding in boardwalk parades to dunking all but their crowns beneath the icy waves while presiding over the many family-friendly events hosted by the resort throughout the year.
“This is our year, 2022, and I’m really excited for all of the events upcoming and making way more memories with my girls,” Fleming said.
“Same, I’m excited for all the new memories and laughs that we have here,” Randazzo said, noting she would be home all summer from The Ohio State University. “I’ll be spending a lot of time with these girls.”
Just before go time, the rain stopped and the skies opened up, revealing more gray above.
Anthony DePaul of Williamstown, standing alone as his four sons cowered over by the Music Pier, said they were “too chicken to come down here” but that would not stop him. It’s was not his first rodeo, he said, noting he was a veteran plunger with previous experience in Brigantine. The 42-year-old Mainline restaurant owner said sometimes you just have to let off some steam.
“Work hard, play hard,” he said.
The Cinto family of Marmora was ready to take the plunge, all except for father Matt, who was deemed “the towel carrier.”
Becky and son Christian, 11, had done the First Dip in 2019 and were back for mom, this time with Samantha, 11, and Allie, 9. Asked if she thought it would be cold, Samantha wrapped it up in one word — “Duh?!”
“It’s fun, it’s crazy, it’s memories,” Becky said, turning to her husband. “What do you think?”
“It’s cold.”
Ocean City firefighter Dan Boardman, a 2005 OCHS graduate, was on duty “trying to keep everyone away from the (outfall) pipe here and make sure everyone that goes in comes out.”
Wearing bikinis, friends Sydney Strieb, Georgia Vecchio, Nevaeh Houck, Olivia Vecchio and Chloe Houck rushed down the beach hand in hand and plunged into the sea. They came out dripping wet with big smiles on their faces.
“We had swim practice this morning so we’re all good,” one of the girls said, noting they are high school swimmers from Reading, Pa.
Busy drying off, Maddy Murtin, 24, of Bloomsburg, Pa., said she was taking part with her parents John and Karent Murtin — who have a house on Central Avenue — Uncle Jim “Spider-Man” Murtin and her sister’s fiance, Tim Zielinski.
“We come down here every New Year’s to do this, it’s a tradition now,” she said, noting it was their third or fourth time.
Another fan of the ocean, Jessica Howes flew in from Nederland, Colo., to visit family and take part in the plunge. Her husband, Alex, 34, said it was his birthday so his wife had to jump in. She didn’t take much persuading, noting they would be returning home, far away from the sea.
“Now that we have tasted the saltwater again, it will hold me over for a couple of months,” Jessica said.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
