Deployed to Afghanistan, Stafford Soldier Refuses to Miss Polar Plunge

By STEPHANIE TIPPLE
Potomac Local News Features Editor

Just because he’s been deployed to Afghanistan doesn’t mean Steve Costa will miss this year’s Polar Plunge at Virginia Beach.

The solider from Stafford, along with hundreds of other supporters of Special Olympics of Virginia, will dive into the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront Feb. 2 to raise money for the organization that supports athletes with disabilities.

Though he’s still in Afghanistan, this event is something Costa swore he wouldn’t miss. After being deployed six months ago, he decided to pull together 10 to 12 of his fellow soldiers who are also deployed, and they ordered a large backyard pool and planed to plunge on that day with all of the other Plungers at Virginia Beach.

“To date, he and his co-workers have raised closed to $4,000. They’ve been asking for donations from their friends, from their loved ones, their co-workers, from everyone they know,” said Special Olympics Virginia spokesman Tim Doyle.

Costa’s love for Special Olympics stems from his experience as a coach for the games.

“I have been a Special Olympics coach for over two years now. A very good friend, Ms. Theresa Wink, invited me to help at a practice one day – and next thing you know, I was attending each week. There’s nothing like the smiles on the kid’s faces when they earn their medals – it’s truly rewarding,” stated Costa in an email to Potomac Local News.

This 17th annual Polar Plunge for Special Olympics of Virginia has served as one of its largest fundraisers, and has spawned other Polar Plunge events throughout the state. In addition to the Plunge, there will be a festival with live bands, sand and ice sculpting, a 5K race, and a Peewee Plunge for tots to test the frigid waters.

And while the end result is all fun and games, participants worked hard to become a part of the plunge, raising a minimum of $100 each. These plungers have gotten creative by hosting parties, using social media, and asking all of their loved ones and social networks to donate. This has been a great success for the Special Olympics of Virginia, said Doyle.

And Doyle isn’t surprised by Costa’s decision to make the plunge in Afghanistan. He believes it showcases the type of volunteer that he is.

“It’s a very strong statement of how committed he is – how much he believes in our program that he would actually consider doing that while he’s over there in harm’s way. I don’t believe you can get much stronger than that. Steve is just like many, many of our volunteers. He’s very dedicated to our program, he helps us year round,” Doyle said.

The money that is raised from Costa’s group and the other Plungers will allow the Special Olympics of Virginia to host their year-round calendar of activities for individuals with both intellectual and combination intellectual-physical disabilities.

“[Raised funds] are used to fund Special Olympics programs throughout the whole year. A lot of people have the misconception that the Special Olympics is a one time event, when in fact, Special Olympics is something that goes on every day. The Special Olympics provides year round sports, training and competition to people with intellectual disabilities. They are solely funded through the generosity of the community,” said Doyle.

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