Bayshore Man, 87, Does Polar Plunge For Special Olympics Funding

KEYPORT, NJ - Debbie Hinz says her father Al Lambertson has always been up for any challenge. A U. S. Navy veteran and an adventure-lover at heart, Lambertson has never turned down a test of strength, especially one for a good cause.

Lambertson, 87, routinely serves as the oldest participant of the Polar Plunge, typically a crowded fundraising event for the Special Olympics held at Seaside Heights. Each year, the event sees countless teams from across New Jersey raise funds for the cause by dipping into freezing cold waters for a set amount of pledged money. But after the event was postponed to April due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this born-and-raised Keyport resident decided to take the plunge by himself at Beach Park in Keyport on March 10.

“I got involved with the Polar Plunge because we needed to raise money for the Special Olympics. It's absolutely that simple,” Lambertson told Patch.

Hinz says her father has done the plunge for the last four years, raising hundreds of dollars for the cause each time. This year alone, Lambertson raised $600 for the effort.

“He will give his all for any good cause. That’s just the type of person he is,” Hinz told Patch. “He’s always been game for anything. My father has been doing this challenge for four years. He says he won’t stop until he’s in the ground.”

Lambertson began the annual plunge with a group in Holmdel in 2018 when his granddaughter began participating in the event with the team 'Bayshore Shrinky Dinks.' While his usual group will be completing the polar plunge during a rescheduled date in April due to the coronavirus pandemic, Lambertston instead insisted on going through with the challenge while the water is still at arctic temperatures.

Hinz recalls that the 87-year-old has always been an active member of the Bayshore community, as he hardly left the town he grew up in - in fact, he currently resides half a mile from the house he was born in. After retiring from his job as a boiler engineer in Middlesex County, Lambertson has used his handiwork skills to assist family and friends in building everything from kitchens to church furnishings.

“He’s rebuilt at least five kitchens,” Hinz said. ‘He’s always been very handy: you give him a problem and he’ll figure out a solution. He’s great with wood work. In fact, he built the baptismal font at St. Johns [United Methodist Church] in Hazlet.”

And Lambertson’s key to staying active at 87? Never stop moving. Hinz says that her father routinely walks a few miles a day in Holmdel Park or by the waterfront in Keyport. But to the Bayshore resident, his chilly dip into the Atlantic Ocean hardly compares to the feats that Special Olympics participants complete.

“If you've ever been to a Special Olympics, jumping into freezing cold water is nothing,” he said.

You can visit Lambertson's fundraising page here: Fundraising for Special Olympics New Jersey