Temperatures that dipped into the 20s and frost on the roads wasn’t enough to stop 178 people from taking a New Year’s swim in Useless Bay Thursday.

Convening for the 11th annual Polar Bear Plunge at Double Bluff Beach Park, the mob of all ages roared into the chilly water with screams and laughter. While some braved it alone, for others it was a family affair.

“We just all follow great -grandma,” said Jessica Cooks, an Oak Harbor resident.

She was one of four generations who participated in the event under the lead of family “matriarch” Barbara Fournier, 74. The Coupeville resident had made the plunge twice before and recruited the rest of family.

They included Fournier’s daughter, Peggy Mitchell, 55; Mitchell’s daughter, Cooks, 38; and Cooks’ daughter, 8-year-old Kayla Cooks. Family friend Kevin Yagle, an Edmonds resident, also participated. Even Zeva the dog joined in.

“Barbara started it all,” Yagle said, though Kayla may also have been a deciding influence.

“I made them go,” she said, earning a chuckle from the three older women.

Fournier said they are a close family who “celebrates everything together.” The polar bear plunge is just another way to bond, and is quickly becoming tradition.

It’s also highly enjoyable, and serves as a natural fountain of youth.

“It makes us feel younger,” she said.

Put on by the South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District, the annual event is sponsored by the Island County 4-H Teen Leadership Club.

“Jon Gabelein and the 4-H Teen Ambassadors and volunteers did a great job organizing the event,” said Carrie Monforte, program coordinator for the district in an email to The Record.

Attendance this year was slightly less than 2014’s 190 swimmers, but still saw a healthy turnout. Supporters from the beach numbered 330, and about 40 dogs were also present.  And those who did make the plunge came from as far away as Virginia Beach, Va.

According to Monforte, air temperatures ranged from 25-46 degrees during the morning, with the water temperature estimated at 47 degrees. Despite the cool climes, clear skies and no wind led some people to say it felt warmer than it really was, especially after just getting out of the water.

But not everyone felt that way.

“It was colder than I thought it would be,” said River Kline, a 7-year-old Freeland resident who made the swim with his father.

His younger brothers, Emery, 2, and Ash, 4, cheered from shore, though they helped him drink hot chocolate after the fact. Whether one or both will join in next year remains to be seen.

As for Fournier and her family, the plunge is a generational affair and they know exactly where they’ll be come Jan. 1, 2016.

“We’ll be here,” she said.