Temperatures that dipped into the 20s and frost on the roads weren’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 Oak Harbor resident Jessica Cooks.

She was one of three generations participating in the event, as was family “matriarch” Barbara Fournier, 74.

Fournier, a Coupeville resident, took the plunge twice before she recruited her daughter, Peggy Mitchell, 55; Mitchell’s daughter, Cooks, 38; and Cooks’ daughter, Kayla Cooks, 8.

Family friend Kevin Yagle, an Edmonds resident, also participated.

Even Zeva the dog joined in on the fun.

“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 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,” Fournier 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.

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.