Polar Bear & Penguin season 2026/27 has begun.
…..and we’re off !! I know loads of you are raring to go with your first few chilly swims but remember the first rule is to stay safe so take care out there .
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There’s lots of info here today so grab a cuppa and take a few minutes to read through.
You’ll need to let me know that you’ve done your swims each month so I’ll send you an online form to do so.
On the first of the month following the month for which you are reporting I will open the check in forms and send you a link. On the first of December the forms will open for November's info.
YOU MUST SEND THIS FORM BACK WITHIN 10 DAYS OR I’LL ASSUME YOU’VE DROPPED OUT AND WILL REMOVE YOU FROM THE CHALLENGE.
Unless you are doing the Jedi/Ninja/Apprentice specified swims at 7 degrees or less you do not have to submit any evidence.
When you submit one of those swims you’ll receive further instructions for the swim verification submission.
When I have your November check in I’ll do a shuffle so that if you’ve completed a distance higher than that which you entered then I’ll move you up to the appropriate level.
However you can’t move from Penguin to Polar Bear in November or up into the Jedi / Ninja / Apprentice level - in these cases you have to be entered with the appropriate level or challenge level to start with.
If you are an EXTREME Penguin there’s a box to tick on the check in form. If you don’t check in as EXTREME for November you can’t upgrade to Extreme later in the challenge.
After November you can no longer go up through the levels the only way is down.
The check in form will also be on the Polar Bear Challenges website.
When you send in your data I will update the swim lists. This will not be immediate - it will take a while as I have to manually export the data individually for every check in so give me a few days to sort it out.
The names on the swim lists have all been shortened to give some online anonymity.
If you need to amend anything or want to add a team name let me know on the ‘Changes’ form - link below.
https://polarbearchallenges.com/changes
There is a paper form on the website you can download to track your swims. This is a form for you to use to keep your own records - it is NOT the check in form
.https://polarbearchallenges.com/swim-log
Alternatively you could treat yourself to the Official Polar Bear & penguin handbook which contains swim logs and lots of info on the challenges - available on Amazon.
https://polarbearchallenges.com/shop
There’s various goodies available via the shop on the website including the official swimhats and lovely bobble hats in lots of colours.
Embroidered hoodies are also available but because they are custom printed they have to be ordered by November 22nd - after that there will be no more hoody prders so if you’ve got your eye on Christmas presents already - Don’t dilly dally, get an order in ASAP. !
https://polarbearchallenges.com/shop
Stay Chilled
MamaBear
( Pauline Barker MBE )
