The Polar Bear Challenge and The Penguin Challenge
- Less than 2 weeks to go until 1st November
- the final countdown has begun ......
SERIOUS POST - a reminder that cold water swimming can be very dangerous if you are unprepared.
By now you should all be aware of Cold Water Shock and Afterdrop but, more significantly, if you have ANY cardio or blood pressure issues you need to take medical advice before it gets any colder.
Cold water immersion can exacerbate anything medical that you already have and it will also bring out any unknown or underlying condition that you may not have been previously aware of.
Heart attacks don’t look like they do on the TV so make sure you know where your nearest de-fib is AND how to get into it.
Remember if you’re at the coast it’s 999 and ask for the coastguard and also get an ambulance.
If you have any doubts about your health and how you will cope with cold water then seek medical advice NOW.
November and December will be the warmest months - it's coldest around mid January to Mid February.
It's best to get all your swims done as early in the month as possible. The only predictable thing about the weather is that it will be unpredictable so you need to get your swims under your belt early in case the weather takes a turn for the worse later in the month or if any other related issues pop up. All swim distances have to be actual physical distance travelled - not tethered in a pool - and if you're swimming where there is a current you must swim the same distance against the current as you do with it.
Everyone has a ‘Joker’ which you may play only once but this will give you a ‘pass’ for a calendar month so if life gets in the way and you can’t swim or make your chosen distance then you’ve still got a chance to complete the challenge overall even if you miss a month.
If you haven't already memorised them then take a look at the Top Tips on the link below and make sure you're armed with hot flask, mats, thermals, woolly hats etc and that you've got your getting changed quick routine down to a fine art.
Once the Challenge starts you'll be able to send in your swim info using a check in form which I will email to you after the end of the month and will also post on the facebook group - it will also be contained within the main menu on the website. ( don’t worry it’s a really simple form ) - if you want me to keep a tally of your monthly total distance swum then that can be included. You MUST send this form back to me within 10 days or I will assume you have dropped out.
For November only - if you complete a higher level than that which you entered then you will be raised to that level. You will subsequently drop levels accordingly in future months if needs be -however this doesn’t apply to Jedi / Ninja or Apprentice levels as you must enter at that level right from the start if that is your intention.
The November check in form is also where you confirm if you want to be a standard or extreme Penguin.
After November you can only go down through the levels and you can't swap from Penguin to Polar Bear although you can go from Polar Bear to the equivalent or lower Penguin level.
If you decide to drop out it's vitally important that you let me know so I know not to nag you and you can do that on the same form on the website.
If you want to track your swims there's a swim log you can download from the website but this is just for your own use and is NOT the official check in form.
There is an official handbook if you want a reminder of how the challenge works which also has swim log pages and could be a nice memento of your winter swimming.
If you fancy a Polar Bear or Penguin swimhat or bobble hat then I need your order in the next couple of days so that I can get it out to you to be received before November 1st and if you want a hoody then these MUST be ordered by November 23rd.
SWIM HATS. BOBBLE HATS. HOODIES
If you’ve not yet joined the community of Polar Bears and Penguins on facebook then the link is below and you will need the code Ice Cream to enter
Stay Chilled
MamaBear
