Nippers to the water!

The Nipper Program

Information on how to join the 2010/2011 Nipper Program will be published on this page in early October. Applications for nippers and their parents will open at 9am on October 11th. Should you require any information regarding the 2010/2011 Nipper Program not available on this webpage or in the information published in October please direct your enquiries to nippers@pointleoslsc.com.au.

Point Leo SLSC has over 400 junior members participate in the club Nipper program each summer. Around 120 of these juniors continue on with competitive training and compete in the State Championship carnival. This year the State Championship carnival was held at Lakes Entrance where Point Leo SLSC Juniors won the club point score championship competition from over 30 Victorian clubs.

The Nipper program is open to children aged between 6 and 13 years of age. Age is taken as at 30^th September. We welcome all children of all skill levels, but strongly advise children 8 years and up to have swimming experience. The Nippers program was developed to equip children with the skills and knowledge to recognise and enjoy a safe beach and aquatic environment.

Specifically the program: 

• extends participants’ knowledge and understanding of
  • safe beach and aquatic environments
  • survival skills in aquatic environments
• develops skills in:
  • the sport disciplines of Surf Lifesaving
  • injury prevention to self and others
  • rehearsal of safety related judgements
  • basic first-aid, rescue and resuscitation

Point Leo SLSC is a friendly, family club. We hope that all members adopt the Point Leo Club Spirit and remember that the Nippers should have FUN!! 

The Surf Rescue Certificate is offered to the 13 & 14 age groups and is compulsory for Nippers and Cadets competing in the U14 and U15 age groups at carnivals.  It is also the requisite SLS award to commence patrols at these age levels. The course is run over a 2 day camp or 2 consecutive Sundays in late November. The cost and dates for this course will be advised in October. Priority for preference of attendance at either the camp or the 2 training days will be given to renewing members. 

A candidate for the Surf Rescue Certificate

• Must be a minimum age of 13 years old on the date of examination
• Must complete a 100m run, 100m surf swim, 100m run within 5 minutes
• Must have completed a 200m swim in 5 minutes or less, in a swimming pool or over a measured open water course before any training starts in the surf.

Units covered are:

• Safety and Wellbeing
• Surf Awareness and Skills
• Anatomy and Physiology
• Basic First Aid
• Basic Resuscitation
• Communications
• Rescue Techniques
• Patrols

The Holiday Program  

The season kicks off with the Holiday Program in December each year. The focus in the Holiday Program is on instilling the children with the necessary skills, confidence and knowledge to enjoy the beach environment safely. The program covers the many activities associated with Surf Lifesaving as well as developing fitness, surf awareness and teamwork. Activities include beach running, flags, surf swimming and board paddling, all conducted in a fun, friendly and safe environment. The Holiday Program caters for all levels of skill and experience. Nippers just need to bring along their enthusiasm and energy!  

Nippers are split into two groups in the Holiday Program: 

Point Leo CUBS : the under 7s, under 8s, under 9s and under 10s

Point Leo LIONS : the under 11s, under 12s, under 13s, under 14s 

Session Times 

Nipper sessions for the 2010/2011 season will be advised closer to the season. Times for the groups are: 

CUBS: 8.50 am to 10.30 am. Each CUBS age group has 2 Surf Education rotations over the course of the program that will commence at 10.30am and finish at 11.00am. 

LIONS: 10.30 am to 12.30 pm 

The Point Leo Junior Handbook detailing all aspects and requirements of the program and activity schedule outlining the dates, times and activities will be available from the download section of this website closer to the season. 

Competition Training  

Competition training for the U13 and U14 age groups continues throughout the year with the Senior Squad. Details of training sessions are available for download from the website. Competition training for all Nipper age groups continues after the Holiday Program in February, every Sunday from 10.00am to 12.00 pm till the Westpac State Championships in March. This training program is open to all nippers participating in the Holiday Program and is designed for those Nippers who want to further their Life Saving skills and possess the competitive spirit. The key is commitment and therefore the expectation is that nipper competitors attend all Sunday sessions and compete in the carnivals listed in the Nipper Information Sheet and Fee Schedule for 2010/2011. The aim of training is to provide structured, practical and informative sessions in all areas of competition. 

Additional optional beach and water training sessions are offered midweek by club coaches in the lead up to the State Championships. These sessions are restricted to Nipper Lions (U10 to U14) due to water safety and supervision restrictions. 

The completion of the Junior Surf Education Certificate relevant to each age group is compulsory for all Under 8 to 13 age groups who want to compete. This program consists of:

• Safe aquatic environment awareness
• Personal safety
• Overview of general anatomy/the body
• Correct management and handling of injuries
• Assessment of emergency situations (DRACB)
• Rescue and resuscitation techniques
• Requesting and signalling for help

Parental Involvement 

The Point Leo Junior Program runs solely on volunteers, so the success of the program relies on parents getting involved. Point Leo SLSC has had overwhelming support here in the past but as nippers move on so do the parents. As a parent, being involved is rewarding. You don’t need any skills or experience to help. As our program caters to over 400 nippers it is expected that one parent from every family will assist in some way with the running of the program. Please email nippers@pointleoslsc.com.au with details of how you can assist this season and ensure you complete the ‘Parent Assistance Undertaking’ form when you enroll your children in the program. 

Cost

Please refer to the Fee Schedule on the download page for this year’s Nipper membership fee. There is a $30 joining fee for new members.

There is a Carnival Fee payable if nippers choose to compete. This fee is payable annually at the same time as the membership fee. Please refer to the Fee Schedule on the download page for this year’s fee. Full details regarding Junior competition will be available in 2010/2011 Junior Handbook.

Requirements