December Nipper News
NORTH CURL CURL NIPPERS NEWS
Seasons greetings all! Can’t believe it’s that time of the year again! 2023 has flown by!
Christmas Nippers Session
We are looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow for our ‘Christmas Special’ Nippers sessions, the final one for 2023. There will be a visit from Santa and some treats for the kids so should be a fun filled day. The wonderfully generous bunch at Sun Bum have kindly donated over $8,000 worth of sunscreen for our little Nippers this Christmas.
We have 350 bottles of Sun Bum Original SPF 30 Sunscreen Spray for Santa to hand out! Not only is it Vegan and Reef Friendly, but it smells divine, just like summer. Thank you very much @sunbum
Uniform Shop
The uniform shop will be open tomorrow – 8:30am to 9:30am
Carnivals in the Holidays
First nippers back in 2024 will be the 21st of Jan, but there are a couple of carnivals for U9s and above if you can’t wait that long.
You can come to as many carnivals as you like, or opt out if it’s not for you, no problem. All you need is your NCCSLSC cap and pink vest that you wear to Nippers each week and an enthusiastic attitude. You can register your interest and pay the entry fee though the North Curl Curl SLSC website
If anyone fancies it on the 7th of Jan, there is a beach carnival at Narrabeen. Enter here by 27 Dec when entries close. The carnival program is still to be released, but events usually include a 1km run, sprints, flags and relays.
Then the following week, 14 Jan at Manly is the ‘Nipper Nats’ carnival (beach and surf events). Please register here if you’d like to come along – entries close 1 Jan 2024. The draft carnival program can be found here
Safety over the holidays
As we wrap up Nippers for 2023 and look to the holiday season, it is worthwhile reiterating some key messages to help keep your family safe when in and around the water this festive season.
In the 90 days from 1 Dec 2022 to 28 Feb 2023, there were 54 coastal drownings around Australia. All of those deaths occurred either at unpatrolled beaches, outside patrol hours or outside the red and yellow flags. 43% of these deaths occurred as result of rips, the number one coastal hazard in Australia (did you know that Australia has approximately 17,000 rips on any given day?) [Source: SLSA Summer Drowning Snapshot].
These statistics reinforce the importance of the key education messages we constantly communicate to our Nippers – swimming between the flags, identifying rips and understanding what to do if caught in a rip. These key messages will be emphasised again tomorrow and I’d urge you to have a conversation or conversations with your children, friends and broader family about these relatively simple but life saving topics. Be particularly mindful of overseas friends and family who may be unfamiliar with coastal conditions. You can visit here for important information and resources on rips to help you in your conversations.
I would also highly recommend downloading the Beachsafe App. This simple app will identify your nearest patrolled beach and provides detailed descriptions on the conditions you can expect to find on every beach across Australia. You can also easily check the tide, UV levels, wind and swell conditions, whether the beach is open and the hours the beach is patrolled.
A simple tool for remembering water safety messages is FLAGS:
F – Find the flags and swim between them
L – Look at the safety signs – they help identify potential hazards and daily beach conditions
A – Ask a lifesaver for advice
G – Get a friend to swim with you so you can look out for each other and get help if needed. Children always need to be supervised by an adult
S – Stick your hand up for help. If you get in trouble, stay calm and raise your arm to signal for help. Do NOT try to swim against a rip.
If you happen to be at a beach that is unpatrolled, BEFORE ENTERING THE WATER:
STOP – check where you are.
LOOK – for hazards including rips, large waves, rocks.
PLAN – have a plan to stay safe (e.g. having access to a board of some form)
Get involved as a Water Safety Team Member
If anyone is keen to get more involved in making Nippers happen each week, we are in need of more water safety team members. To become a water safety officer, you need to complete your Surf Rescue Certificate (SRC) or Bronze Medallion. There will be new courses kicking off in the new year. The bronze medallion course (for those 15 years and over) is a 6 week course that requires some theory and practical work including a timed swim. The SRC course (for those 13 years and over) is a similar structure but runs over a shorter time frame. Both qualifications also allow you to join a patrol and help the club keep our community safe over the summer. Please email education@nccslsc.com.au
Training Squads
The last green and yellow squad training session will be Thurs 14 Dec. Please check the NCC Surf Sports Competitors Family Page on Facebook and Yellow Squad WhatsApp groups to see when they kick-off again in the new year. Yellow Squad is mostly U9s and those new to carnivals and training. NCC Surf Sports Competitors Family Page covers beach and water training updates.
Additional Dates for the Diary
The North Curl Curl Charity Golf Day is on again in the New Year on 5 Jan at Warringah Golf Course. Join us for the exciting 4-Person Ambrose at Warringah Golf Club, just days away. Your $160 entry fee covers breakfast, lunch, and drinks. Seize the opportunity for golfing fun! Book your tickets today and come and take part in a great day.
Mark your calendars for the annual North Curl Curl Ladies Lunch to be held on Saturday 3 Feb. Details to be confirmed so check here for further details in the coming weeks.
Last but not least!
A huge THANK YOU to all the coaches, age managers, age bosses and parent helpers. They give up their time voluntarily each week, and we couldn’t run the Nippers Program without them, so please give them a big thank you on Sunday for their work this year.
Best wishes for the silly season! We hope it’s a blast and remember to stay safe on our beaches.
See you tomorrow!
JAC