WELCOME TO THE 2024/25 NIPPER SEASON

WELCOME TO THE 2024/25 NIPPERS SEASON!

It’s that time of the year again! The weather is warming up, the sun is shining, the excitement is growing. Lots of stuff planned before season kick-off so here are some key dates and info for you. We can’t wait to get the season started!

 IT’S  MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL TIME

Firstly, if you are a returning member head to this link to renew your registration.

It would be super helpful if you can register by the end of Sept as knowing how many Nippers we will have on the beach helps with planning for the coming season.

MEET THE TEAM @ REGISTRATION DAY – Sunday 8th Sept – 2pm to 4pm @ NCCSLSC

If you’re new to the club, or you’ve got any questions about Nippers, whether it’s what the kids should wear, how carnivals work, what training schedules look like and how to get more involved in the club then we’ve love to see you at the Nippers Registration Day at the Club this Sunday (8th Sept).  Drop in anytime between 2pm and 4pm. We’ll fire up the BBQ, run some beach-based games (likely flags and relays) for the kiddos and you can come and meet the team. Nick Lawry, our Junior Activities Committee Director will do a welcome talk to give you a feel for what to expect for the season. See you there!

AGE MANAGERS DAY – Sunday 15th Sept 2pm to 4pm @ NCCSLSC

As always, many hands make light work, so we’d love you to join our amazing team of volunteers. There is an Age Manager Day for anyone interested in helping out this year. So come along to the Club House if you’re interested. Join our community and become an active part by helping out via water safety, age managers, age bosses or fronting up to be a BBQ master. If you’re interested, see you at the Club House on Sunday 15th Sept @ 2pm. We have vacancies in:

  •  Age Manger/ Boss Coordinator

This role involves providing info to the Age Mangers and Age Bosses each week to communicate with each age group. There is some email answering during the week, in case anyone has any questions, but it’s mostly being the friendly face of the Nippers in the tent on Sunday mornings, to help our Nipper families with any questions they might have.

  •  Seeking BBQ Masters

Calling all budding barbecue masters. We’d love your help this season, so don’t shy 😉 Pop your hand up and help us build memories for our kiddos on Sunday mornings  What is Nippers without a sausage sizzle on the way home? Please speak to your Age Manager or a member of the Junior Activities Committee (JAC) if you’re interested.

  •  Age Managers and Age Bosses 

We need Age Managers and Age Bosses each week to run our sessions for our Nippers. Age Managers plan and deliver the Nipper Program each week. The goal of an Age Manager is to create a fun, safe learning environment while developing future surf lifesavers through the building of knowledge, skills and confidence. Age Bosses mark off the roll, help round up the kids and transition them across various areas of the beach (for different activities) and act as a first port of call for parents and generally assist our Age Managers in running as smooth a session as possible.”

ANNUAL SURF SPORTS PRE-SEASON CAMP – 20th to 22nd Sept @  BLACKSMITH’S BEACH / SWANSEA

For those of you who fancy a trip to Blacksmith’s Beach in Swansea, our annual Surf Sports Pre-Season Camp is on 20th to 22nd Sept. This camp is for all competitors/potential competitors from U9-U13 – beach and water (but younger siblings are welcome too). If you are thinking your child could be interested in expanding their involvement in Nippers, this is an ideal opportunity to “test the waters” in a fun and supportive environment.

There will be a mixture of skills sessions, education sessions e.g nutrition, mental prep and team building. Sunday morning is a mini carnival style bit of fun before everyone goes home. Most families stay at the adjoining Blacksmiths Holiday Park – though this is not compulsory – and we all pitch in to make breakfast and lunch on the Saturday and Sunday.  It is best to arrive Friday night if you can as there is an early start on Saturday morning – but again, this is not compulsory. It’s a great way to kick off the seasoning. Get the kids back in the water again. Please Register your interest here. All welcome!

WATER SAFETY QUALIFICATIONS  

To qualify to help out with water safety, you’ll need to complete either your Surf Rescue Certificate (SRC) or your Bronze Medallion. You can register your interest here.

  • SRC Course – There is an intensive SRC course pencilled for the first week of the school holidays. You can register your interest here. And we will confirm dates shortly. For U14s and above, you will need your SRC to compete in carnivals this season, so this is a good opportunity to get it completed. We’ll also likely run an SRC course on Sunday mornings when the season officially commences. You can register your interest here.
  • Bronze Medallion – will have more info about Bronze Medallion Course dates at the Rego Day. Just firming up dates. In the meantime, you can register your interest here.

PRE-SEASON SWIM PROFICIENCY EVALUATION – SUNDAY 13th OCT @ AQUA CULTURE SWIM, BROOKVALE

The swim proficiency evaluation is for ALL U8s, U9s & anyone new to the club (excluding U6 and U7 Nippers). It will be held on Sunday 13th October at Aqua Culture Swim in Brookvale between 1pm and 3 pm. It doesn’t take long (not the full two hours) and you can come at any time between 1pm and 3pm. Directions to Aqua Culture Swim.

More info on what’s involved can be found here. There will be a second swim proficiency date at Aqua Culture Swim on Sunday 20th October at 1pm to 3pm. But please if you can, try and make the one on the 13th so we can start week 1 Nippers smoothly.

FIRST NIPPERS SESSION – SUNDAY 20TH OCT @ NCC BEACH

Our first Nippers session is on Sunday  20th of October. Yay!

UNIFORMS

Uniform information can be found here. Uniforms can be purchased online and picked up the first Nippers Sunday session on 20th Oct. So get in early and get it sorted to remove the last-minute scramble. A reminder U7s will continue to wear the green caps they did last year. U6 will be wearing yellow caps. And  U8s and above wear the club cap (yellow with two dark green lines)

JOIN WHATSAPP GROUPS FOR UP-TO-DATE COMMS

If you haven’t already done so, please join the WhatsApp group for your child’s age group. Ask your Age Managers/ Bosses or come along to our Rego Day on the 8th Sept 1pm to 3pm. It’s the best way to stay in touch with current happenings and cancellations/ changes. Will also keep Facebook updated so join here.

We’ve covered a lot, so will share more information about carnivals and training sessions  in our next newsletter.

Looking forward to a great season!

From the Junior Activities Committee (JAC)