SERIOUS FUN!
The fun of surf life saving starts from when you join as a nipper.If you’re thinking of introducing your child to surf life saving, then nippers is the best place to do it. Nippers is open to children from the age of 5 through to 13 years old.
Surf life saving is an amazing activity for growing a child’s confidence, knowledge and skills in the beach environment. Not only will your child have fun and meet new friends they will become part of an iconic organisation that has served the Australian community for over 100 years.
The juniors of today are the future of surf life saving and that is not lost on the thousands of Age Managers and support personnel that look after nippers every summer. Every club around Australia offers a nippers program, all with various styles and sizes.
Not only is nippers a fun way for your child to enjoy the beach in a safe environment, it also offers children an educational pathway through the delivery of the SLSA Junior Development Program. This program is designed to ensure children have fun at the beach while participating in lessons that will pathway them to becoming a fully rounded participant in both lifesaving and sport – we like to call it ‘Serious Fun’.
The following information can be found on this page:
Juniors 'Nippers' in surf life saving (A History)
Objectives for Junior Development in SLSA
The Junior Development Program
Junior Development Awards
Under 14's
How do I go about joining my child in nippers
Juniors ‘Nippers’ in surf life saving
In response to declining membership lists and deteriorating club life in the mid and late 1960’s, many clubs launched recruitment campaigns aimed at a new category of member, pre-adolescents known as ‘nippers’.
Clubs believed that nippers would graduate into active members and, with more sporting experience, improve their competitive profiles. Youth sections actually have a long history in the movement – Cottesloe recruited sub-juniors (juveniles) in the 1930’s and a number of clubs followed suit in the 1950’s – but the nipper program in the 1960’s was far more extensive and actively encouraged by senior SLSA officials.
These days junior activities continue to grow at such a rate that some clubs have even had to cap their numbers to be able to cope. The focus of juniors has changed over the last decade from what was a more competitive focus to more of a balance between lifesaving and competition.
Of SLSA’s almost 140,000 members, almost 50,000 are nippers (5-13 years). This equates to nearly 40% of our total membership and shows just how significant the junior movement is within surf life saving. The nippers of today are the future of surf life saving, and this is not lost on the thousands of volunteer Age Managers that provide support and instruction in junior programs during the summer.
Objectives for Junior Development in SLSA
To provide the best possible lifesaving experience for all juniors with the view to encouraging long-term active participation.
To provide opportunities for juniors to participate in and enjoy lifesaving and competition in an aquatic environment by offering a wide variety of activities suited to the skill and maturation levels of all juniors.
To ensure the juniors are safe on Australia’s beaches through the provision of surf safety education programs.
To develop a team based philosophy encompassing leadership, camaraderie, teamwork, and fun.
To promote social, emotional and physical growth and development in a healthy and safe environment.
The Junior Development Program
The content for the Junior Development Program is based around the topics of instruction from the SLSA Training Manual (used to train lifesavers for the Bronze Medallion) and the SLSA Junior Coaching Manual (used to coach Surf Sports Athletes) as well as a number of other important areas of surf lifesaving Education, Personal Safety and Responsibility.
The topics for the Junior Development Program comprise the following:
SLSA Training Manual
Physical Health & Fitness and Personal Safety
Surf Conditions and Hazards
The Human Body
First Aid
Resuscitation
Interpersonal Communication
Signs and Signals
Preventative Action
Patrolling
SLSA Junior Coaching Manual
Board Paddling
Surf Swimming
Beach Sprint
Beach Flags
Multi-discipline (Ironman/Ironwoman & Cameron Relay)
Education, Personal Safety and Responsibility
Introduction to Surf Life Saving
Personal Safety and Wellbeing
Ecosurf
Sun Safety
Surf Safety
Junior Development Awards
The Junior Development Program pathways knowledge and skills learning outcomes through lessons that are tailored to each of the age groups; ensuring the content is relevant, in line with lifesaving and surf sports most up to date training standards and most of all exciting! The program is based on participatory evaluation and not assessed on competence; this means your child must only be actively involved in each of the lessons to be eligible for the award. We believe this is the best way to introduce juniors to surf life saving where fun takes priority over being ‘tested’.
Below is a summary of each of the junior development awards:
Surf Play 1 & 2 (Under 6 & Under 7)
Surf Play is the program designed for the most junior members. There is no award for Surf Play – the focus is on play, participation and fun. Activities and games will be the focus of the sessions with a number of simple beach safety and awareness lessons available such as: basic safety practices during activities, what makes up a beach environment, sunsmart guidelines, the importance of having an adult with them at the beach, what a lifesaver is and what they do, wading, beach sprinting and beach flags.
For a summary of the learning outcomes for Surf Play 1 click here, Surf Play 2 click here.
Surf Aware 1 (Under 8)
Surf Aware 1 is the first of the junior development awards. The focus is on understanding, identifying and demonstrating sunsmart guidelines and dangers that relate to themselves, as well as what it means to feel safe. They learn to recognise whether they are, or someone else is, in an emergency situation and how to get help. Ecosurf discusses the beach environment and communities surf lifesavers operate in. Surf sports skills focus on; bodyboarding, wading, dolphin-diving, beach sprint starts and beach flags starts.
For a summary of the learning outcomes for Surf Aware 1 click here.
Surf Aware 2 (Under 9)
Surf Aware 2 builds on Surf Aware 1. Personal Safety Networks are introduced so participants are comfortable asking for help; Ecosurf talks about the impact surf lifesavers can have on the beach. Safety of self steps up a gear by introducing safety tips and the ability to identify hazardous surf conditions. As an U9, participants can begin to use a nipper board, so basic board positioning and paddling is introduced. Other surf sports skills focus on; body surfing, sand running technique and diving for a beach flag.
For a summary of the learning outcomes for Surf Aware 2 click here.
Surf Safe 1 (Under 10)
The first of the Surf Safe awards Surf Safe 1 begins to get a little more specific in its lessons introducing a number of new topics. Participants will identify adults at the surf clubs they can ask to help them, in Ecosurf they focus on water conservation and in sun safety the spotlight is on the consequences of skin damage. Participants learn about rips, recognising unsafe behaviours and relating these areas to preventative actions. Resuscitation is introduced for the first time with an opportunity to experience CPR on a manikin. Rescue techniques are also introduced for the first time as participants learn to use body boards to assist distressed swimmers and experience rescue tubes. Surf sports skills focus on; entering and negotiating the surf on a board and beach relay baton changes.
For a summary of the learning outcomes for Surf Safe 1 click here.
Surf Safe 2 (Under 11)
Surf Safe 2 takes a significant step up in the level of content. As U11’s they have the ability to learn more technical aspects of lifesaving and are able to be more physical in surf sports skills. Participants are encouraged to persist when needing help and Ecosurf gets into energy conservation. There is a strong focus on recognising ‘at risk’ people and recognising and managing patients suffering from a range of basic first aid cases. As a 10 year old participants can learn how to perform CPR and there is an opportunity to work towards a Resuscitation Certificate. There is also a strong section on communication both interpersonal and through beach signage. There is a significant percentage of surf sports skills which focus on; board dismounts, catching waves on a board, board relay, surf swimming techniques, crouching beach sprint starts and ironman/ironwoman and cameron relay transitions.
For a summary of the learning outcomes for Surf Safe 2 click here.
Surf Smart 1 (Under 12)
Surf Smart 1 continues similar to Surf Safe 2. Participants begin to learn about their rights and responsibilities as a member of SLSA, the Ecosurf lesson looks at how weather impacts on the beach environment. Personal health & wellbeing and sun safety is focused on skin cancer and staying fit and healthy respectively. The role of patrols is first introduced to this award as is the managing rips and using them to assist in rescues. As an 11 year old, participants can work towards a Basic Emergency Care Certificate (as well as a Resuscitation Certificate). This certificate comprises of lessons in the human body, complete basic first aid and resuscitation. Some more signals are introduced that compliment the first set previously learnt. Previous board skills come into play as participants learn how to conduct a board rescue. The focus of surf sports skills is to complete all the skills in each skill set and includes; rolling under a wave on a board, diving under large waves, beach sprint arm and leg drive and beach flags race strategies.
For a summary of the learning outcomes for Surf Smart 1 click here.
Surf Smart 2 (Under 13)
The last of the junior development awards, Surf Smart 2 looks to wrap up the skills and knowledge learnt in all the previous awards. Participants learn about what the SLSA Member Safety and Wellbeing Policy is, and in Ecosurf they tackle the issues of Global Warming and Climate Change and how they will impact on surf life saving. Surf Safety is wrapped up into the 10 Surf Safety Tips, Communication focuses on the importance of communicating with beach users, Patrols identifies other professional emergency services and participants will experience performing a tube rescue. Participants can work towards a Basic Emergency Care Certificate (as well as a Resuscitation Certificate). This certificate comprises of lessons in the human body, complete basic first aid and resuscitation. The focus of surf sports skills is on bringing all the skills learnt in previous awards together to participate in an event for each of the disciplines: board race, board rescue, surf race, run-swim-run, beach sprint, beach relay, beach flags, ironman/ironwoman and cameron relay.
For a summary of the learning outcomes for Surf Smart 2 click here.
Under 14's
The Under 14 age group is perhaps the most important age group for juniors. It is the last year of structured junior activities and the first where the junior can start to participate in regular surf lifesaving activities – patrols, open carnivals, etc.
A number of skills and knowledge lessons are provided through the structured junior development program that pathway towards the Surf Rescue Certificate (SRC). The SRC is the introductory award for patrolling surf lifesavers and allows the recipient to take part in beach patrols. A member must be 13 years of age to sit the examination for this award. Completion of this award is a minimum requirement for participation in surf sports competition as an Under 15 (and in some instances as an Under 14).
Most Under 14 members will complete this award as part of their regular junior activities. This might be done in a number of ways:
SRC training could take place during the regular junior activities time slot (eg. Sunday morning).
For those who turn 13 early in the year, training for the SRC (particularly the theory components) may take place in the winter ‘off-season’.
Clubs may choose to run SRC training in a similar fashion to other awards. Theory sessions may be run on a weeknight, with practical sessions run on the weekend either as part of the regular weekly activities or at another time.For more information on all the activities, programs and surf sports opportunities available to U14's in surf life saving click here.
How do I go about joining my child in nippers?
Joining nippers is easy. Just get in touch with your local surf life saving club – you can contact them by phone or just turn up at the surf club and ask to speak to someone regarding nippers. Click here to locate a club near you. We look forward to seeing you at the beach!
For further information on nippers please feel free to contact Shane Stewart @ SLSA on sstewart@slsa.asn.au or 02 9300 4085.
For further information: sstewart@slsa.asn.au
Page updated: August 2008