Nurturing our junior surf lifesavers
Juniors ‘Nippers’ in surf life savingIn 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
Not only is nippers a fun way 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 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.
Surf Education 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’.
Use the links below for a summary of the learning outcomes for each of the Surf Education Awards:
Surf Play 1 (Under 6)*
Surf Play 2 (Under 7)*
Surf Aware 1 (Under 8)
Surf Aware 2 (Under 9)
Surf Safe 1 (Under 10)
Surf Safe 2 (Under 11)
Surf Smart 1 (Under 12)
Surf Smart 2 (Under 13)
* Not awards. Focus is on play, participation and fun.
How do I get involved 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