Tacking Point Junior Surf Life Saving Club will be holding the second of its Junior Registration days on Friday, September 16 at the Surf Club on Matthew Flinders Drive between 6.30pm — 7.30pm.
The night will also be an information night for prospective members to come down and see what opportunities Nippers offers for sport beach and water activities as well as skills development in first aid. Nippers caters for children of all abilities between the ages of five to 14
The Junior Club President, Linda Perkins, said, “The Club is looking forward to an exciting season building on the success of last season. Nippers is a sport that is all about participation and involvement ,with a mixture of learning and competition.
“Nippers is open to all children between the ages of five and 14 and is aimed at teaching skills on both the beach and in the water in a fun, supportive environment so that all participants can enjoy the beach and surf in a secure learning environment,” said Linda.
“Nippers starts on a Sunday morning at Lighthouse beach at 8.30am and usually runs for two to two-and-a-half hours.
“Members learn skills including surf swimming and identification of dangers, using boards and teamwork through to first aid, rescue skills and resuscitation. These are all skills that children living on the coast should know and are skills that will follow them through life,” continued Linda.
“We have a strong focus on education, with all members from the 11s and up able to complete recognised CPR and first aid courses
“We cater for children of all different skill levels, from those who are just starting, through to the serous competitor, with a focus on participation at club level.
“To encourage participation and safety, members and prospective members need to meet the following standards before they can do any water activities: U8: 25m pool swim (any stroke) — no time limit and 1minute float, U9 25m pool swim (any stroke) — no time limit and 1.1/2 minute float, U10: 25m pool swim (freestyle) — no time limit and 1.1/2 minute float, U11: 50m pool swim (freestyle) — 2 minute time limit and 2 minute float, U12: 100m pool swim (freestyle) — 2 minute time limit and 2 minute float, U13: 150m pool swim (freestyle) — 3 minute time limit and 3 minute float, U14: 200m pool swim (freestyle) — under 5 minutes and 3 minute float.
“We will hold our pool swim at the town pool on Saturday, September 17 at 10.00, with ocean swims to occur straight after the pool swims if surf conditions allow,” Linda said.
“During the season we will be providing training on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon in board paddling as well as a surf swimming squad on Saturdays. Planning is well progressed for a beach training session covering areas such as flags and sprints. The training sessions are segregated into skill sets so our members can develop their own skills before moving up into the next skill level training group,” said Linda.
“The club also has the high performance squad in training that is aimed at the more serious competitor or member aiming for that higher level of fitness
“All new or prospective members are invited to come along to our registration day or information night to find our more information about Nippers and our club or visit our website www.tackingpointslsc.org.”
