Swanny Woodside Nippers

Thanks to the partnership between Surf Life Saving WA and Woodside, all Nippers will receive their very own cap, hi vis vest, beach bag and hat. Kids MUST wear their cap and hi vis vest to every session – the caps and vests help our Age Group Managers and Water Safety team keep track of the kids. Both are crucial to the safe running of our program.

No cap, no hi vis vest = no participation

We will have a very limited number of spare caps and vests, so please ensure all your children bring their own each Sunday. All Nippers are encouraged to wear a long sleeve rashie during beach activities. Please also bring a water bottle and make sure your child is covered in sunscreen. Wetsuits are fine if your child feels the cold.

Club bathers and rashies are available from the Swanny clothing store. Any brand bathers and rashie can be worn but we find most kids like to wear the Swanny gear. Boardies, ill-fitting rashies and t-shirts are not suitable to wear during Woodside Nippers.

5 years old as at 30 September on the year of joining.

The type of activities your child will be involved in include water activities such as swimming or board paddling, beach activities such as sprints and flags, lifesaving education and fun water/beach games.

Set up, 8:30 am Many hands make light work. Whilst we advertise our Woodside Nipper sessions as starting at 9;00 am, we always appreciate having extra hands at the boatshed by 8:30 am to assist with getting the equipment down to the beach.

Water safety briefing, 8:45 am All parents assisting with water safety need to attend a Water Safety Briefing prior to each session. Our Water Safety Officer will run through the conditions on the day and highlight any potential risks and how these will be managed. This briefing ensures everyone is on the same page when it comes to keeping our kids safe in the water.

Session begins, 9:00 am All our Woodside Nippers must be signed in and out by a parent or guardian. Please do not put caps on until your child has been signed in.

Session ends, 10:00 am All our Woodside Nippers must be signed in and out by a parent or guardian. Once your child has been signed out, their cap must be removed and the children become your responsibility. If we can’t see you at the end of the session your child will not be able to leave. Every Sunday our Nippers enjoy improving their board paddling skills. If your Nipper has paddles a board please make sure they carry it back to the boatshed, wash it and place it back in the correct location. Our Age Group Managers are not the ones paddling, so it’s not fair that they are left to carry all the boards back.

Absolutely!

We can’t run Nippers without plenty of parent help. Every Nipper family must have at least one parent actively helping on a Sunday morning. For the younger groups (Under 6 and Under 7) this means getting wet up to your chest and acting as a marker for water activities.

For the older age groups (Under 10 to Under 13) one parent from each family will need to complete a simple Nipper Rescue Certificate, giving you the skills to provide basic water safety should a child need assistance. This Nipper Rescue Certificate course is easily completed by anyone with an average swimming ability. This course takes only an hour or so to complete, with a course scheduled for early in the season.

Upon completing this course you will be rostered on to a Nipper Water Safety patrol (called a Cygnet patrol) once a month. We find most parents are keen to get in the water every Sunday, which is greatly appreciated. Kids simply love having Mum or Dad helping with their group.

If you’re not a strong or confident swimmer we have plenty of other important tasks for you to help with – setting out flags, giving high fives as our Nippers cross the finish and helping keep the kids together as a group. There is a job for everyone so please speak to your Age Group Manager.

Also called Surf Sports, Surf Life Saving WA (SLSWA) run several Little Nipper (Under 8 and Under 9) and Nipper (Under 10 to Under 13) carnivals each season. These are held at various clubs in the metropolitan area and one Country Carnival each season.

Our Junior Competition Officer will email all Nipper parents prior to each carnival. Simply advise if your child wishes to participate. You’ll then receive any additional information relating to that carnival closer to the date.

Please note that parents help is always required at carnivals. Duties include marshalling competitors, recording names and general kid wrangling. Every surf club must provide one parent helper for every 10 Nippers competing. No parent helpers mean the kids can’t compete. Competing at SLSWA carnivals is purely optional and all Nipper carnival entry fees are paid for by parents.

Each season we have a great core group of kids who compete strongly across all disciplines at carnivals and the State Championships.

We have been incredibly fortunate to receive a lot of new soft boards and fibre glass boards thanks to SLSWA partners LotteryWest, AGL and Woodside. These boards and all Nipper equipment are to be used for official Nipper sessions only, ie Sunday morning sessions, Club training sessions and carnivals.

All equipment has a designated space in the boatshed and we appreciate your help in making sure boards are cleaned and stored properly after each use. If your child happens to damage a board, which can happen in the Swanny shorebreak, please tell their Age Group Manager or the Nipper Gear Officer.

Children of all ability and confidence are most welcome with Nippers placed in groups according to age not swimming ability. Prior to each season all our Nippers attend a ‘pool proficiency’ session at Claremont Pool so our Age Group Managers can get an understanding of individual swimming levels and our Water Safety team know who may need a little extra attention.

Below are the swimming tests that are conducted at the pool prior to the first beach session. Preliminary Evaluations are for club activities., Those wishing to compete in water based events at Surf Life Saving WA carnivals must also complete a Competition Evaluation.

Please follow the process for families on our How to Join page.