|
Junior Surf is the name we give to our junior lifeguard training
programs for children between 7-13yrs of age. This program
normally runs for about 4 weeks over the annual Christmas/New
Year holiday period. It is designed to teach the participants
water safety and beach skills in a fun friendly environment.
Junior Surf consists of two age group divisions:
- Nippers for children of 7-9 years of age
- Cadets for children of 10-13 years of age
The program is customised to suit the age groups of the participants.
A typical nipper program will include the following aspects
- Beach flags
- Beach relays/sprints
- Water activities - including Basic water safety for the
younger members leading on to basic boogie board use and
techinques
The cadet program is focused on more advanced skills and
preparing the participants to become qualified lifeguards
at some stage in the future. Cadets do do more work developing
their abilities to handle the ‘surf’ environment, develop
their confidence and general abilities in larger surf conditions.
The programme provides participants with the opportunity to
progress their training onto bigger knee/paddle boards, as
well as learning other basic skills such knots, first aid,
equipment care.
The JuniorSurf program relies heavily on parent support to
ensure that the safety of the children is maintained. Parents
can be asked to do anything on the beach - from setting up
the arenas to being an official. All necessary training is
provided on the day, or for the more committed the Pauanui
Surf Life Saving Club will pay course cost for parents or
other caregivers to attend Surf Life Saving Bay of Plenty
and Surf Life Saving New Zealand run training coaching courses.
The JuniorSurf program is overseen by a team of keen and
dedicated members forming the JuniorSurf committee. It is
the committee’s responsibility to ensure that the program
is providing for every need of the participants, making decisions
on how the season is going to run, working with the patrolling
lifeguards to ensure that the program is running in a safe
and responsible manner during the time on the beach. The committee
also co-ordinates the annual junior surf competition against
some of the other local junior surf clubs in the area. The
junior surf committee reports back into the general club executive
team.
|
