Nippers (8 to 13 years)
Our club’s Nipper section has over 80 children. As a Nipper your child will be taught surf safety, basic lifesaving skills, surf and beach sports (wading, surf swimming, boardpaddling, beach flags, beach sprints and relays). The emphasis is on fun in a friendly environment. During winter we also run lifesaving training sessions at local pools.
We encourage nippers to take part in the various competitions in which teams and individuals can participate – However no child is forced to compete. We will of course support any child who is willing to represent the club at competitions as best we can. The children also work towards various national surf safety awards, which include both sports and lifesaving elements.
The children are divided into groups according to ability and/or age. Sessions are organized by trainers and coaches and sessions are run by coaches. If you have any problems please speak to a member of the committee.
Nippers must be accompanied to and from the clubhouse session and signed in and out by a parent/ or responsible adult. Age 7ʼs must have a parent with them. Children will need to bring to each beach session:
- Water – swimming costume/trunks, a full-length warm wetsuit.
- Beach – shorts, T-shirt
- Holywwell Bay SLSC Club hats are used to identify members in the sea and must be worn during training sessions and competitions. The hats are red and green quartered.
During training sessions participants are under the supervision from the coaches and are expected to participate fully through out the training. It is also very important that everyone arrives before start time to allow the sessions to run effectively.
Running sessions for large groups of children requires effort and commitment by the adults involved. We encourage all nipper parents to help out during the sessions for two key reasons: safety and enjoyment.
We really do need extra help in the water to run effectively (yes parents that’s you!)
If you like to watch TV and sit looking at a mobile phone on a lovely sunny Saturday morning then maybe Nippers isn’t for you, but if you like to have fun, be outdoors in the sunshine and enjoying new things with your mates then Holywell is for you. It all starts here; Nippers start from the age of 7 and then graduate at the age of 13. During your time as a Nipper you will learn lots of new skills and our main aim is for you to be safe in the sea, respect it and enjoy it.
We encourage all our Nippers to take water-based skills qualifications. These not only help to gain confidence but also are required for SLSC competitions, which you may want to enter.
So what do we do? Well above all it’s about having fun while we train. You’ll learn how to use nipper boards (a soft foam board similar to a proper rescue board), how to swim out through the surf, body surf and work as a team with your new mates. As well as all the normal beach stuff other clubs may do, we at Holywell are pioneers when it comes to making a Saturday morning more fun than you can shake a stick at! Just some of the things we did just last year were regular marine nature talks including a talk on sharks, wwe explored our local nature reserve with the help of a Ranger, paddled the Gannel river for charity, cave explored, had a crab competition, a cake bake off, and made a giant water slide.
Yes you will get wet, yes you will do some running around, yes you will learn lots of skills you will take through life, yes you will make lots of new friends, yes mum or dad can (with a bit of help from us) can get involved and yes you will have a lot of fun!
Please Note: In Surf Life Saving the age groups are decided by the age you are in that calendar year (January 1st to December 31st); if you turn 8 in that year then you will be classed as an 8 year old.
