Nippers

Have you already signed up to Nippers? Click here to go to the Nippers members page

Nippers at Clifton

As a Clifton Beach Nipper your child will be able to participate in a summer sport that provides excitement, challenges and hours of endless fun.

But Nippers is much more than a sport!

Through involvement in Nippers your child will undertake a surf education and surf skills development program which will not only equip them with skills useful in a range of water related activities but will also enable them to help with the safety of their friends, family and community members. Nippers make up a large part Clifton’s active membership.

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Who is nippers for?

Girls and Boys are welcomed into nippers and we cover age groups from U6 – U14. After this they can go through the Youth Development Program and into the seniors.

When is it?

Training is every Sunday morning. Training is usually followed by lunch from the canteen and some social time around the club, also ensuring that boards and equipment are washed and put away and change rooms are cleaned. We have a canteen that will be run by our families and you are actively encouraged to assist. The official commencement of the season is December 1st, however we have some training sessions prior to the opening of the season, first at the Clarence Pool then progress to Cremorne Beach and then Clifton Beach.

The first session will be:

5th November 2023 @ Clarence Pool

HOW LONG IS THE SEASON?

The 2023-24 season runs from November to March.

What they learn

Confidence in the water and the ability to read the surf to avoid dangerous conditions. Surf skills in the form of swimming and board activities as well as beach events such as beach flags and sprints. But we are not here to teach them to swim. They also learn the benefits of being in a team, working towards common goals, community consciousness and the value of volunteering and being part of a bigger picture.

Participation

The Nipper program is 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 surf awards. Further information can be found here.

Nippers also have the opportunity to engage in healthy competition at surf carnivals. This participation is highly encouraged as it further helps develop the skills children are learning. Carnivals are fun and inclusive, they cater for children of all abilities and skills. They also provide a fantastic way of interacting with children of the same age from other surf clubs. The big feature is that they are all part of the Clifton team and they do us proud both in competition and as representatives of the club when they when they pull on the Club Colours.

Parent Involvement

Parents are encouraged to participate in the beach activities and supervision of their children. We rely on parents to get involved and help run the Sunday mornings. You can assist by undertaking some of the accredited courses we offer:

Age Manager

Carnival Officials

Bronze Medallion

Or if the beach and water is just not your thing then we encourage you to:

Help out in the canteen
Assist around the Club

All parents assisting with the nipper program require a Working with Vulnerable People (children) Registration. Click here for more details.