Nippers

About

At North Kirra SLSC we cater for children from age 5 to 14. Our 5 and 6 year olds have a special fun packed program known as ‘Flippers’. At age 7 they become Nippers and are able to compete in local surf carnivals if they wish.

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No matter what age your child is, it is not too late for your children to join us and learn new surf skills and have fun with their friends or make new friends. Our Nipper program runs on North Kirra Beach every Sunday from 845am to 1130am.

Our team of volunteer Age Managers and Assistants run the weekly program according to SLSQ guidelines with parental assistance essential – the program couldn’t be run without this volunteer assistance. It is a requirement that 1 parent/guardian from each family will take on a role, whether it is on the beach, on the BBQ or in one of the many other areas required. So please consider where you can help out when you enrol your children in nippers.

It is also a requirement that all children have 1 parent at the club/beach at the weekly sessions – children cannot just be dropped off.

At the start of the season we conduct our sign-ons on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane – these have been completed for Season 2023/2024. If you have missed these, you can arrange a proficiency swim yourself at a pool with an accredited coach – the form that needs to be completed is located below. We do take a break of approximately 4-5 weeks over the Christmas Holidays to allow everyone to enjoy their holidays and refresh for the 2nd half of the season.

The season calendar can be found at the bottom of this page.

Membership

NIPPER FAMILY RENEWAL INFORMATIONINFORMATION FOR NEW NIPPER FAMILY MEMBERSHIP

Renewing:

You need to renew your membership online before commencing nippers by visiting the SLS Portal.  As a Family Group, log in as the Primary User and renew all members of your family in one place. Please contact the Surf Club Office if you need assistance with renewing online. Each member over 18 years will be required to have a valid Blue Card and also have completed the online CYRM Induction and Child Safe Awareness Courses through the SLS Members Portal. This is an essential requirement for all nipper parents for the safety of our younger members and your membership cannot be finalised or your children start nippers until you have a Blue Card or have applied for one. New Members: At least 1 parent needs to join with their child. For families with more than 1 child, there is also a family membership which allows both parents to join with their children for a reasonable fee. All new members need to arrange their memberships online. You are invited to join by going to www.sls.com.au/join.  A Blue Card will also be required for all members over 18 years – all forms or the online submission process are contained in the Forms section below. All members over 18 years are also required to complete a CYRM Induction & Child Safe Awareness Course online. This must be completed through the SLS Members Portal. Supporters Club Membership: Your Surf Club membership includes Supporters Club membership for the season. All Surf Club members over 18 years must complete an online application to get their Supporters Club membership and card – this provides discounts and promotions to our Supporters Club. Follow the link below in the Forms section to complete this online process and your card will automatically processed once the completed form is received.

Nipper Sign Ons

All our pool swims have now been completed for Season 2023/2024 and our season commenced on 17th September, however it is not too late to still join. Get in contact with the club for further information.

Each joining child will need to complete a pool swim proficiency with an accredited person (eg. at a commercial swimming pool etc). There is a form to have completed which is located below in the forms section. All children must have completed a pool swim proficiency before participating in any beach activities.

Carnivals

There are various nipper carnivals throughout the season for various age groups.

As each carnival approaches, your Age Manager along with the Junior Activities Committee will communicate relevant information including eligibility, entry closing dates etc. Children must have completed all relevant proficiencies to be able to compete in carnivals. We also cannot enter nippers into carnivals without providing the appropriate number of officials, so parents, please consider becoming an official to assist with the club’s requirements. Here are the carnivals for the season: 4-5 November – Gold Coast City Titles 11 November – U8-U10 Teams 2 December – Little Mates 19-20 January – PDB Surf Rescue Champs 3 February – GC U11-U13s 9-11 February – Qld Surf Rescue Champs 24-25 February – PDB Youth Champs @ North Kirra *assistance req* 9 March – PDB U8-U10s 21-24 March – Qld Youth Champs 13-14 April – Aussies Youth Champs @ Sunshine Coast

Club Apparel

A full range of club apparel is available from the Club at the regular Sunday morning nipper sessions. The bare essential requirement is that each nipper must have a high-vis water rashie along with a club cap (colour dependent upon their age group). There is also a full selection of swimwear, shirts and more available. Please see our friendly uniform co-ordinators at the Club.