Junior Skills Evaluation

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JUNIOR SKILLS EVALUATION AND SURF EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

 

Many activities that nippers undergo are conducted in the water. To ensure that all nippers have a suitable swimming ability to allow them to participate in these activities, Surf Life Saving Australia has developed a Junior Preliminary Skills Assessment for each age group.

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Every nipper must participate in this evaluation, prior to participating in any water activity. The evaluation consists of a swim and a float which is progressively increased by age group and must be achieved before the nipper may undertake any water related activities.

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From the age of 8 (Under 9), juniors members can begin to compete in swimming and board events at junior carnivals.

To ensure that all juniors have the ability, strength and fitness required to complete the courses, they must pass the Competition Skills

Evaluation (S-Badge) specific for their age group as determined by Surf Life Saving Australia.

 

MLSC requires that all children participating in mid week board training have passed this evaluation.

These are two different assessments and one cannot be used to qualify a child for the other requirement.

 

Please Note: Being able to swim competently is an integral part of making children safe at the beach as well as allowing them to actively participate and enjoy surf life saving activities. The nippers program is not a “learn to swim” program.

We understand that not all children are strong swimmers and always provide adequate water safety during training.

 

Being confident in the open water is an important skill that will develop over a period of time.

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Your child’s pathway through the nippers program is summarised in the table below or PDF click here

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Under 6

Preliminary Assessment (Pool or Open Water) - Nil (shallow water activities only)

Competition Skills Evaluation (Surf/Open Water) - Not required

Junior Development Program Award - Surf Play One

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Under 7

Preliminary Assessment (Pool or Open Water) - Nil (shallow water activities only)

Competition Skills Evaluation (Surf/Open Water) - Not required

Junior Development Program Award - Surf Play Two

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Under 8 

Preliminary Assessment (Pool or Open Water) - 25 metre Swim (any stroke) + 1 minute survival float

Competition Skills Evaluation (Surf/Open Water) - Not required (no water competition, except for the wade which takes place in waist deep water)

Junior Development Program Award - Surf Aware One

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Under 9

Preliminary Assessment (Pool or Open Water) - 25 metre Swim (any stroke) + 1 minute survival float

Competition Skills Evaluation (Surf/Open Water) - 150 metre open water swim within 12 minutes (continuous freestyle).

Junior Development Program Award - Surf Aware Two

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Under 10

Preliminary Assessment (Pool or Open Water) - 50 metre Swim (freestyle/front crawl) + 1 ½ minute survival float

Competition Skills Evaluation (Surf/Open Water) - 150 metre open water swim within 11 minutes (continuous freestyle)

Junior Development Program Award - Surf Safe One

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Under 11

Preliminary Assessment (Pool or Open Water) - 50 metre Swim (freestyle/front crawl) + 2 minute survival float

Competition Skills Evaluation (Surf/Open Water) - 288 metre open water swim within 12 minutes (continuous freestyle)

Junior Development Program Award - Surf Safe Two

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Under 12

Preliminary Assessment (Pool or Open Water) - 100 metre Swim (freestyle/front crawl) + 2 minute survival float

Competition Skills Evaluation (Surf/Open Water) - 288 metre open water swim within 10 minutes (continuous freestyle)

Junior Development Program Award - Surf Smart One

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Under 13

Preliminary Assessment (Pool or Open Water) - 150 metre Swim (freestyle/front crawl) + 3 minute survival float

Competition Skills Evaluation (Surf/Open Water) - 288 metre open water swim within 9 minutes (continuous freestyle)

Junior Development Program Award - Surf Smart Two

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Under 14

Preliminary Assessment (Pool or Open Water) - 200 metre Swim (freestyle/front crawl within 5 minutes) + 3 minute survival float

Competition Skills Evaluation (Surf/Open Water) - 288 metre open water swim within 9 minutes (continuous freestyle)

Junior Development Program Award - Surf Rescue Certificate

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Notes:

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Every Junior member is required to participate in this evaluation, conducted by the club, prior to any junior water activity training or competition being undertaken each season.

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Any child that does not meet the required evaluation level will require a higher level of supervision when involved in water based activities at the discretion of the club.

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Competition Skills Evaluation is mandatory for U12-U14 to compete in ANY event and U9- U11 for water events only (excluding wade).

 

Continuous freestyle is deemed to be a continuous visible over arm swimming action with a scissor kick and face in water (with the exception of swimming when looking for buoys or landmarks). Stopping, breastroke or side stroke are NOT permitted.

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All junior members wishing to compete at the Victorian Junior Championships must complete the relevant Surf education award appropriate to their age group prior to close of entries.

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Junior Surf Education Awards

 

JUNIOR SURF EDUCATION AWARDS

The Junior Development Program pathway enhances knowledge and skills through planned learning outcomes that are tailored to each of the age groups. This ensures the content is relevant and in line with lifesaving and surf sports most up to date training standards and most of all exciting!

Nippers only need to be actively involved in the training to be eligible for an award. We believe this is the best way to introduce children to surf life saving where fun takes priority over being ‘tested’. There is a surf education award for each age group.

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The Surf Rescue Certificate (SRC) is the introductory award for patrolling members of the club. This is usually obtained as an U14 member and does require assessment which includes:

• Written or oral examination

• Performance of basic skills

• Simulation of rescue scenarios

• Below is a summary of each of the surf education awards.

 

Surf Play 1 & 2 (Under 6 & Under 7)

Surf Play focuses on play, participation and fun. Activities and games will be the main aim of sessions, with a number of simple beach safety and awareness lessons available such as: guidelines, the importance of having an adult with them at the beach, what a lifesaver is and what they do, wading, beach sprinting and beach flags.

 

Surf Aware 1 (Under 8)

Surf Aware 1 is all about understanding, identifying and demonstrating sun smart guidelines and dangers that relate to themselves, as well as what it means to feel safe. Nippers learn to recognise when they or someone else is, in an emergency situation and how to get help. Ecosurf discusses the beach environment and communities surf lifesavers operate in. Surf sports skills focus on; body-boarding, wading, dolphin-diving, beach sprint starts and beach flags starts.

 

Surf Aware 2 (Under 9)

Surf Aware 2 builds on Surf Aware 1. Personal safety networks are introduced so participants are comfortable asking for help. Ecosurf talks about the impact surf lifesavers can have on the beach. Safety of self steps up on a gear by introducing safety tips and the ability to identify hazardous surf conditions. As an U9, participants can begin to use a nipper board, so basic board positioning and paddling is introduced. Other surf sports skills focus on; body boarding, sand running technique and diving for a beach flag.

 

Surf Safe (Under 10)

The first of the Surf Safe Awards, Surf safe 1 begins to get a little more specific in its lessons introducing a number of new topics. Ecosurf focuses on water conservation and in sun safety; the spotlight is on the consequences of skin damage. Participants learn about rips, recognising unsafe behaviours and relating these areas to preventative actions. Resuscitation is introduced for the first time with an opportunity to experience CPR on a manikin. Rescue techniques are also introduced for the first time as participants learn to use the body boards to assist distressed swimmers and experience rescue tubes. Surf sports skills focus on; entering and negotiating the surf on a board and beach relay baton changes.

 

Surf Safe 2 (Under 11)

Surf Safe 2 takes a significant step up in the level of content. As U11’s they have the ability to learn more technical aspects of lifesaving and are able to be more physical in surf sports skills. Participants are encouraged to persist when needing help and Ecosurf gets into energy conservation. There is a strong focus on recognising ‘at risk’ people and recognising and managing patients suffering from a range of basic first aid cases. As a 10 year old, participants can learn how to perform CPR and there is an opportunity to work towards a Resuscitation Certificate. There is also a strong section on communication, both interpersonal and through beach signage. Surf Sports Skills focus on; board dismounts, catching waves on a board, board relay, surf swimming techniques, crouching beach sprints starts and ironman/iron women and aqua cameron relay transitions.

 

Surf Smart 1 (Under 12)

Surf Smart 1 continues similar to Surf Safe 2. Participants begin to learn about their rights and responsibilities as a member of SLSA. The Ecosurf lesson looks at how hot weather impacts on the beach environment. Personal health, wellbeing and sun safety is focused on skin cancer and staying fit and healthy respectively. The role of patrols is first introduced to this award as is the managing of rips and using them to assist in rescues. As an 11 year old, participants can work towards a Basic Emergency Care Certificate (as well as the Resuscitation Certificate). This certificate comprises of lessons in the human body, complete basic first aid and resuscitation. Some more signals are introduced that compliment the first set previously learnt. Board skills come into play as participants learn how to conduct a board recue. The focus of surf sports skills is to complete all the skills in each skill set and includes; rolling under waves on a board, diving under large waves, beach sprint arm and leg drive and beach flag race strategies.

 

Surf Smart 2 (Under 13)

The last of the junior development awards, Surf Smart 2 looks to wrap up the skills and knowledge learnt in all previous awards. Participants learn about what the SLSA Member Safety and Wellbeing Policy is, and in Ecosurf they tackle the issues of Global Warming and Climate Change and how they will impact on surf life saving. Surf safety is wrapped up into the 10 Surf Safety Tips, Communication focuses on the importance of communicating with beach users, patrols identifies other professional emergency services and participants will experience performing a tube rescue. Participants can work towards a Basic Emergency Care Certificate (as well as the Resuscitation Certificate). This certificate comprises of lessons in the human body, complete basic first aid and resuscitation. The focus of surf sports skills is on brining all the skills learnt in the previous awards together to participate in an event for each of the disciplines: board race, board rescue, surf race, run- swim-run, beach sprint, beach relay, beach flags, ironman/ iron woman and cameron relay.

 

Surf Rescue Certificate (Under 14)

When participants progress from the junior development awards and/or reach the age of 13 they are eligible to study for and gain their Surf Rescue Certificate. This extends their knowledge and skills developed to date to be ultimately qualified to participate in surf lifesaving patrols. Participants will usually continue to be involved in the nipper program during this year continuing to increase their surf sports skills whist enjoying the camaraderie and friendships they have developed throughout nippers. This provides them with the pathway to move into the senior ranks in the current and/or following season.

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