Lakes Entrance Surf Lifesaving Club has had a busy summer.
While life guards and lifesavers have been patrolling the local beaches, the club’s youngest members have also been competing in the water and on the sand.
On January 12 the local club held its nippers carnival with a huge contingent of local nippers battling it out with budding young
lifesavers from Seaspray and Woodside surf life saving clubs, with the support of a huge team of parents and support staff providing water safety.
The nippers compete in events such as:
BEACH
Beach sprints: Running over a distance up to 70m depending on the age group
Flags: Sprinting a short distance after lying on their stomach to compete for hoses in the sand.
Beach relays: Normally in groups of four, same as sprints.
WATER
Wade: Individual or teams event running in the water at about knee to waist deep.
Swim: Swimming a course/distance suitable for the age group.
Board: Paddling on a nipper board around a course or practise catching waves.
Iron nipper: Swim/run/board/run over a specified distance for the age group.
Cameron relay: Team event comprising of four members – one swimmer, two runners and one board.
Aqua Cameron: Teams of four (one runner, one wader, one swimmer, one boarder). Relay is wade, swim, board, a run leg between each water leg
Board rescue: Two-person event, one swimmer and one paddler. Patient swims to cans (buoys) and waves to the board paddler to rescue and both return to shore on the board.
Board relay: Teams of three complete a relay race around the cans.
Surf teams race: Team of four compete, same as individual swim race.
Tube rescue: Using a tube float device to perform a rescue.