Stuart Hamill Why should parents consider the Nippers for their kids?
Because it gives them reward for effort! The great thing about lifesaving is that there are so many different factors that come into it, the wind, the wave, they can trip over, not get a wave, but they can get a win and get reward for all of that effort they’re putting in. The other thing about it is that there are so many different things they can do. Maybe they aren’t a strong runner but are quick off the start, well, they can do flags – there are all sorts of different things they can do within the sport. They can get a win, and that encourages the kids to go on and work harder and keep trying at the sport. The kids of today don’t have the sort of environment we had as kids,
Commando
you know, we were out playing on the train-tracks. Kids today, for whatever reasons, are more protected, but the surf conditions are somewhere kids can gain a lot of self-esteem. Knowing that they can go out in the surf and catch a big wave is tremendous. That self-esteem will carry on to all sorts of other things, and they learn skills here that they would never have believed they were capable of. And all of a sudden that gives them the confidence to have a crack at other things in life. So that’s the big picture, the kids don’t realise that that’s what’s happening, but it’s all about giving them teams, giving them reward for effort. Kids love to compete, and they have to compete all their lives – compete for jobs, boyfriends, girlfriends – in the Nippers, we teach them how to compete properly, and we teach them early.
Stephanie McKie
‘I like going into the surf when we have carnivals and I love the swimming.’
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