Tuesday, December 4, 2007

CATHY TRIP TO MOCAMBIQUE 4 DECEMBER 2007.

My trip to Mozambique

Day 1 – 04 December

Wake up at 3:15am – transfer is collecting at 4:15. Off the in dark we set off down the quiet road of Cape Town and head to the airport. After an unbelievable queue of over 300 people for the SAA check in counter we get whisked to the front as the plane is about to leave and we have been stranded in this never ending queue. With all that has been happening in South Africa with the airlines I must say I am not feeling 100% confident about this flight and the next 8 flights I still have to take in my journey.
A smooth flight and we arrive in Johannesburg – collect our luggage and head off to the International departures. As we arrive we notice that our flight has subsequently been cancelled. So we run to the counter to find out what is going on only to be told that we have been put on another flight that will go via Nelspruit. Checked in and ready to go I get myself a strong cup of coffee to try stay awake. Shortly after we are on the bus heading towards our plane. By passing all the bigger planes (as you find in the International side) we find our little plane amongst these monster, oversized planes. I think he must had definitely had grown quite a complex by his size amongst these larger big boys! Totally unfair and cruel I thought to subject him to the ridicule from the other planes. Anyway so we board our little 42 seater, propeller plane and get ready for take off. After three hours we reach Mozambique – flying over Vilanculous was quite a sight. You feel like you have seen this setting 100 times before but only in the movies. The scenery is so green and tropical with real thatch and reed made rondavals. It’s so basic and rural – so beautiful.



We head off to customs which is a tiny little room jam packed with all 42 passengers and officials squeezed in tight. Behind a glass panel is a very unpleasant and unfriendly Portuguese speaking black woman. She is in control and she makes sure that everyone who is in that room is very aware of this. Banging on the counter with her very important stamp she shouts at in Portuguese at the people in front of her and waves her hands around. Its quite a relief when you finally get out of this room and into the baggage collection room which adjoins this and is equally small. On a wooden bench you scramble to find your baggage amongst the rest. Finally we are through and are on our transfer to our first site inspection. Driving through Vilanculous is quite an adventure with the potholed roads and the complete culture shock of contrast from one house being brick and cement and the neighbor being thatch and reads.



After two site inspections we head off to Rio Azul. This is two hours north of Vilanculos. An hour drive on a hair raising road and then another on 35km stretch of beach. It is so incredible to watch these people on the beach as you drive along. Row after row of nets and ropes as the local fisherman are pulling out their catch for the day. The children (even toddlers) are far out splashing in the shallow sea. And on the other side of you there are the women who have dug out deep wholes to eventually find fresh water to wash their clothes and bathe in. The rain is pouring and we are in an open van with towels over us to try keep dry – not warm (it is always warm).

Its 7pm and we pull up to Rio Azul. The sun is almost set and we are able to just get a final glimpse of the red and blue sky before the sun goes to bed. The first thing I do is order a local beer – Laurentino. We sit and chat with the managers and enjoy dinner before heading off to bed. I am on these Malaria tablets which have no side effect on the average person but I seem to have had quite a reaction and find myself quite “high” after taking them for about an hour or so. So from here on out, every evening becomes stranger and stranger as my malaria tablets take effect.



Day 2 – 05 December

I wake up at 5am still groggy eyed I can’t figure out why I am awake, not until I hear the noise again that is. Right next to my window is a rooster who has taken it upon himself to make sure that everyone is awake. Then started the staff walking up and down by my window and around my patio. That’s it, I can’t sleep so I get up and go sit outside and enjoy the stillness of the water and the warmth of the weather. Slowly the others wake up and I go through for coffee. After a quick coffee we head off on the boat for a look around the area. What a great way to start your day.



Off we set back along the beach and off to our horse riding. We arrive and get saddled up. Heading off down the beach we ride on sand and in the sea, cantering and walking and enjoying being out in the open.



After our most enjoyable ride we head back to the airport for our flight to Benguerra Island. Now on an even smaller plane (12 seater) we set off on our 9minute flight. I am sitting right behind the pilot resting my feet on his chair. I couldn’t see a thing out as I didn’t have any window near me so when we landed I got quite a shock that we were already there. I hop out of the plane to trees all around me and I am standing on grass. I look behind the plane to see the runway which is literally a strip of open grass.



On our transfer, it is so hot and my pants are still wet and rolled up from the horse riding as there was just not enough time to change. I feel hot and sticky and generally feel unattractive. This is how we entered one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Azura – a new lodge that has recently opened. Still under a bit of construction with the spa and diving centre but everything was perfect. You walk into this pristine lodge and your view opens up to clear blue still sea. You immediately feel like you have left all your stresses at the door. We sit down and take in the moment as we check in and sip on our ice cold juice. Our rooms are equally stunning with your own pool (now I am used to getting my own plunge pool at the places I go to, but never a real sized pool!!).


After running to the sea and spending the afternoon swimming we head off to the dhow and enjoy a sundowner cruise followed by a bonfire dinner on the beach.



Day 3 – 06 December

The next morning we enjoy champagne breakfast on the beach and enjoy lazing in our pools (the tide is quite far out and too shallow to swim in) before heading off to Benguerra Lodge where we will enjoy the next two nights.



Benguerra Lodge is situated only a 2km down the beach but such a different feel and atmosphere. You can see the one lodge when at the other but the bay and the beach is so completely different. After a quick check in and bags down we meet at the Dhow bar and enjoy a GnT. A quick shower and then off to dinner. Benguerra Lodge is in a Moroccan style so the staff at dinner where turbans and the dinner settings have all a Moroccan feel to it.



Day 4 – 07 December

An early wake up and we head off to the dive centre. Two of the girls have dived before and the other two of us have not. So in two boats we head, us going to snorkel and them going to dive. The water was quite choppy and our boat spent more time flying in the air than running on the sea. 45minutes later and we are far out to sea and there is nothing around us but our friends in the distance. Two Mile Reef is where we explored the seas and saw some of the most incredible sea creatures and plants I have ever seen. The colours where incredible and the experience of it was even better. After about an hour we got back on the boat. Unfortunately my snorkel partner’s tummy had had quite enough of the sea. The whole way back she spent hanging over the boat white as a ghost and getting rid of what ever was in her tummy. On the way back we stopped off at Pansie Island which is literally a big sand dune in the middle of the ocean which is covered with shells but especially Pansie shells. The most perfect shaped Pansie shells I have ever seen. After a quick run onto the island I run back to the boat where my friend is now wrapped in a blanket and lying curled up on the boat. So we head off back but not before three dolphins decide to pop up right next to our boat. As we cruise along the water they swim with us. They were so close I could almost touch them. Completely thrilled by my morning experiences we rush back as we are late for another site inspection.

After our inspection the four of us get together and chat about our morning. The divers didn’t seem to have such good visibility and didn’t see much at all. The one girl on top of it all was unable to equalize and had to go back to the boat. So their morning was not as great. This afternoon we relax and enjoy having nothing more to do. That evening we enjoy our dinner and head off to bed.

Day 5 – 08 December

Wake up, breakfast and get packed. After another swim in the sea, dip in our now plunge pool and a quick tan we meet at the lounge area for our transfer back to the airstrip. After waiting for quite some time we find out that 5minutes flight away the rain is pouring and our plane can’t take off. This is something we find is quite normal – the islands are so close to each other but have such different weather patterns; while we were tanning the other island was experiencing heavy downfalls. After a slightly late take off we head off to Bazarruto Island. Five minute flight from our airstrip to Indigo Bay’s airstrip. We land and drop off passengers but find out that although we are on the island we want to be we are not getting off here. We have to fly back to Vilanculos (10minutes) collect other passengers, refuel and then head back to Bazerutto Island but now to the Bazerutto airstrip. Half hour later and we are back at Bazarruto and getting on to our rather interesting transfer to the lodge.



We arrive and the rain is pouring down. We run around with towels over our heads as we run from room to room to inspect this lodge. Back in our rooms we have a hot shower and head off to the bar. A bottle of wine is certain to make this day better. This lodge is very basic (but very expensive and not worth the money!) and is targeted solely to South Africans. There was a French couple there who I felt so sorry for and really felt like packing in my bag and rescuing them when we left. At the bar there are 3 men (heavy Afrikaans) getting rather intoxicated by there drinks and speaking very loudly about the four British girls (they thought we were British). I pop to the bar to order the wine and next to me these men are bargaining me off amongst themselves in Afrikaans. I ignore it as I feel it is completely above me to worry myself with such behavior. After a while the one guy asks me where I am from, I tell him in my rich South Africa accent that I am from Cape Town. Well that was that from them, shocked big eyes and jaw dropping mouths they turned lobster red and sheepishly walk away. After a shocking dinner we head back to bed but not before noticing that these three men are the last ones left at the bar and are now completely inebriated. This would not be a problem if they were not our pilots that were going to be flying us the next morning.



Day 6 – 09 December

Wake up to heavy rains and feeling pretty miserable in this horrible place. We all gather together and make a plan to try get out of this lodge as soon as possible. But the rains are too heavy and the vehicle cant get through the mud so we have to wait for the rain to subside before they fly us to Indigo Bay (remember on the same Island – a mere 5minute flight). An hour later and the rain has cleared so we get ready for our flight. I look out to the sea but see nothing but sand. At this lodge during high tide the sea comes right up however during low tide the water goes out 5km, so as far as you can see there are only sand banks. It’s quite something and not something that can be truly understood until ones actually sees it for themselves. Off on our tractor we head to the airstrip. Our pilots now with sun glasses on (clearly still feeling the effects of the alcohol) and not acting my better. Five minutes later we arrive at Indigo Bay. What a difference, actually completely different from everywhere else we have been staying. This is a large resort which has about 100 rooms and two pools and tennis courts and on and on. It was just so big!! After our inspection, which you can imagine took about two hours, it’s already quite late. So we enjoy a swim in the pool, cocktails on the deck and head back to our room before enjoying dinner. This is our last night and I think we are all feeling mixed about going home or staying longer. All enjoying our time away but also ready to be in our own beds again.



Day 7 – 10 December

Wake up again to more rain. Feeling dampened by all the rain in the past few days and the humidity really high I think we are all pretty keen say goodbye to this island. After a very scrumptious breakfast with everything you can imagine we get packed and washed and ready to head home. 11o’clock we head off for our flight home. Our quick flight to Vilanculous and we set off on our bigger propeller plane back to Johannesburg. Change flights and off to Domestic departures. On to our SAA plane again and head back home. Our flight arrived in Cape Town at 10pm. Another long day of flying but we are home, I take my medication and set off on my wave to sleep.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

NIPPERS SUMMERSTRAND 2007

SUMMERSTRAND NIPPERS
MEETING OF SUNDAY 16th SEPTEMBER 2007.
11.00am at the Summerstrand Life Saving Clubhouse.

The first practice session is scheduled for Sunday 30 September at 11.00am.

Present
Clint and Claire Meintjies
Warren Collier
Shirley Naude (Tuck Shop)
Liese Pienaar (Assistant Coach for U14’s)
Peter Giddy

Marketing Progress:
Peter to distribute notices to Schools
Peter & Hannes to approach School Coaches for specialists.

EC Champs
This was allocated to Plett. Warren to approach Marcelle to allocate this to Summerstrand for the weekend of 26/27 January 2008. Plett hosted EC Champs last year.

Subscriptions for 2007-2008.
This was not finalised as Claire had to do Baby Sitting Duties.
Here is Claire’s suggestion:
Last years subs (unchanged from the year before)
- First Nipper per family: R300.00 for the season
- The second Nipper: R250.00 for the season
- The third and other Nippers: R200.00 for the season
- First micro-Nipper per family: R150.00 for the season
- Other micro-Nippers per family: R100.00 for the season
I propose as follows:
- First Nipper per family: R350.00 for the season
- The second Nipper: R300.00 for the season
- The third and other Nippers: R250.00 for the season
- First micro-Nipper per family: R150.00 for the season
- Other micro-Nippers per family: R100.00 for the season
...leaving the micro nippers unchanged.
I know some of the % increases are quite hefty, but our nippers get a lot out of us! and I do not think the amount is unreasonable (also our lack of a major sponsor this year will mean we are unable to be as generous as we have over the past two years!) . We could be in a position to allow parents to pay this amount over two months (End Oct & end Nov), but my aim for the current season is to pre invoice the subs (to the existing nipper base) and the request is that settled by the end of November! This will give us a good indication of where we are financially before we head into the new year.

We debated whether the second Nipper should be less: Say R200 to ease the hardship for families with two and more children.

Tuck Shop.
Shirley Naude has offered to fill this portfolio with assistance from other available parents.

Sponsorship Progress & Craft
Peter handed out two request letters that Donald had designed. Peter to email copies of these letters to parents. All committee members and parents should use these letters to try to obtain sponsorships.

Stocktaking:
Clint and Warren will be marking and counting stock (craft, clothing etc) on Monday 24th September from 09.00am. Parents are invited to spend an hour or two to give them a helping hand.

New rule regarding parent assistance at local carnivals:
There is a rule that says that people assisting at Carnivals must be certified in some way. Warren will discuss with Marcelle as this may be over restrictive.
We debated the need for a number of officials at carnivals. Anthony Cox normally does all the work while there are a number of established members who are certified to run events.

Communication:
Most communication will be by means of emails.
Rob Ermes will investigate an SMS system for urgent communications regarding surf conditions etc.

Next Meeting will be at about 13.15 on Sunday 30th September 2007.

SUMMERSTRAND NIPPERS
MEETING OF SUNDAY 30th SEPTEMBER 2007.
13.00pm at the Summerstrand Life Saving Clubhouse.

Present:
Peter
Warren
Charles
Claire
Clint
Keith

We discussed the composition of the committee:
Chairman: Warren Collier
Vice-Chairman: Clint Meintjies
Secretary: Peter Giddy
Treasurer: Claire Meintjies
Tuckshop & Clothing: Shirley Naude, Claire Meintjies & Charmaine
100 Club: Claire Meintjies and Lee Collier
Chief Coach: Donald Mc Gillivray
Assistant to Chief Coach: Varrin Karp
Equipment Master: Warren Collier and Clint Meintjies
Liaison Officer: Deon Engelke
Marketing & PRO: Peter Giddy & Donald McGillivray.

As you can see from this list there are a few people doing a number of tasks. Parents are encouraged to participate and make themselves available for a portfolio.

Coaching:
U10: Hannes Zeelie; Alex Odendaal; Deon Engelke
U12: Varrin Karp; Peter Giddy; Roger Fraser.
U14:Donald McGillivray; Charles DuToit; Liese Pienaar; Clint Meintjies
Micro Nippers still needs a Parent or a coach to champion this group.

Coaching assistance is also required and parents are urged to participate.

We had a successful first day of Nippers: While it had rained and was overcast, It was still school holidays and the Triathlon took place at Summerstrand we still had 20 to 30 Nippers at practice.

Welcome to New Nippers: Marcelle & Imke joined the <12 group and Adrian joined Micro Nippers. Melanie had joined last season but signed up officially today.

We still have no sponsor for the new season. We have a sponsor request letter for either the Hurricane Boards or for the National Competition.

Subscription for the new season:
First Nipper: R350.00
Second Nipper in the family: R250.00
Third Nipper in the family: R150.00
Micro Nippers: No Charge.
Parents who are going to struggle to pay this amount are encouraged to discuss this with a committee member.

Next Nippers practice will take place on Sunday 7th October 2007. This will be an open day for any interested new nippers. Please consider this to be a personal invitation: Nippers practice will be followed with a Bring & Braai. Clint will provide Fires. We plan to watch South Africa play Fiji in what should be a really tough game in the Quarter Finals.

We have not yet received a program of Carnivals but provisionally the Summerstrand Carnival is scheduled for Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd February 2008. Please diarise this date. This will be the East Cape Nippers Champs. If you have any clashes with other events; please let us know. There will be other carnivals scheduled for early in the season. All Nippers should be at practice next weekend.


8 October 2007

TO: THE CHAIRMAN, CLUB CAPTAIN & SECRETARY : ALL CLUBS
JUDGES AND LEARNER JUDGES : EASTERN CAPE SLA
FOR INFO: THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE : EASTERN CAPE SLA
THE BEACH MANAGER : NMMM

PROVISIONAL COMPETITION PROGRAMME – 2007-2008 SURF LIFESAVING SEASON

Included, please find the Provisional Competition Programme for the 2007-2008 surf lifesaving season.

Judges wishing to officiate at the 2008 Surf Nationals in Cape Town and Nipper Nationals in Port Elizabeth are expected to officiate at the 25 Persons Inter Club Team Challenge, East Cape Champs and East Cape Nipper Champs if you wish to be considered for Nationals.

CLUB COSTUMES AND SKULL CAPS ARE COMPULSORY

Please note the following, especially the cut-off dates for the various examinations for both Nippers and Juniors/Seniors and there will be no exceptions to the rules this season:

1. Event rules are as per the Competition Handbook of Lifesaving SA and the relevant Competition Circulars distributed by Lifesaving SA from time to time.
2. A Retest is required for all competitions as of 1 December 2007 which is after the LSA Retest cut-off date of 30 November 2007.
3. The 30 Hours Voluntary Duty for East Cape Champs and Surf Nationals is calculated from 1 February 2007 to 31 January 2008.
4. Clubs must also ensure that those Junior members holding the Junior Lifeguard Award whom have turned 16, would now require the Lifeguard Award in order to compete.

PLEASE NOTE THE CUT-OFF DATES FOR THE VARIOUS EXAMINATIONS

5. Cut-off date for Nipper Examinations to compete at East Cape Nipper Champs is Sunday,
10 February 2008.
6. Cut-off date for Nipper Examinations to compete at S A Nipper Nationals is 28 February 2008.
7. Cut-off date for Junior/Senior Examinations to compete at East Cape Champs is Sunday, 13 January 2008.
8. Cut-off date for Junior/Senior Examinations to compete at Surf Nationals is 31 January 2008.

Please note that the cut-off dates for examinations for Nippers and Juniors/Seniors for the National Championships are set by National Council. However, should National Council amend the dates as detailed in clauses 6 and 8 above, the amended dates would become applicable.

9. Please note that as per the Competition Handbook, members are obliged to complete their voluntary duty hours for the Club that they intend competing for.




10. Host Clubs are responsible for all equipment, first aid and a duty squad to host a competition, including nipper carnivals, with the exception of all administration requirements and officials which is the responsibility of East Cape and will thus be arranged by East Cape.

Host Clubs are to ensure that the competition arena is demarcated to the water’s edge and a designated marshalling area is erected for East Cape Champs and East Cape Nipper Champs.

As per the Minutes of the Competition Meeting held on 21 August 2007, it was agreed that no further Nipper Carnival will take place without the assistance of qualified Judges. Therefore, any Club wishing to compete at a Nipper Carnival or East Cape Nipper Champs must supply a minimum of one (1) qualified Judge and one (1) Learner Judge, failing which, the Club will not be permitted to enter that specific carnival.

We would therefore appreciate it if Clubs could submit the names of a minimum of two (2) persons who would like to qualify as a Judge, to the East Cape Office, by no later than Monday, 22 October 2007. A full judges course will be conducted by the Competition Officer, together with the assistance of some qualified judges.

11. All Nipper Carnivals will be scheduled at King’s Beach excepting those hosted by Plett which will be held at Central Beach, Plettenburg Bay i.e. Plett Carnival and East Cape Nipper Champs.
12. The nipper levy of R10.00 is payable per competitor to East Cape and East Cape will pay expenses to King’s Beach and refund the host club. Please ensure that you have your competitors lists with members numbers which are to be submitted for every carnival.

Numbers allocated from previous are as follows:

Bluewater Bay 2000 upwards
East London 4000 upwards
Mossel Bay 7000 upwards
Plett 5000 upwards
Sardinia Bay 1000 upwards
Seagulls 6000 upwards
Summerstrand 3000 upwards

13. Further rules and regulations will be circulated with event entry forms.


Kindest regards

(Electronic Correspondence : unsigned)

ANT COCKS
COMPETITION OFFICER


Encl. 2




EASTERN CAPE SURF LIFESAVING ASSOCIATION
PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME OF EVENTS – 2007-2008 SURF LIFESAVING SEASON

DAY, DATE
AND MONTH

EVENT DETAILS

TIME
HOST
CLUB

BEACH
OCTOBER 2007

Sunday, 28 October 2007
Nipper Carnival (Managers Meeting 07h30)
08h00
Sardinia Bay
King’s Beach
NOVEMBER 2007

Saturday, 24 November 2007
Nipper Carnival (Managers Meeting 11h00)
12h00
Plett
Central Beach
Sunday, 25 November 2007
Nipper Carnival
07h30
Plett
Central Beach
Sunday, 25 November 2007
Ultra Lifesaving Event (Refer to Rules attached)
TBA
TBA

DECEMBER 2007

Saturday, 8 December 2007
25 Persons Inter Club Team Challenge
(Managers Meeting 10h00)
10h30
Summerstrand
Pollak Beach
JANUARY 2008

Sunday, 20 January 2008
Nipper Carnival (Managers Meeting 07h30)
08h00
Sardinia Bay/Summerstrand
King’s Beach
Saturday, 26 January 2008
East Cape Masters Champs
15h00
Summerstrand
Pollak Beach
FEBRUARY 2008

Saturday/Sunday, 2/3 February 2008
East Cape Junior/Senior Champs (Managers Meeting 11h00)
12h00
East London
Nahoon Beach
Sunday, 10 February 2008
Nipper Carnival (Managers Meeting 07h30)
08h00
Bluewater Bay
King’s Beach
Sunday, 17 February 2008
Redhouse River Mile
T.B.A.
EPASA
Redhouse
MARCH 2008

Saturday/Sunday, 1/2 March 2008
East Cape Nipper Champs (Managers Meeting 11h00)
12h00
Plett
Central Beach
Sunday, 2 March 2008
East Cape Nipper Champs
07h30
Plett
Central Beach
Wednesday – Saturday, 12-15 March 2008
Surf Inter Provincials, Junior, Senior Surf Nationals
TBA
TBA (Western Province)
TBA
Saturday, 22 March 2008
Reel Alarm Challenge
13h00
East Cape
Hobie Beach
APRIL 2008

Friday – Sunday, 4 – 6 April 2008
Nipper Inter Provincials and Nipper Nationals
TBA
TBA
King’s Beach
Circulated: 9 October 2007

EAST CAPE ULTRA : RULES AND REGULATIONS

General
All the rules in the LIFESAVING SA – COMPETITION MANUAL shall apply.

This is a competition consisting of 3 individual races. A Swim Race, a Board Race and a Ski Race.

Competitors may enter either 1, 2 or all 3 Races.

Competitors who enter all 3 races will qualify for the ULTRA IRONMAN/WOMAN title.

The winner of the ULTRA IRONMAN/WOMAN title will be calculated by the competitor who has the lowest combined time of all 3 races.

Only qualified Juniors and Seniors will be allowed to enter this competition.

Conditions of racing are as generally required for events as stipulated for each individual discipline in the LIFESAVING SA – COMPETITION MANUAL with differences as detailed in these rules.

The Course
The course shall be as set out below.

The Procedure
The order of racing shall be fixed. SWIM, BOARD, SKI.

Swim Course – The swim race is conducted from the start line between 2 green flags on Hobie Beach, around a buoy from right to left placed off Hobie Beach. Competitors shall then proceed seaward side of all Rocks, Piers and Pylons around a buoy from right to left placed off Humewood Beach and finish between the 2 red flags on Humewood Beach.

The Board Race will start 20 minutes after the first competitor crosses the finish line of the Swim Race.

Board Course – The board race is conducted from the start line between 2 green flags on Hobie Beach, around a buoy from right to left placed off Hobie Beach. Competitors shall then proceed seaward side of all Rocks, Piers and Pylons around a buoy from right to left placed off Humewood Beach return back around the buoy from right to left placed off Hobie Beach once again keeping seaward side of all Rocks, Piers and Pylons and finish between the 2 red finish flags on Hobie Beach.

The Ski Race will start 15 minutes after the first competitor crosses the finish line of the Board Race.

The Ski Course - The ski race is conducted from the start line between 2 green flags on Hobie Beach, around a buoy from right to left placed off Hobie Beach. Competitors shall then proceed seaward side of all Rocks, Piers and Pylons around a bouy from right to left placed off Humewood Beach. Keeping seaward side of all Rocks, Piers and Pylons competitors shall then proceed around BIRD ROCK from right to left and return back around a buoy from left to right placed off Hobie Beach and finish between the 2 red flags on Hobie Beach.

Disqualifications
All applicable paragraphs from General Conditions
All applicable paragraphs from Swim, and Craft events
Competitors not completing the course as described.

(P-J. Duffy)

East Cape Nippers Event

Please accept this application for the hosting of the Easter Cape Nippers Championships from Summerstrand Nippers.

Our proposed dates are: Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd of February 2008.

Accommodation:
Port Elizabeth has adequate accommodation. While we do not, at this stage have a list of venues and prices, the experience of 2006 and 2007 Nippers Nationals should be adequate until such a list can be drawn up.

Budget
This will be submitted once our application has been accepted.

Summerstrand Nippers


C E R T I F I C A T E O F D E C L A R A T I O N


TO: The Provincial Competition Officer
Eastern Cape Surf Lifesaving Association
P.O. Box 22758
Port Elizabeth


2007 EAST CAPE NIPPER CHAMPIONSHIPS

Club: .SUMMERSTRAND........ SLC

Please find attached hereto the abovementioned Club’s Entry Form A duly completed in accordance with the requirements of the attached correspondence for entries into the 2007 East Cape Nipper Championships.

I certify that the membership categories of all members listed on the Entry Form A is correct. They have successfully completed the necessary award for their respective Age Group.

I further certify that all competitors entered in their respective “Age” events comply with the minimum age requirement on or before 30th September 2006.


Team Manager is:

NAME: Peter Giddy

AGE GROUP
Under

……ten…

ADDRESS: 23 mill Park Road............................................................................
Port Elizabeth............................................................................
............................................................................

e-mail: pgiddy@hinet.co.za…………………

(

Bus: ( 082 550 3174 )

Home: ( 0413748191 )

Cell:

ENTRY FEES
No. of competitors entered as per Form A = ......15 x R35.00 each = R525.00
Cheque to be made payable to Eastern Cape Surf Lifesaving.


I certify that I have read the information contained herein and am fully aware of my responsibilities to my Club and the Eastern Cape Surf Lifesaving Association.


NAME: ...........Peter Giddy.................................................... SIGNATURE: .........Peter Giddy.......................

POSITION IN CLUB: ...Coach.............................. DATE: ..............28.02.2007.......



FORM A
EAST CAPE NIPPER CHAMPS 10/11 MARCH 2007


NAME OF CLUB: .....Summerstrand………. SLC

BOYS AND GIRLS: AGE GROUP – Under 10

Please list the names of competitors in this Age Group in ALPHABETICAL ORDER
i.e. Surname First – Girls to be marked with an asterisk (*) before and after their name.



NAME (Surname First)
UNIQUE
NUMBER
DATE OF BIRTH
HIGHEST
AWARD
DATE
OF AWARD
1
*Engleke Jamie Lee*
3017
5.1.98
Level one
22.1.2006.
2
*Van Greunen Kim*
3002
1.8.97
Level one
23.10.2006.
3
*Odendaal Lara*
3078
28.10.97
Level one
22.1.2006.
4
Millard Maurice
3009
18.3.97
Level one
23.10.2005.
5
Hodgson Kei
3066
17.2.98
Level one
15.10.2006.
6
*Derry Meghan*
3082
7.3.97
Level one
19.11.2006.
7
Wilson Matthew did not pitch
3083
21.12.97
Level one
21.2.2006.
8
Koen Tristan
3018
27.7.97
Level one
15.2.2006.
9
Fraser Christian
3073
19.11.96
Level one
5.12.2004.
10
*Giddy Ally*
3072
7.8.97
Level one
23.10.2005.
11
Mc Gillivray Matthew
3008
26.3.97
Level one
28.3.2005.
12
*Browning Marie*
3011
8.6.98
Level one
15.10.2006.
13
Hepburn Matthew
3022
15.6.98
Level one
22.10.2006.
14
Jonathan Naude
3003
10.04.1997
Level one
31.1.2007.
15
*Amber Zeelie*
3006
25.05.1998
Level one
22.10.2006.
16























































































































Please use additional form if you have more than 35 competitors
in an Age Group.


FORM A
UNDER 10
EAST CAPE NIPPER CHAMPIONSHIPS – 10/11 MARCH 2007

Name of Club: …………………………………………………………………..

T A P L I N R E L A Y - UNDER 10

TEAM
COMPETITOR NO. 1
COMPETITOR NO. 2
COMPETITOR NO. 3
COMPETITOR NO. 4
A
Matthew McGillivray
*Lara Odendaal*
*Ally Giddy
Tristan Koen
B
Christian Fraser
*Jamie Lee Engelke*
Maurice Millard
Matthew Hepburn
C
Matthew Wilson
*Kim van Greunen*
Kei Hodgson
*Marie Browning*

B E A C H R E L A Y - UNDER 10

TEAM
COMPETITOR NO. 1
COMPETITOR NO. 2
COMPETITOR NO. 3
COMPETITOR NO. 4
A
Tristan Koen
Matthew Wilson
Matthew McGillivray
*Meghan Derry*
B
Christian Fraser
*Lara Odendaal*
*Jamie Lee Engelke*
*Ally Giddy*
C
*Kim van Greunen*
Kei Hodgson
Matthew Hepburn
Maurice Millard
D





B O A R D R E L A Y - UNDER 10

TEAM
COMPETITOR NO. 1
COMPETITOR NO. 2
COMPETITOR NO. 3
A
Matthew Wilson
Matthew McGillivray
Christian Fraser
B
*Jamie Lee Engleke*
*Lara Odendaal*
*Ally Giddy*
C
Maurice Millard
*Kim van Greunen*
Tristan Koen
D
Matthew Hepburn
Kei Hodgson
*Marie Browning*

B O D Y B O A R D R E L A Y - UNDER 10

TEAM
COMPETITOR NO. 1
COMPETITOR NO. 2
COMPETITOR NO. 3
A
Matthew Wilson
Matthew McGillivray
Christian Fraser
B
*Jamie Lee Engleke*
*Lara Odendaal*
*Ally Giddy*
C
Maurice Millard
*Kim van Greunen*
*Meghan Derry*
D
Tristan Koen
Kei Hodgson
Matthew Hepburn


The GIRLS in all TEAM EVENTS must be clearly indicated with an asterisk (*) BEFORE AND AFTER their names.





EAST CAPE NIPPER CHAMPIONSHIPS – 10/11 MARCH 2007


S A F E T Y O F F I C E R S

Name of Club: …Summerstrand……………………………………. SLC

All Clubs must provide a minimum of one (1) Safety Officer per fifteen (15) Nippers. The names of the Safety Officers to be submitted to the
Secretary, East Cape by Thursday, 1 March 2007.

No Form/Safety Officers, no competition for that specific Club i.e. if your Club’s Safety Officers have been allocated to a specific event and they do not arrive for that event,
your Club WILL NOT be permitted to enter that event.

The wearing of wetsuits by the Safety Officers is STRONGLY recommended.
Please ensure that you bring your own torpedo buoys and flippers and the minimum of
2 Malibu Boards/Rescue Craft per Club.


NAME[S] OF SAFETY OFFICERS
1.
Alex Odendaal
2.
Peter Giddy
3.
Peter Wilson
4.
Roger Fraser
5.
Craig van Greunen

Nippers Nationals
31 March 2007
Preparation for Nationals.
The season had started in September 2006. At this stage the many of the U10’s were new to nippers and we had no idea that we would have such a successful year. We had lost a whole lot of talent to the U12’s. Varrin had moved up as Philip moved to the U12’s. Hannes had joined our group as Amber had decided that she wanted to join her elder brothers in Nippers. Roger, Craig, Dewald, Terry, Peter, Gavin and Alex were dedicated Dads always there to support us. We are very fortunate to have a group of parents who are happy to pitch in and be part of the Nippers organising team.

The first carnival of the season was held at Kings Beach and we did well to win the U10 category. By now we could see that the team would be a good one. Oops! We slipped a bit and lost the next two Carnivals to Sardinia Bay. No excuses! They were the better team on the day. But what Sards was doing was teaching us some valuable lessons such as their team spirit and their recruitment strategy.

Brian Saunders managed to secure a second year of sponsorship from Huletts Equisweet. Clint, Warren and Roger all put up substantial sponsorships to assist the running of the National Competition. All of this meant that our Nippers would be extremely well catered for. On the Saturday before the competition Lee, Claire, Hannelie and others set up an evening of fun and entertainment for parents and nippers alike. They handed each Nipper a bag of clothing containing a bright yellow t-shirt, fashionable board shorts & a matching cap. The first timers were given a complete kit as we had done the previous year. Clint cooked up a wonderful Chicken Pootjie while Johnny made wors rolls for the youngsters. To cap it all Lee had arranged a 100 club draw with all kinds of prizes. And Donald had set up a DVD presentation of Nippers and surfing.

Hannes and I had worked out the teams as best we could. Nationals is a difficult time for us as we have to consider the best teams possible and also take into account the practice that the U10’s have put in and the Carnivals that they have participated in. We tried as far as possible to work on results when working out the teams. Unfortunately this means that on the first day there would be some Nippers who would not take part in any event at all.

Saturday 31 March 2007. Day one of the Nippers Nationals:

Day one started off with the Inter Provincial Competition for the U12 and U14 teams only. As it worked out Kzn did not meet certain requirements and so they did not participate in the Inter Provincial competition at all. Eastern Cape was second to the Western Cape.

March Past
At 13.00 the clubs had a March past and presentation of the Colours. Every Nipper took part in this and it was a colourful event. Summerstrand had new yellow outfits sponsored by Equisweet and looked very impressive. I think it was Nathan and Alexia who were Mascots at the front of our team. The Nippers were incredibly spoilt as they were each handed a bag of goodies from a sponsor, Homenet. Then they lined up for a second packet of energy eats and drinks. We heard that the Team Swim had been scratched from the list of events.

Donald arrived on crutches. It appears that he must have developed an infection in his foot and had a case of cellulitus. Our daughter Nicci had also had a bad dose of this disease in her leg. It causes discouloration, pain and discomfort to the affected area and must be treated with antibiotics and pain killers. Cellulitus should not be taken lightly as it can have long term negative effects.

We put the teams up on the notice board. I could see that there was a bit of unhappiness regarding team selection and non participation of some of the nippers. This is always going to be a struggle for coaches. It is disappointing if a Nipper is not a participant but in the national competition we are limited in the number of teams we may submit.

Beach Relay
After the march past the U10s went straight into the Beach Relay, The U12s to the Malibu and the U14s to the Body Board relay. We had 19 U10’s and were able to field four teams of four for Beach Relay. The U10’s did quite well with three out of the four teams advancing to the Semi finals. The team of Matthew H, Caitlin, Kei and Maurice were eliminated. Then two teams qualified for the Finals which would be held later on. The team of Kim, Ally, Connor and Kristie had made it to the semi finals.


Malibu Boards Relays
It was our turn to use the New Equisweet Malibu Boards. These boards looked great and we had three teams prepared to brave the surf. The sea was particularly difficult as there was a strong rip pulling from East to West. The Easterly wind of the previous day continued to blow even if very gently. The waves were relentless. At no stage were the Nippers able to find a lull which they could use to paddle out past the breakers.

Unfortunately two of our teams did not finish but we were still delighted to have a team progressing through to the finals. Matthew W had not been able to push through the surf and we had decided to pull the team from the race. Kristie had an incredibly brave attempt as she was washed to the west by the strong rip. Craig had gone in to assist her but she persevered and finally finished her leg. At this stage we had run out of time and we decided to pull the team from the race.

Body Board Relays.
From here it was straight to the Body Board relay. We had three teams entered. I could see that we would have the same problem as we had experienced on the Malibu’s. And after many attempts to plough through tough surf we decided to pull one team from the sea. The result of this event was that we had two teams out of the fourteen teams in the second heat. Of the fourteen that started, seven pulled out. Perseverance by our two teams, in some of the worst conditions possible, meant that we would have two teams advancing to the finals later on.

Beach Relay finals
The Nippers had hardly completed body board relay when we were called to the finals of the beach relays. We had two teams and both were strong enough to do well. The Nippers looked wound up and excited and took off with a blast when the whistle was blown. Unfortunately the inevitable happened and a baton was dropped. We were able to secure a third place. So here was our first podium position for the U10’s.

Malibu Board Relay Finals
From here we moved across to the Malibu Board finals. We had one team in the finals consisting of Christian Fraser, Lara Odendaal and Matthew McGillivray. All three had just competed in the beach relays finals and now had to paddle out in the breakers again. It was going to be a difficult time for each one of them. The team had a good start as Christian was able to finish in the top half of the field.

Then it was Lara’s turn and she charged out into the water using the strategy of going right first. The rip pulled her across to the left but somehow she managed to struggle through the waves and out to the left hand Buoy. From there it was not too difficult to paddle around the right hand buoy and catch waves back to the beach. Lara had held onto position five. It was Matthew’s turn. Matthew is confident on Boards and was soon on his knees and paddling out past the waves. Matthew makes it look easy and he was around the right hand buoy together with the fourth placed nipper. Here is where Matthew’s skill came into being as he caught a beauty of a wave and ended up finishing fourth for the team.

Body Board Relay Finals
Wow! Exhausted as they must have been these Nippers raced across to the Body Board arena where they would soon start the last event of the day. We had two teams. I remember how disappointed Kim had been with her last body board attempt but there she was, lining up with the rest of her team mates. Christian started for this team and Jamie would be the leader of the second team. Both of them had reasonable positions as they touched the second boarder. Kim had a far better paddle than she had had in the heats and Kristie also did well for her team.

The last team mate in each team now had the task of holding their position. Matthew went out fourth overall and Lara would have to struggle to hold position seven. As it turned out Matthew was able to catch the leading team and rounded the right hand Buoy marginally ahead of his nearest rival. What happened next was a delight to watch as he timed the wave to perfection and raced ahead to finish 50 meters ahead of the second placed Nipper. This put this team in line for a Gold Medal. Lara also caught a beautiful wave and overtook the sixth place. Lara managed to improve the overall position of her team and finished a fantastic 6th place.

End of day one.
After all the excitement we gathered back in the tent where we tidied up the boards, packed our stuff away and had a team meeting to congratulate the teams for the successes of the day and to discuss what we would be doing the next day. Our Nippers had braved seas that many adults would have hesitated to tackle. We had heard that one of the U14’s had broken a leg and that another child had cracked a wrist. This is a tough sport!

Just to add to the day of spoiling Nippers each child was given a Homenet T-shirt and a juice. While not all of the nippers had been in an event today and many may have had very limited participation, I think that they had all enjoyed the day even if it was in a support role. It was good to see so many of the Nippers and parents stay to the end of the day in support of Summerstrand and what the coaches were trying to do. We finally got home after 7pm exhausted but elated at our teams performance.

Sunday 1 April 2007. Day two of the Nippers Nationals:

One of the first things that we heard was that the U10’s were in front of the whole tournament. This was hugely exciting news as we had had no idea that we had done so well. We also heard that the U12’s and U14’s we in second place and that Summerstrand was First overall. Today we had to try to hold our lead. The wind had turned and this morning we had a brisk West blowing. This flattened the surf but had the negative effect of making the return trip in the sea events really tough as the Nippers had to fight the wind especially when on boards.

Surf Swim Individual
Sunday started off with a swim. The boys would have two heats and the girls went straight into the finals as there were fewer girls competing. Christian, Matthew W and Connor made it through to the finals. Kristie took first place for the girls with Jamie in Fourth, Lara 10th; Ally 12th with Amber, Nadia and Natalie all being placed in the top 48. That meant that we had 8 girls in the top 48 Nippers of the country. Well done to all of you who took part in this event.

Malibu Board Individual.
Next it was the Malibu board individual heats. The girls had Kim in 3rd, Lara 5th, Ally 6th and Jamie 8th. While a good number of our boys took part just Matthew M and Christian made it through to the finals.

Taplin Relay Heats.
In the Taplin Relay (run, swim, Body Board and Malibu Board) we had the team of Tristan, Kristie, Christian and Matthew M in first place and making it to the finals we also had the team of Meghan, Jamie, Lara and Kim making the top eight into the finals. Amber, Ally, Matthew W and Connor just missed the cut with a 10th place.

Flags
Flags were next in line for the U10’s. This is a long event requiring the youngsters to have a huge amount of courage as they are eliminated one by one before only ten make it to the finals. We were allowed to enter 6 in the boys and 6 in the girls. Caitlyn helped out when one of our Nippers was not keen to take part. Caitlyn is one of the nippers who we can really count on to take part in everything with huge enthusiasm and commitment. Meghan and Kim made it through to the finals and they eventually were placed 8th and 6th respectively. Matthew M and Matthew W were the boys making it through to the finals and placed 3rd and 6th.

Surf Swim individual Finals
The Boys surf swim final saw Christian in 5th position and Connor and Matthew W also completing this tough event. The Buoys seemed to be positioned far out. Christian asked me later if they were further out than we normally place them as the swim was particularly exhausting.

Malibu Board individual Finals
The Girls Malibu final had Lara finishing 4th, Kim in 8th position with Jamie a close 9th and Ally followed a few seconds later with a 12th overall. In the Boys it was again Matthew M in first place and Christian 7th.

Taplin Relay finals
The last event for the U10’s was the Taplin. Here we had a bit of a Wobbly as we could not find Tristan to start the race with the run. Coaches were running around looking for him. Eventually Hannes found him and we managed to get to the start seconds before the race started. Tristan’s team was placed first and Meghan’s team was 12th.

End of day two
This had been a long day for us. At the end of each day Claire was there handing out juice and chocolates to the tired youngsters. I think that many parents wanted to get home as soon as possible as the sun, wind and excitement of the day had taken its toll. Those who were able to stay were treated to a great award evening for the first two days of the carnival. Many of the Summerstrand Nippers won medals for first second and third places.

Barbara & I had arranged to play bridge with Charles and Ingrid that evening. The evening started off with an excited vibe as we spoke about the two days. After just a few hands and having stuffed ourselves with Pizzas we headed home to bed.

Monday 2 April 2007. Day three of the Nippers Nationals.

Monday morning. The last day of the 2007 Nippers National Championships. It was a lovely morning with little or no wind. As we got to the beach we saw that what wind was blowing was Easterly but this did not affect the surf conditions at all. The waves were small and manageable. Janice had bought a newspaper and the front page was a stunning picture of Matthew M. Each day we would put up a notice board with a list of the events and the teams for the day. This helped us to create some kind of order in the chaos of the tournament.

Run-Swim-Run
Today we had a Run-Swim-Run final to start the day. Kristie won it again for the girls; Jamie was 3rd, Lara 6th, Ally 7th. Caitlyn was next with Amber & Nadia compling the event in respectable positions. The boys had two heats with Connor, Matthew W and Christian making the cut for the finals. In the finals of this event Christian was placed 8th with Connor and Matthew W giving a credible performance for their club.

Body Board Individual.
The Body Board heats were next for us U10’s. A top ten cut in the girls heat meant that Ally missed the cut by one place coming 11th and Kim, Jamie, Lara and Kristie were through to the final. In the boys category it was Matthew W, Matthew M and Christian who were in the finals.

Beach Sprints individual.
Our next event was the beach sprints. This is a long event as each club is allowed to submit 6 nippers for both boys and for girls. The boys were lined up in 8 groups of 7 per run off. They would have to make the top three in their group to be into the next level. The boys went first and in the first set of heats we had Matthew W, Matthew M and Tristan qualifying to the next round. The second round saw Matthew M eliminated and in the end we failed to qualify any boys for the finals of this event. The girls had Meghan, Ally, Lara and Kim into round two. Ally was eliminated in the next round and then only Meghan made it through to the finals.

Long Run
Our next event was the Long Run. We had a good contingent of both Boys and Girls and the placings were: Girls; Meghan 4th, Jamie 6th, Amber 15th, Ally 17th & Caitlin 28th. & Nadia completing this run for their club. Boys: Matthew W 3rd, Matthew M 8th, Tristan Koen 12th. Christian, Matthew H, Connor and Kei all completed this difficult run. I have it on good record that every single Mom, Dad and other family member was extremely proud of our nippers on this day.

Body Board Final
By now every one was tired and hungry and the body Board final would be the last event before the lunch break. Here we had a real interesting race between Matthew M and a rival Nipper. They went out and rounded buoys one and two “neck and neck”. We saw how Matthew was battling to hang onto a very slender lead but just as he had caught a wave the previous day to win an event so did this other nipper do this today and Matthew was placed second. Christian was 7th and Matthew W 20th. IN the girls event we had Lara in 8th Position with Kristie, 14th, Jamie 15th and Kim in 16th positions. Many of us retired to our tent and had a sandwich or snack before the last U10 event of the day.

Beach Sprint Final
The Sprint final had only our lone Meghan but that was enough as she won the event to earn herself and the club a gold medal.

At this stage we were just after lunch but the U14’s had still to complete three or four events. So a whole lot of the U10’s and U12’s grabbed Malibu’s and went to paddle and surf. It was an eye opener for me to see these youngsters in the surf like this. I realised that the flat conditions were unlike the huge surf that we often experienced at Summerstrand. This was excellent practice for this age group and it made me think that we should be doing this more often.

The U14’s continued with their events until late that afternoon. They had a run-swim-run, a long run and a Taplin relay and must have been completely exhausted after all this. After they had completed their last event we rounded up the boards and packed our stuff into trailers and cars. Then we all gathered in the prize giving tent. We tried to make a statement with our yellow shirts and could surely have not gone unnoticed.

End of day three
The Fish Hoek team had a vibrant group of youngsters including a star nipper called Dominique. They had written and practiced some songs that they sang and shouted in the tent. We tried to retaliate with Clint leading but Fish Hoek had class. The awards were presented amid yells and screams of delight even from the lower placed teams. Sardinia Bay had achieved a top 5 position, Durban Surf had won and we managed a second place overall.

That evening after we had showered and were settling down for supper, Barbara turned the TV on to the news channel. We were just in time to see the news report. There was a report on the carnival. Amazing how the reporters chose to highlight political problems that we had experienced rather than the amazingly successful three days that we had experienced. However the best part of all was when Kirsty Engelke was featured and then in the final seconds of the report Ally was featured as she won her individual beach sprint heat.

Some lessons to be learned:
Over these three days plan nothing else. Take leave from work and don’t even attempt to arrange an activity after a day at the beach like this.
Summerstrand needs to start practice earlier in the year. We can begin with beach events and develop teams. Not to say that we did not do exceptionally well at the tournament!
We need to be flexible with our training venues. Donald suggested a SMS chain where we can at very short notice move the training from Summerstrand to Kings Beach depending on surf conditions.
We should ask the organising club to have a security guard on the peripherals of the arenas, both in the car park and the beach areas. We saw many of our craft being borrowed without permission. Every Nipper would have to wear a scull cap all the time.
We need to reinforce the ethic of parents and nippers staying to the end of each day in a carnival. There is always cleaning and packing up to be done. And we need to inform the nippers of results of the day as well as activities for the next day. This is how we build team spirit and how we get to know one another. Talking of packing away; I heard a valid comment from Craig: “You should get a medal for being the hardest worker”. This was said to one of our smallest team members --- Maurice. Here is a slightly built young chap who never shirks duties when the trailer needs to be packed or any other tiresome work needs to be done.
Despite all of our efforts and pleas to our nippers to return craft that they remove, this did not happen. Parents were constantly having to carry two and more craft from the beach back to the tent. I am not quite sure how to handle this problem.
7. Another thing that I feel that needs correcting is the way that out-of-towners have to stay in expensive hotels. I am quite certain that this is what puts off a number of competitors.
8. War cries and songs: We were put to shame by the way that Fish Hoek had a number of songs prepared.
9. Theory and classroom work. During the past season we never gave our Nippers any theoretical training.
10. Campaigning for new members: We need to begin an active campaign for new members through: Meeting with parents where ever possible. We need a focussed campaign through activities that would lend themselves to membership of Summerstrand.
11. Choosing teams for carnivals and Nationals: We will always want to select a few of the best teams possible however some of the teams with less chance should allow for every Nipper to be a part of the activities of the day. One may argue that we lower our chances of another point but this is a very marginal call.
12. We should select teams as early as possible and then let Nippers and parents know in what teams they will be taking part.






All correspondence to: Chief Executive Officer, Surf House, 35 Livingstone Road, Durban 4001, Tel (031) 312 9251 Fax (031) 312 5612





CIRCULAR: 07/06

TO: CLUB SECRETARIES (SURF & STILLWATER)

FROM: DIRECTOR: COMPETITION

FOR INFO: PROVINCIAL SURF SECRETARIES

DATE: 14 February 2007

SUBJECT: 2007 LIFESAVING SOUTH AFRICA SURF NIPPER NATIONALS – 31 MARCH,
1 & 2 APRIL 2007
________________________________________________________________________________
Please read the forms carefully, fill in ALL the relevant particulars, send your cheque / postal order, made out to Lifesaving SA with Form “A” and observe the applicable date for the return of one copy of Form “A” to the office.

FORM “A” - MONDAY 5 MARCH 2007

Form “C” must be returned in duplicate to the Official in Charge at the Managers meeting, which is being held in the King’s Beach Clubhouse at 18:00 on Friday, 30 March 2007.

SEPARATE FORMS MUST BE USED FOR EACH AGE GROUP (Form A)

Non refundable fees are payable as follows:

Entry Fee with Part “A” - R100.00 per competitor plus one R200 administration fee, covering all age groups.


E-mail: headoffice@lifesaving.co.za Web site: www.lifesaving.co.za
Affiliated to: Sport & Recreation SA and the International Lifesaving Federation Fr. No 002-584 NPO


TO: General Manager Fax: (031) 3125612
Lifesaving SA
35 Livingstone Road
Durban 4001 Date: ______________________________

2007 LIFESAVING SOUTH AFRICA SURF NIPPER NATIONAL ENTRIES

FROM: Summerstrand SLSC

Please find attached hereto my Club’s entry form A, duly completed, in accordance with the requirements of the attached circular calling for entries for the 2007 Surf Nipper Nationals.

I CERTIFY THAT THE MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES OF ALL MEMBERS LISTED ON THE ENTRY FORMS ARE CORRECT, THEY HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE APPROPRIATE CERTIFICATE.

I FURTHER CERTIFY THAT ALL COMPETITORS ENTERED IN THEIR RESPECTIVE AGE EVENTS COMPLY WITH THE MINIMUM AGE REQUIREMENT ON OR BEFORE 30 SEPTEMBER 2006.

The team will be travelling to the Championships by train o car o aircraft o bus o (please tick) and will be quartered at the following location (insert name and address of hotel, motel or camping ground).






Name: Phone No: ___________________________________

The Team Manager will be:

Name:

Address:



e-mail:

( ( ) Fax:( )

The Club Captain will be:

Name:

Address:



e-mail:

( ( ) Fax:( )

ENTRY FEES Direct Deposits:
Number of competitors entered (as entered on Form A) First National Bank
Florida Road
Competitors: ____ @ R100.00 each R Branch Code:220526
A./C No: 50846259717
FAX COPY OF DEPOSIT
Administration R 200.00 (031) 3125612
Total entry fee ______

ENTRIES TO BE COVERED BY ONE CHEQUE MADE PAYABLE TO LIFESAVING SA
NO ENTRY WILL BE ACCEPTED UNLESS ACCOMPANIED BY THE CORRECT ENTRY FEE AND, IF POSTED, MUST BE FORWARDED IN TIME TO REACH LIFESAVING SA ON OR BEFORE THE DATE FIXED FOR THE CLOSING OF ENTRIES AS SHOWN ON THE ATTACHED ENTRIES CIRCULAR.


CLUB EXECUTIVE OFFICER (block letters)



SIGNATURE:



POSITION:



CLUB:



CLUB ADDRESS:



I certify that I have read the SPECIAL NOTICE to Team Managers and am fully aware of my responsibilities to my Club and Lifesaving SA.

Signature ____________________________________________
TEAM MANAGER





LIFESAVING SA CHAMPIONSHIPS

SPECIAL NOTICE TO ALL CLUB SECRETARIES AND TOURING TEAM MEMBERS

At times reports of misbehaviour at championships have been noted with grave concern.

It has been resolved that each Team Manager be notified by Special Notice of his obligations and responsibilities to his Club and to Lifesaving South Africa.

It is an express condition of acceptance of Club Entries for the Championships that the Club’s Touring Team Manager signs a certificate verifying that he has read and will do everything in his power to comply with this Notice.

The news media has been quick to publicly expose acts of vandalism and loutishness by various sporting groups whilst travelling away from their Club and it is hoped that Team Managers will accept the recommendations in the right vein and ensure that the good name of the Association and its traditions are upheld at all times.

We all realise that members tend to let their hair down after the Championships and this should be done within the bounds of good behaviour and not at the expense of the enjoyment of others nor by acts of vandalism.

Each club is now requested to ensure the following terms and conditions are implemented:

1. Each group of two or more Club members travelling to the Championships shall have a Team Manager duly appointed by the Club in resolution or action.
2. That Team Managers shall be held responsible to the Club, and to Lifesaving South Africa for the conduct of all their team members in travelling to, during and returning home from the Championships.
3. Any group of two or more members who depart the main body of the team - for purposes of travel or any other reason - shall have a sub-manager appointed by the Team Manager for the duration of their departure.
4. Team Managers shall, at all times, exercise control over their teams and ensure their conduct and appearance does not have an adverse bearing upon the good name of their Club, or the Association.
5. Members who wish to depart the main body and remain in an area, or proceed with independent travel arrangements, at the conclusion of the Championships, should give sufficient prior notice to their Club and secure Club and Team Manager’s permission.

Clubs are urged to have a policy attitude towards such breaking up of teams at the conclusion of the Championships. In the case of Juniors and Nippers - Clubs should secure clear indication of approval of such actions from parents and guardians.

6. Special care must be taken at high-density congregation points, especially air terminals and during air flight. There are regulations controlling behaviour on aircraft set by the Department of Transport.

A person who contravenes or fails to comply with the provisions of the regulations or who attempts to commit an offence against the Regulations, is guilty of an offence.

7. Before departing your accommodation point - the Team manager should conduct an inspection of the rooms accompanied by Hotel/Motel Manager and preferably another senior member of the team.

It should be confirmed that no complaints are being made - nor will be made - re the team’s conduct or conditions of accommodation fixtures.

8. Clubs are requested to ensure that their manager’s report is speedily received after the Championships and (any) report of misconduct appropriately and immediately dealt with.
9. Extreme caution is suggested in the subject of exchanging Club garments and, in fact, Club’s are urged to instruct their members of a policy in this subject. Many incidents have been recorded of misconduct being attributed to a particular club whereas it has been other persons wearing their garments.
10. Please remember that the venue of the Championships are the traditional support bases of a great many local clubs and misconduct will certainly be noticed and jeopardise future activities of those clubs.

You can readily imagine the situation applied in reverse.

11. National Council has formed a Disciplinary Committee, which will hold itself ready for a meeting in the event of any complaint. The Committee will have the power to also act at that time and shall have jurisdiction over any lifesaver attending the Championships.









2007 LIFESAVING SOUTH AFRICA SURF NIPPER NATIONALS : 31 MARCH, 1 & 2 APRIL 2007
AT KINGS BEACH, PORT ELIZABETH





FORM “A”
PLEASE
RETURN ALL COMPLETED FORMS TO:
LIFESAVING SA, 35 LIVINGSTONE ROAD, DURBAN, 4001. FAX (031) 312 5612
CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES : FORMS MUST BE IN BY: 5 MARCH 2007
USE SEPARATE FORM FOR EACH AGE GROUP: ONLY ONE COPY PER AGE GROUP TO BE RETURNED TO LIFESAVING SA



Please mark with X
Boy Girl

FIRST NAME

SURNAME
(In Alphabetical Order)

DATE OF BIRTH

HIGHEST AWARD

DATE OF AWARD



1



x
Natalie

Billson

18.03.1997.

Level one

23.10.2005.



2

X


Connor

Boyd

26.05.1997
Level one

23.10.2005



3



X
Marie

Browning

8.06.1998
Level one

15.10.2006.



4



X

Amber

Burrell

27.04.1997


Level one

22.11.2005.



5



X

Astrid

Burrell

27.04.1997
Level one

22.11.2005.



6



X

Meghan

Derry

7.03.1997
Level one

19.11.2006.



7



X

Jamie-Lee

Engelke

5.01.1998
Level one

22.01.2006.



8

X



Christian

Fraser

19.11.1996
Level one

5.12.2004.



9



X

Ally

Giddy

1.08.1997
Level one

23.10.2005



10

x



Matthew

Hepburn

15.06.1998
Level one

22.10.2006.



11



X

Nadia

Herselman

2.01.1998
Level one

22.02.2006.



12

x



Kei

Hodgson

17.02.1998
Level one

15.10.2006.



13

x



Tristan

Koen

29.07.1996
Level one

12.02.2006.












14

x



Jonathan

Naude

10.04.1997
Level one

31.01.2007.



15

x



Matthew

McGillivray

26.03.1997
Level one

28.03.2005.



16

x



Maurice

Millard

19.03.1997
Level one

23.10.2005



17



X

Lara

Odendaal

28.10.1997
Level one

22.01.2006.



18



X

Caitlin

Rogers

19.03.1997
Level one

23.10.2005



19



X

Kim

Van Greunen

1.08.1997
Level one

23.10.2005



20



X

Kristie

Vaughn

24.03.2006.
Level one

22.02.2006.



21

x



Matthew

Wilson

21.12.1997
Level one

21.02.2006.



22



X

Amber-Rae

Zeelie

24.05.1998
Level one

22.10.2006.



23
















25













If more than 25 competitors per age group, please use another form. NB: FEES MUST BE INCLUDED WITH THIS FORM OR R100 PENALTY WILL BE APPLIED
ENTRY FEE: R100.00 Per competitor =R Direct payment to FNB, Florida Road Branch (220526) A/C No: 50846259717
Administration Fee =R200.00 Fax copy of deposit slip to: 031-312-5612
Cheque enclosed with Entry Form
payable to Lifesaving SA =R_____

TEAM MANAGER

Peter

Giddy



TELEPHONE

Home: 0413748191

Work: 082 550 3174

CLUB: Summerstrand

ENTRY FORM COMPILED BY

Peter Giddy

Please circle the appropriate age group

AGE GROUP: U10

TELEPHONE

Home:

Work:




2007 LIFESAVING SOUTH AFRICA SURF NIPPER NATIONALS
KING’S BEACH, PORT ELIZABETH – 31 MARCH, 1 & 2 APRIL 2007

Please note that we do not require numbers for events. The competitors will be marshaled on the beach. However, we do request that you note the restrictions per event as detailed below.


ENTRY LIMITS PER EVENT AND PER AGE GROUP

Boys Girls Mixed Individuals/Teams

Beach Sprint 6 6 -

Flags 6 6 -

Taplin (Mixed i.e. Boys and Girls) - - 3

Body Board Relay - - 3

Board Relay - - 3\

Beach Sprint Beach Sprint Flags Flags
Boys Girls Boys Girls

Christian Fraser Amber Zeelie Christina Fraser Lara Odendaal
Tristan Koen Meghan Derry Matthew McGillivray Jamie Lee Engelke
Matthew Wilson Jamie Lee Engelke Tristan Koen Meghan Derry
Matthew McGillivray Kim van Greunen Matthew Wilson Kim van Greunen
Matthew Hepburn Lara Odendaal Kei Hodgson Amber Zeelie
Maurice Millard Ally Giddy Maurice Millard Ally Giddy











2007 LIFESAVING SOUTH AFRICA SURF NIPPER NATIONALS FORM 'C'
KING’S BEACH, PE – 31 MARCH, 1 & 2 APRIL 2007

FORM'C' FOR____Summerstrand Under 10’s__ CLUB AGE GROUP:_Under 10’s____
NB: This form should co-incide with Forms 'A''. Any name not listed on Form - 'A' will not be permitted to participate in the Championships
ENTRY FORM 'C' must be submitted IN DUPLICATE on Friday evening 30 March 2007 and handed to the OFFICIAL IN CHARGE at the Managers' meeting at 18h00 in the KING’S BEACH CLUBHOUSE.















NAME OF TEAM MANAGER (for any queries): Peter Giddy_______________

1. BEACH RELAY (Teams of 4) – First Name, then Surname then Boy (B) or Girl (G).


A

B

C

D

E

Christian Fraser (B)
Amber Zeelie (G)
Kim van Greunen (G)
Caitlin Rogers (G)

Tristan Koen (B)

Lara Odendal (G)
Ally Giddy (G)
Kei Hodgson (B)


Matthew Wilson (B)
Jamie Lee Engelke (G)
Connor Boyd (B)
Matthew Hepburn (B)

Megan Derry (G)

Matthew McGillivray (B)
Kristie Vaugh (G)
Maurice Millard (B)


2. BODY BOARD RELAY (Maximum 3 teams per club)


A

B

C

Christian Fraser (B) (3&2)
Kristie Vaughn (G) (2;2)
Matthew Wilson (B) (6)
Matthew McGillivray (B) (1;1;1)

Lara Odendaal (G) (4’5;6)

Ally Giddy (G) (9;8;11)
Kim van Greunen (G) (1;1)

Jamie Lee Engelke (G) (3;4;1)
Matthew Hepburn


3. BOARD RELAY (Maximum 3 teams per club)
; caitlin rogers….6 connor boyd…..8

A

B

C

Christian Fraser (B) (3;4;2)
Kim van Greunen (G) (8; 2 ;1)

1Jamie Lee Engelke (G) (6; 5; 4)
Matthew McGillivray (B) (1;1;1)

Kristie Vaughn……
Matthew Wilson (B) (5; 9)
Lara Odendaal (G) (2; 1; 2)
Ally Giddy (G) (3; 6; 3)
Maurice Millard (B) (14; 17; )


4. TAPLIN RELAY First Name, Surname, Boy or Girl (Maximum 3 teams per club)




A

B

C

RUN
Tristan Koen (B)
Meghan Derry (G)
Amber Zeelie (G)

SWIM
Kristie Vaughn (G)
Jamie Lee Engelke (G)
Ally Giddy (G)

BB
Christian Fraser (B)
Kim van Greunen (G)
Matthew Wilson (B)

BOARD
Matthew McGillivray (B)
Lara Odendaal (G)

Connor Boyd (B)
2007 LIFESAVING SA NIPPER CHAMPIONSHIPS - INTERPROVINCIALS
















31MARCH 1-2 APRIL - KINGS BEACH PORT-ELIZABETH























FRIDAY 30 MARCH
























MANAGERS & OFFICIALS

18H00
KING'S BEACH CLUBHOUSE (Max. 3 Managers per Club)





















2007 LIFESAVING SA NIPPER INTERPROVINCIALS




























SATURDAY 31 MARCH
























MANAGERS AND OFFICIALS MEETING
8H00










START




8H30


























PRIZE-GIVING






























2007 LIFESAVING SA NIPPER CHAMPIONSHIPS




























SATURDAY 31 MARCH
























PRESENTATION OF CLUB COLOURS
13H00


























BEACH ARENA



BODY BOARD ARENA



BOARD ARENA



















U/10
BEACH RELAY
H
O

U/12
B/BOARD RELAY
H
O

U/14
BOARD RELAY
H
O


U/12
BEACH RELAY
H
O

U/14
B/BOARD RELAY
H
O

U/10
BOARD RELAY
H
O


U/14
BEACH RELAY
H
O

U/10
B/BOARD RELAY
H
O

U/12
BOARD RELAY
H
O


U/10
BEACH RELAY
F
O

U/12
B/BOARD RELAY
F
O

U/14
BOARD RELAY
F
O


U/12
BEACH RELAY
F
O

U/14
B/BOARD RELAY
F
O

U/10
BOARD RELAY
F
O


U/14
BEACH RELAY
F
O

U/10
B/BOARD RELAY
F
O

U/12
BOARD RELAY
F
O





























2007 LIFESAVING SA NIPPER SURF CHAMPIONSHIPS




























SUNDAY 1 APRIL - KINGS BEACH PORT-ELIZABETH







































































UNDER 10
ARENA 1



UNDER 12
ARENA 2


UNDER 14
ARENA 3














EVENT NO
EVENT
H Q S
G B O

EVENT NO
EVENT
H Q S
G B O

EVENT NO
EVENT
H Q S
G B O
1.1
SURF SWIM
H
B

2.1
FLAGS
H + Q + S
B

3.1
MALIBU BOARD
H
B
1.2
SURF SWIM
H
G

2.2
FLAGS
H + Q + S
G

3.2
MALIBU BOARD
H
G
1.3
MALIBU BOARD
H
B

2.3
SURF SWIM
H
B

3.3
BEACH SPRINTS
H + Q + S
B
1.4
MALIBU BOARD
H
G

2.4
SURF SWIM
H
G

3.4
BEACH SPRINTS
H + Q + S
G
1.5
FLAGS
H + Q + S
B

2.5
BODY BOARD
H
B

3.5
SURF SWIM
H
B
1.6
FLAGS
H + Q + S
G

2.6
BODY BOARD
H
G

3.6
SURF SWIM
H
G
1.7
TAPLIN
H
O

2.7
IRON NIPPER
H
B

3.7
TAPLIN
H
O
1.8
SURF SWIM
F
B

2.8
IRON NIPPER
H
G

3.8
MALIBU BOARD
F
B
1.9
SURF SWIM
F
G

2.9
FLAGS
F
B

3.9
MALIBU BOARD
F
G
1.10
MALIBU BOARD
F
B

2.10
FLAGS
F
G

3.10
SURF SWIM TEAM
H
O
1.11
MALIBU BOARD
F
G

2.11
SURF SWIM
F
B

3.11
BEACH SPRINTS
F
B
1.12
FLAGS
F
B

2.12
SURF SWIM
F
G

3.12
BEACH SPRINTS
F
G
1.13
FLAGS
F
G

2.13
BODY BOARD
F
B

3.13
SURF SWIM TEAM
F
O
1.14
TAPLIN
F
O

2.14
BODY BOARD
F
G

3.14
TAPLIN
F
O






IRON NIPPER
F
B











IRON NIPPER
F
G





B
BOYS












G
GIRLS












O
OPEN



























PRIZE-GIVING
















2007 LIFESAVING SA NIPPER SURF CHAMPIONSHIPS




























MONDAY 2 APRIL - KINGS BEACH PORT-ELIZABETH







































































UNDER 10
ARENA 1



UNDER 12
ARENA 2


UNDER 14
ARENA 3














EVENT NO
EVENT
H Q S
G B O

EVENT NO
EVENT
H Q S
G B O

EVENT NO
EVENT
H Q S
G B O
1.1
RUN-SWIM RUN
F
B

2.1
BEACH SPRINTS
H + Q + S
B

3.1
BODY BOARD
H
B
1.2
RUN-SWIM RUN
F
G

2.2
BEACH SPRINTS
H + Q + S
G

3.2
BODY BOARD
H
G
1.3
BODY BOARD
H
B

2.3
RUN-SWIM RUN
F
B

3.3
FLAGS
H + Q + S
B
1.4
BODY BOARD
H
G

2.4
RUN-SWIM RUN
F
G

3.4
FLAGS
H + Q + S
G
1.5
BEACH SPRINTS
H + Q + S
B

2.5
MALIBU BOARD
H
B

3.5
RUN-SWIM RUN
H
B
1.6
BEACH SPRINTS
H + Q + S
G

2.6
MALIBU BOARD
H
G

3.6
RUN-SWIM RUN
H
G
1.7
SURF SWIM TEAM
H
O

2.7
TAPLIN
H
O

3.7
IRON NIPPER
H
B
1.8
LONG RUN
F
B

2.8
BEACH SPRINTS
F
B

3.8
IRON NIPPER
H
G
1.9
LONG RUN
F
G

2.9
BEACH SPRINTS
F
G

3.9
BODY BOARD
F
B
1.10
BODY BOARD
F
B

2.10
SURF SWIM TEAM
H
O

3.10
BODY BOARD
F
G
1.11
BODY BOARD
F
G

2.11
MALIBU BOARD
F
B

3.11
FLAGS
F
B
1.12
BEACH SPRINTS
F
B

2.12
MALIBU BOARD
F
G

3.12
FLAGS
F
G
1.13
BEACH SPRINTS
F
G

2.13
LONG RUN
F
B

3.13
RUN-SWIM RUN
F
B
1.14
SURF SWIM TEAM
F
O

2.14
LONG RUN
F
G

3.14
RUN-SWIM RUN
F
G





2.15
SURF SWIM TEAM
F
O

3.15
LONG RUN
F
B





2.16
TAPLIN
F
O

3.16
LONG RUN
F
G










3.17
IRON NIPPER
F
B










3.18
IRON NIPPER
F
G
B
BOYS












G
GIRLS












O
OPEN



























PRIZE-GIVING

NIPPERS NEWSLETTER -- 4 NOVEMBER 2007

Sunday 4 November.
The day had started off overcast and not looking great. A weather forecast had predicted rain. I was please to see that we had flat surf. I think that the wind changed during the morning from West to East. Never look at the weather. Just come down to practice. Your coaches will be there.

We were pleasantly surprised to see a good turnout of Nippers for practice. Something else that is very pleasing to see is the number of new nippers who are joining. Particularly in the U10 and U12 age groups.

Practice Session
As the Nippers arrived the first thing they seemed to do is grab boards and rush down to the water. However Varrin had other plans and he sent them all down to the Pipe for a run and a bit of warm-up stretching.

We had three groups: Hannes, Benjamin, Imran, and Deon seemed to take control of the U10’s. Varrin, Roger, Alex and I made the U12’s do their paces in the water. Clint, Charles & Liese organised the U14 group. Nippers parents are encouraged to become involved in the water, on the beach or in the clubhouse.

For the second week running the U14’s did a long paddle to the bird rocks and back. This is a huge confidence builder for them and I am sure that there are some of the u12’s who will be joining them soon. There was a lot of in and out of the water. Swimming, Boarding and running. With such good water conditions and a high tide we avoided the beach activities.

After an hour & a half we were pretty water logged and most of us made our way back to the clubhouse.

New Nippers
Welcome to all new Nippers and parents. We hope that you will have many happy hours with Summerstrand. We understand that Sundays are a bit chaotic when you arrive. Please be patient with us.

Treasurer’s Report.
Claire tells me that she has ordered over R20 000 worth of equipment and Clothing. Claire also mentioned to me that we only have R12 000 in the bank. Sounds like our budget at home—spending more than we earn! Thanks to all those Nippers who have paid their Subscriptions for the 2007 to 2008 season. Please remember that we do allow for split payments and there is a relief fund if you are financially distressed.

Parents & Nippers evening.
Friday 9th November. We are hoping that the weather will be kind to us and if that is the case we will start the afternoon with some Board Practice between about 17.30 and18.30. I am trying to get an SMS system going. It involves time and technology. Please be patient I am battling.

We will be arranging a Bring and Braai after the practice. We will also have some time to talk about Nippers and Carnivals. Lee and Claire have arranged a 100 Club lucky draw. We will have some snacks and prizes. If you are able to bring a small plate of snacks and or a small prize, that will be much appreciated. Please try to make it to this evening. It is the only time we can get to know you a bit better.

Level Tests.
I have the following Nippers as having completed their Level Test:
1. Jason Collier
2. Ian DuToit
3. Kim Van Greunen
4. Maurice Millard
5. Ally Giddy
6. Matthew Mc Gillivray
7. Dane Van Greunen
8. Craig Dalgleish
9. Bonga Mosola
10. Joshua Rudman
11. Candice Munton
12. Taryn Koen
13. Ciarin Potgieter
14. Jenna Van Der Watt
15. Caitlin Rogers
16. Marijke Maritz
17. Imke De Lange
18. Jonathan Naude
19. Tianne Finn
20. Christian Fraser
21. Marcelle De Lange
22. Christie Vaughn
23. Kirstie Engelke
24. Tara Meintjies
25. Lauren Billson
26. Ashleigh Fraser
27. Peter Carrington
28. Luke Bakker.

Well done to ALL of you. If your name is not on this list and you are a new nipper or you have moved up an age group then you will have to complete your level test at the next opportunity. I will let you know where and when. But it will be before the Plett Carnival.

Plett Carnival 24th & 25th November.
We will give details of this on the email as well as on Friday 9th. Your coaches are working out teams. Please let them know if you are going to be there. EVERYONE takes part in this carnival. Every Nipper is an important member of the team. As Hannes said: “Even if you come 15th you still score points for your club”. Nippers is a team effort. And this is valuable experience for the Provincial and National Competitions. Don’t forget we came second out of all the clubs in South Africa last year and U10’s were first in their age group.

Summerwood Nippers
I recently met Nic Kingsley. He tells me that he will be joining your school shortly. He was teaching at Woodridge but is now moving to Summerwood. Once he gets there please introduce yourself to him and let him know that you are a Summies Nipper. Nic is keen to get as many Summerwood children as possible to join Summies.

Coaches
Please come to the evening of Friday 9th with some idea of your teams for Plett. We will have a short meeting that evening to talk about Plett.

Peter
082 550 3174
4. November 2007.

Commercial:
Barbara is the local agent for P2Life. This is an energy supplement that a number of Nippers and other active youngsters (and adults) are using. Barbara was advised that Ally should use P2Life Nutriboost and was so impressed with the results that she decided to become an agent for the product. 084 227 2272 (084 Barbara).

NIPPERS NEWSLETTER MONDAY 29 OCTOBER 2007.

Sunday 28th October 2007 was one of the best days for Nippers that I can remember for a very long time. Port Elizabeth had recently experienced some horrific weather with huge winds blowing the sea into a frenzy. As I drove past the harbour wall on the Friday I had likened the colour of the water to the brown that one normally finds at a river mouth.

When we arrived at Hobie beach for the Biathlo on Sunday morning we were delighted to see that the Ironmen were out there in force doing their training and our event was going to take place in near perfect conditions.

Level tests
The level tests at Hobie beach went down exceptionally well with all the nippers passing their tests. We had some 7year olds taking part in the level tests. The Nippers Regulations do not allow us to include a child who is 7 years old on 1 October to take part in the competitions. These children will fall into what we term the Micro Nippers. This is an excellent training ground for the Nippers to move into the U10’s the following year.

Ant Cocks continued with the Level Tests that we had attempted the previous weekend at Hobie beach. The ocean had looked like a washing machine and we had scrapped the swim. So most of the nippers who had taken their test the previous weekend were retested and passed into the next level.

Sunday Morning training.
Our training session was incredible. Donald took the Under14’s for the most amazing paddle to the rocks and back. Later he told me how this had been a huge success with his Nippers. They had been able to jump off their boards and even touch the rocks. Clint told me that this group had worked very hard and were totally exhausted when practice ended. I am not sure if he was referring to the coaches or the Nippers.

The U12’s had a wonderful session with some long swims, Malibu and Body board practice sessions. I was delighted with the courage of the group as some of the nippers who would not normally be willing to do long paddles had gone right past the furthest buoys and seemed to be enjoying every minute of their efforts. Well done to those who attempted and overcame their own very real fears!

U10’s are starting to farm into a capabale group. Hannes mentioned that we will need some really competent swimmers as well as a few more sprinters to make up a strong U10 group this year. If any of your friends may be interested, please give them my name or your coaches name and we will be delighted to hear from them.

Nippers Social Evening.
After Nippers practice, your social sub committee agreed to host a get together on Friday 9th November. I will give you more information about this but meanwhile please diarise. We want as many Nippers parents to be there as possible. We have a few motives: to get to know as many people as possible and to explain what a carnival is and in particular the Plett Carnival.

We may even be able to persuade Donald to set up his DVD player and to present a short slide show for the parents who have not been to a carnival. Clint has promised that he will organise a fire if you would like to Braai that evening.

Friday evening Practice
We plan to extend practice to Friday evenings for about an hour between 17.30 and 18.30. If we can get a SMS chain working we will let you know about this on the Friday depending on the weather. This Friday 2nd November we are hoping to have a Board Training session. Donald and some of the experienced Nippers will take some of the less skilled Nippers and show them how best to use the board with some concentrated coaching.

Diary events
Friday 2nd November 17.30 Nippers Board Practice. (Depends on the weather)
Sunday 4th November 11.00am to 13.00 Practice.

Friday 9th November 17.30 Nippers Board Practice and social get together as well as Parents meeting. Probably bring & braai.

Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th November is the Plett Carnival. It is the Matric Plett Rave so start thinking about accommodation.


Peter
peter@wildcape.org
peterg@jdg.co.za
082 550 3174
29.10.2007.

SUMMERSTRAND NIPPERS
MEETING OF SUNDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER 2007.
11.00am at the Summerstrand Life Saving Clubhouse.

Present:
Warren & Lee Collier
Clint and Claire Meintjies
Alex Odendaal
Donald Mc Gillivray
Peter Wilson
Deon Engelke
Varrin Karp
Charles DuToit
Hannes Zeelie
Peter Giddy

Discussion points:

Nationals 2008
Summerstrand will not organise the National Nippers competition in 2008 as this has been allocated to Kings Beach.

First day of Nippers season is planned for Sunday 30 September 2007.
An Open / Parents day will be organised

Coaches:
U10’s Deon, Hannes, Alex and Patrick Bilson.
U12’s Varrin, Roger and Peter (after Nippers Admin done)
U14’s Don, Clint, Charles and Lisa Pienaar
Parents are encouraged to participate in coaching and admin.
Other possible coaches: Paddy, Craig Vaughn, Kerry.

Tuckshop: Shirley Naude

Clothing: we need a clothing person.

Micro Nippers: we need a few parents who are prepared to spend one Hour with this important feeder of Nippers.

Major Sponsor: We need a major sponsor; in particular for Nippers Nationals 2008.

Carnival: we will host a carnival on 26/27 January 2008

Level Tests: We will have to set up level tests for New Nippers and for Nippers moving up in age group.

Future Meetings: Sunday after Nippers. 13.15 to 14.30.
Sunday 16th September will be our next Meeting at 11.00am at the clubhouse.

Rugby World Cup. Friday 14th SA play England. TV and a Clint Pootjie at R25.00.

General:
Parents must be properly informed regarding the format of carnivals and Nationals.
We must ensure that the arena’s are correctly demarcated.

Peter
7.9.2007.
Vive Le Bokke!
NIPPERS CARNIVAL
SUMMERSTRAND
21 JANUARY 2007.

On Sunday morning we were on the beach early to set up the tent and the Arena’s. We had done some of the set up the day before. A lesson that we learned was to set up the arenas and distances accurately the day before the event. The wind was blowing a strong Easterly and there were Blue Bottles all over. After attempting to do a Malibu event and a number of Nippers coming out Stung, it was decided to cancel all water events for the day.

The U10’s started off with Sprints. It is a 50 Meter sprint and as the tide was low the sand was fairly firm and the Nippers recorded good times. We then moved over to the Flags events and it became clear that some of the other U10 teams had been practicing this discipline. Sardinia bay, Seagulls and East London all did well.

We then moved over to the Sprint arena again where we held the sprint relays. Summerstrand were able to hold their own but again it was clear that there was strong opposition from our close rivals; Plett, Sardinia Bay, Seagulls and East London. The Bluewater Bay U10 team consisted of one boy.

It was a hot and sticky day. We had been in the wind and sun for a good number of hours without the respite of being able to swim. A number of the nippers did venture into the sea and were stung and needed treatment. The support and encouragement from Parents and friends was good to see.

After the Relays we had a long break before it was the time for U10’s to compete in Semi-Finals and Finals for the Sprints and the Finals of the Relays. Again Summerstrand did well with excellent participation and a great spirit.

The last event was the Long Run. Almost all the U10 Nippers took part despite a lot of moaning and complaining from some of the reluctant participants. This took us to close to 14.00 and I think that it was with great relief that parents were able to pack up and leave.

It seems that Sardinia Bay had won the overall First Place for the Carnival. However in the U10 section; your team won by 12 points over a strong Sardinia Bay team. While some of you did particularly well I want to commend each one of you for the spirit in which you took part. Nippers is a Team Sport. While individuals win events, it is the participation of a whole team such as yours, that wins the day. At this stage I could perhaps mention some of the names of our Nippers who excelled, but my opinion is that it was the whole team and no one individual who contributed to the success of the Summerstrand under 10 team. Well Done to ALL of you.

Somehow we will have to generate enough enthusiasm to get parents and Nippers to stay on for a few minutes after the final event has been run. We would like to say a few words of encouragement and provide some indication of results. Perhaps we should have a short break just before the final event. This would allow us to talk about the day and leave just enough time for a team photograph.

Peter
26.1.2007.
vSUMMERSTRAND SURF LIFESAVING
NIPPERS. 17 April 2007.

Awards proposals for April 2007.


Under 10 awards proposals:
Boy Girl
Most Promising Nipper Matthew Wilson Lara Odendaal
Most Improved Nipper Tristan Koen JamieLee Engelke
Nipper of the year Matthew McGillivray Christie Vaughn
Sportsmanship Christian Fraser
Persistence Kim Van Greunen
Bravery & Determination Maurice Millard Ally Giddy

General
Malibu Board Matthew McGillivray
Swimmer Christie Vaughn
Run-Swim-Run Christie Vaughn
Club Captain: willing, Helpful Maurice Millard
Enthusiasm Kei Hodgson Ally Giddy
Best Competitor on the beach Meghan Derry
Top Team Performance Either the U10 team as a whole or the U10 Taplin team.
Top Competitor at Nationals Matthew McGillivray.

NIPPERS
East Cape Carnival March 2007

This year the provincial carnival was to be held in Plettenberg Bay. Everyone loves Plett as a weekend away. In addition the beach is a superb venue for a Carnival. The Plett Nippers club has improved their clubhouse with the addition of a deck and bar area above the area where they store their boards. This is ideal for scoring and announcing the events. I am sure that this also contributes to the Nippers team spirit as it will attract parents to the beach to support the youngsters. Barbara, Ally & I are extremely fortunate that my mother, Ena, lives in Plett. We have a very convenient place to stay and she always makes sure that we are well fed.

The carnival started at midday on the Saturday. Keith had brought the trailer and as soon as he arrived we set up the tent and hauled out the boards. The day started with Flags and then moved on to the heats for the running and water events. It was mainly the team events on the Saturday afternoon. The Under 10’s had fourteen participants, some of whom were experiencing their first carnival. We had 7 boys and 7 girls. Personally my biggest challenge is to see that everyone takes part. We have witnessed a growth in the nippers who started last year from being terrified of going into the sea to now being quite confident and scoring points for the team.

A year ago Ally really did not want to go on a board without me being in the water with her and now she seems to be quite confident on her own. The Malibu Board is the one that is scariest of all to the U10’s. But even there I find that once they are past the breakers they seem to be able to cope incredibly well. The final event of the day was the run swim run. In both boys and girls the U10’s fielded 6 out of the seven that were there.

By about 5.00pm we were all pretty exhausted and were quite happy when we heard that we had run the last race for the day. That evening we met friends for supper at the restaurant on the beach and had an early night. Paddy Hodgson has a really nasty accident as he ran out to the water to see if Kei was okay he put his foot into one of the holes that we all experienced as we came out of the water. This was in the shallows but quite treacherous. This is the sms that I received from Tinkie: “Paddy shattered his 5th metatarsal bone so is out of action for 8 to 12 weeks.” Paddy and I were going to do the corporate triathlon on Thursday 15th. This is part of the Ironman activities. It is a 1/10th of the real event.

On Sunday morning we were on the beach early and the first event was the long run. We heard that Summerstrand was second overall on points and we planned to do all that we could to at least retain our position. Plett, being the host seemed to have a larger than usual number of Nippers. Sardinia bay was very well supported. We could see that the U12’s were doing well and we now had the participation of the Summerstrand U14’s who had only been able to come through to Plett on the Sunday due to a Waterpolo commitment at Grey.

There was a slight Easterly wind blowing and this kept the sea warm but choppy. Clint was in the water the full two days doing his duty as a safety officer. He told me that he was beginning to fill the chill of the water. Dads are incredible in the way that they support the U10’s in particular. As soon as there is a water event a whole host of dads rush out into the water and lend a hand to ensure that the Nippers are able to get through the surf. Charles, Donald, Alex and many other Sards dads in particular are there to assist. There was a strong rip from left to right and this made getting past the first buoy difficult unless you were positioned correctly.

We had two wonderful days on the beach. Saturday had been particularly hot and Sunday was slightly overcast so we had a bit of shelter from the sun. Summerstrand had their tent up as a central gathering point and also to provide shade for parents and Nippers alike. The local tuck shop and hamburger stand seemed to do well out of Summerstrand. I saw many ice creams and hamburgers being consumed as the nippers tried to replenish some of that spent energy.

After the last of the Flags events there was a short period where we packed up and then it was a prize giving and results announcements. The Summerstrand U10’s did well to achieve a second place and a number of the individuals received Medals as well. The difference between ourselves and Sardinia Bay was minimal. Sardinia Bay won all three age categories. They were very deserving of the win as they fielded a full complement team and appeared to work together as evidenced by their turnout after the final event when they stood together and had a victory cheer and then a group swim. I thought Plett might do better as they too had a larger than normal team for the carnival.

Barbara recorded the U10 results. I have set the results out to give an indication of how the teams and individuals scored for the club.

On the way home from the carnival we came across Keith & Grant Miskin. They were unfortunate to have their vehicle breakdown but had the AA on the way to assist. However the story does not end here. I phoned Keith the next day and it turns out that his Nissan 2.5l Diesel which is practically new and just had its 40 000kay service had a loose water hose clamp. The engine had seized and the vehicle had to be towed back to George. Luckily they were able to hitch a ride with Roger but the vehicle repair is another issue that has to be resolved.

On the way home we phoned Herman Brink and he had completed the Argus Cycle in an excellent time of 3H23. He was delighted despite the cramps that he experienced going up Suikerbossie Hill. We also spoke to Gerald Scheepers. He was still riding with his daughter Ronelle and called later to tell us that he had finished in 6.30hours and his wife Pat had managed under five hours. It seems that the conditions in Cape Town were ideal.

On that Sunday Gerrit Schellens, Last years Ironman Winner had flown into Port Elizabeth. I contacted him and his wife Nadine came to us for supper on Tuesday evening. A few weeks earlier I had met Shenley on a run and had promised him that if I Gerrit came to visit I would invite him as well. As it turned out Shenley was hosting an Argentinian, Mario (also an Ironman competitor) as well as Simon from Pretoria. Gerrit & I had met Simon the previous year and Simon had offered to sponsor Gerrit with his brand of sunglasses. Gerrit was staying at the Guesthouse of the late Lloyd Lindsay with some friends from Belgium; Marino, Elke and daughter Yerta. Marino is a two time winner of Ironman and Elke has done 6 Ironman events before. It was her who would be doing the race in PE and Marino would be doing the baby sitting. Charles, Suzanne and Emma also joined us for supper.

My brother in law, Roger and his wife Tory were also in PE for a few days. Roger and Tory live in New York and are friends of Ian and Jenny there. They help out with the Costa Rica farm as well as some other properties that Ian owns. Roger had brought some documents for me to sign regarding the trust that Ian was setting up to acquire some conservation property in SA.

Barbara and Ally were at a school Gala where Ally was taking part. Ally won her Butterfly event and achieved a 2nd, 3rd and fourth place finish in the other events that evening. They arrived home at about 19.00. Gerrit & I had prepared the supper of spaghetti Boglonaise. I though I had prepared a mountain of food but soon realised that even two boxes of spaghetti and a huge dish of meat and vegetable sauce was only just enough to feed these athletes. It was a perfect PE evening and we were able to sit outside. I still had some Gatti ice lollies left and we had these for desert. I drove the visitors home and was home just after 9pm. It had been a lovely evening. Meeting new people and enjoying their company.