Season 2009-10

Coogee Minnows is Australias longest continually running Junior Surf Lifesaving Club and a dynamic part of the Coogee Beach community.

Minnows offers a fun and active lifestyle choice for children between the ages of 5 and 13, as well as a solid base for learning and competition in beach activities. Kids in Minnows are tought everything from sun and surf safety, beach sprints and board paddling, all the way to life saving skills like CPR and water rescues.

The Minnows family is not just about the children, it also encoupases parents who choose to get involved with either teaching beach activities to the kids or who want to achive their own milestones like completing their Bronze Certificate.

Latest News:  

• This Sunday is Life Saving Training Day

• Join the Ray White NRL footy tipping comp for a chance to win a 50" Plasma TV. Click here for more details

• Calendar UPDATED
  with new LAST DAY ON THE BEACH
  (March 21st for ALL Nippers)

• AGM and Presentation Day, Sunday March 28th
  Randwick Labour Club, Alison Rd Randwick
  

  • AGM - 12 Noon

  • Presentations from 1pm sharp

  
  Click here for the latest calendar

The latest copy of 'The Minnow Mail' is here!.

To get on the weekly mailout send a request to info@coogeeminnows.com.au
and include your child's name and age group.

We'd like to thank the generous and continued sponsorship of:

Platinum Sponsor
Ray White Real Estate Randwick/Coogee South

Gold Sponsors: 
Medina Executive Apartments, 7-Eleven

Minor Sponsors: 
KnowLogo Apparel, Ella Bache Coogee Beach, Between The Flags, Rebel Sport.

Enrolment Information

Registrations for season 2010-11 will occur in September.
Please visit this website any time from July to confirm the exact date and time.

We are not taking any pre-registrations at this time.

Registration Form can be downloaded here

Proficiency Swims

In order to participate in water activities on the beach, individuals must achieve a minimum proficiency level.

This minimum requirement, established by Surf Lifesaving Australia, is known as a Preliminary Evaluation . This is the proficiency evaluation that will take place on the two registration days.

At the two registration days, juniors will be encouraged to undergo preliminary evaluation to participate in water activities on the beach. Each boy and girl will be timed and nippers that want to compete will have to complete the Competition Evaluation in first few weeks on the beach. This is a change from previous seasons where competition evaluations could be done in the pool

How Parents can get involved at Coogee Minnows!
We are continually working to make the Coogee Minnows a club where all children feel proud to be a member, where they learn individual and team skills on the beach and in the surf, and above all where they have a great time each weekend. 

Coogee Minnows proudly boasts the best parent participation of all the Junior Surf Life Saving Clubs. Currently we have over 140 qualified Water Safety volunteers (Bronze Certificate minimum qualification) and a further 250 parent Age Assistants on the beach.

As a voluntary organisation we need help from you, the parents and guardians, to be able to make Minnows an enjoyable experience for all our 840 Minnows.

Click here for the complete training schedule for Minnows parents

This year we are continuing with our program of team activities on the beach. This means we will continue to need Age Group Assistants to provide support to the Age Managers. These positions are supported by officials to help with marshalling age groups, recording places for races, and teams to assist in setting up the beach each Sunday.

We will also require qualified water safety officers in the surf (must have Bronze Medallion) during swimming and board events.

We are always looking for volunteers to help in the surf education activities (assisting age convenors guide the children through the simple workbooks during the season).

We will be in contact with last year's age convenors to confirm your continued involvement shortly.

We will be very happy to discuss any of these roles with you at the Registration days. This year's Bronze Squads, to obtain your surf bronze medallion, and therefore work with the kids in the water, will be trained via the Senior Club, so please indicate your interest for this also.

Our NEXT Bronze group is the Summer Bronze 2010.

Bronze training for Minnows parents will in early February with pre-training to get parents beach and swim fit starting the two weeks prior.

It is our intention to get the assessment done in the first week of March.

Please talk to us about participating in the Bronze Certificate course at the registration days.

Bronze Certificate qualified parents are essential to the success of Coogee Minnows.

Important Dates for Parents:
Bronze Course - Dad's Army VII - Began Feb 2010. Click here for more.

Registration Days - CLOSED

Sunday March 7th - Regular Nippers Day at Coogee AND...

Sunday March 7th - Rescheduled Junior Branch Championships at Elouera

Sunday March 21 -  6's & 7's presentation day. LAST DAY ON THE BEACH

Sunday March 28 -  AGM and 8's - 14's Presentation day
                                at Randwick Labour Club

Tass Karozis
Minnows Captain

Each age group, with the exception of the Under 6s and 7s, has different qualifications and requirements, which must be met to enable them to participate in Minnows' water-based activities and compete in inter-club carnivals.

In order to participate in water activities on the beach, individuals must achieve a minimum proficiency level. This minimum requirement, established by Surf Lifesaving Australia, is known as a Preliminary Evaluation. This is the proficiency evaluation that will take place on the two registration days.

Minnows that want to compete for Coogee must also complete their Competition Evaluation. This is required before registering for any competition, including Randwick Shield, Branch and State carnivals. These will take place before our first competition, Randwick Shield, on the beach in November.

Age group	Preliminary Evaluation	Competition Evaluation Timed OCEAN Swim
Under 6 & 7	NO SWIMMING	Nil
Under 8	25 metre swim (any stroke) 1 minute survival float	Nil
Under 9	25 metre swim (any stroke) 1 minute survival float	150m ocean swim within 10 minutes
Under 10	25 metre swim (freestyle) 1.5 minute survival float	150m ocean swim within 10 minutes
Under 11	50 metre swim (freestyle) 2 minute survival float	288m ocean swim within 10 minutes
Under 12	100 metre swim (freestyle) 2 minute survival float	288m ocean swim within 9 minutes
Under 13	150 metre swim (freestyle) 3 minute survival float	288m ocean swim within 9 minutes
Under 14	200 metre swim (freestyle in under 5 min). 3 minute survival float	288m ocean swim within 8 minutes
Notes	P.E will take place at registration days	C.E must be successfully completed before a junior member is eligible for competition and before December 31 st .

THIS IS A MANDATORY REQUIREMENT FOR YOUR CHILDREN TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN WATER-BASED ACTIVITIES OR COMPETE FOR THE CLUB.

The beach-based activities include the beach run, where children will sprint a pre-determined course along the sand, and the flags event.

Club caps must be worn at all times during Minnows' activities. All competitors must wear club caps and must finish events with the cap on the head and tied under the chin.

Caps are worn for safety reasons so children can be seen in the water and differentiated from Water Safety Officers.

Water safety officers wear ORANGE caps, Surf LifeSavers wear RED & YELLOW caps. Caps MUST be removed after signing off at the end of Sunday morning activities.

Age Beach & Water Events.
Under 8s
Sprint, Flags, Wade races & relays.
Under 9s to Under 14s
Sprint, Flags, Surf swim, Surfboard, Iron person, relays, team events.

Life Saving Skills Days
All age groups from the under 8's to the Under 14's learn true lifesaving skills to begin their journey to becoming Coogee Surf Club life savers.

Club Championship Events and Scratch Day
These events are held without handicaps, all children start on go and races are in age groups. There are (3) three Championship days and the combined "aggregate" of the scores of the three days determines the championship winners.

Iron Person Events
All children in the Under 10s - Under 14s compete in Iron Person events, with the course incorporating a swim and board leg and a short sprint.

Other events
Other age relays, team relays, team surf events, rescue races and special fun events are also held during the season. Details of these - and all other events - can be found on the special Coogee Minnows calendar you received in your registration kit.

All Minnows are instructed in surf safety and awareness and are tested by the club. Children will receive the necessary instruction to achieve their award throughout the season. This is called the Surf Education and Skills Development program. This program is an essential part of the Minnows season, a requirement for participation in major carnivals, and is the official award from SLSA (Surf Lifesaving Australia).

The program for each age group is as follows: Under 8s Surf Awareness 1; Under 9s Surf Awareness 2; Under 10s Surf Safety 1; Under 11s Surf Safety 2; Under 12s Surf Smart 1; Under 13s Surf Smart 2; Under 14s Surf Life Saving Certificate.

Water event conditions
The safety of the children is our first concern. The Minnows Captain or Patrol Captain are the only people authorised to allow water events to start or to continue in the case of doubtful conditions.
When children are in the water, there is an official minimum ratio of Water Safety Officers to children. If the level is not achieved, water events cannot continue.

We have a supply of almost 100 Nipper boards and children are able to use these boards during competition. 

Under 9s & Under 10s use a foam surf board. 

Under 11s through to Under 13s can use either the foam boards or fibre glass boards. 

The under 14s will this season be using our new Racing Mals. Only under 14s who have been trained on these boards are allowed to use them.

All these boards are expensive to repair and replace. They are only available for Sunday morning Minnows activities or for supervised training. They are not available for general recreation. Club boards used by children must be taken back to the shed.

We are not a babysitting service. Minnows can take three hours or more on some days so it is imperative that parents NEVER leave their child unattended at Minnows.

Although the aim of Minnows is to educate your children about the fundamentals of surf awareness and surf safety, Minnows is not a 'learn to swim' program. Children are expected to be able to confidently swim the required distance for their age group (as stated earlier in this handbook) BEFORE they are able to compete in any water events.

Click here for the complete training schedule for Minnows parents

We are continually working to make the Coogee Minnows a club where all children feel proud to be a member, where they learn individual and team skills on the beach and in the surf, and above all where they have a great time each weekend. As a voluntary organisation we need help from you, the parents and guardians, to be able to make this happen.

This year we are continuing with our program of team activities on the beach. This means we will continue to need Age Group Assistants to provide support to the Age Managers. These positions are supported by officials to help with marshalling age groups, recording places for races, and teams to assist in setting up the beach each Sunday.

We will also require qualified water safety officers in the surf (must have Bronze Medallion) during swimming and board events.

I am also looking for volunteers to help in the surf education activities (assisting age convenors guide the children through the simple workbooks during the season).

We will be in contact with last year's age convenors to confirm your continued involvement shortly.

Please indicate on the tear-off slip attached how you would like to become involved with the Coogee Minnows surf club in any of the roles indicated, and return this with your completed registration forms.

We will be very happy to discuss any of these roles with you at the Registration days. This year's Bronze Squads, to obtain your surf bronze medallion, and therefore work with the kids in the water, will be trained via the Senior Club, so please indicate your interest for this also.

Our NEXT Bronze group is the Summer Bronze

They  begin training on February 10th. If you have any interest in this Bronze course and need more information please send an email to info@coogeeminnows.com.au.

Bronze Certificate qualified parents are essential to the
success of Coogee Minnows.

REGISTRATION & PROFICIENCY SWIM ARRANGEMENTS:

Registrations for season 2009-10 have now CLOSED to new members.

Due to overwhelming support for Minnows this season we have closed registrations to any new members after two very succesful sessions. We apologise if you've missed out.

Registration Form can be downloaded here

Registration fees, for this season will be unchanged:

• $95.00 per child, or 

• $135.00 for two children

• $165.00 for three or more children from one family (GST inclusive).

Note: We NOW ACCEPT Cash and Cheques, 
EFTPOS, Visa and MasterCard (charges may apply)

All registering Minnows will receive a Coogee Minnows T-shirt as part of their registration fee. All Minnows must have a club cap, which if you are a new Minnow, can be purchased on registration day for $15. We are continuing with the reversible caps with the club colours on one side and a single age group colour on the other.

Age groups have their own colour, which remains the same for each following season, so keep your colour caps from last season.

All the Minnows Club gear including swimming costumes and hats (not compulsory), are available to purchase on the Registration days, and at the beach each Sunday - 8.30 - 9.30am.

Proficiency Swims: Please Read

In order to participate in water activities on the beach, individuals must achieve a minimum proficiency level. This minimum requirement, established by Surf Lifesaving Australia, is known as a Preliminary Evaluation. This is the proficiency evaluation that will take place on the two registration days.

Minnows that want to compete for Coogee must also complete their Competition Evaluation. This is required before registering for any competition, including Randwick Shield, Branch and State carnivals. These will take place before our first competition, Randwick Shield, on the beach in November.

Registration Form can be downloaded here

SEASON 2009-2010 CALENDAR

Dates 2008	BBQ/Beach set-up	Activity
Sunday September 27		Season Logistics Day 9:30-10:30am Under 6's info session - what happens at Minnows  11:00-12 noon Compulsory Logistics training session for Age Managers, Water Safety & previous season Age Assistants At the Coogee Surf Club - for those who have attended this course prior
Sunday October  11		FIRST DAY ON THE BEACH Introduction - Meet and greet: Activities - Registration and proficiencies
Sunday October 18	13's & 14's	Surf Education - Teams Day 1 - Iron Man: Randwick Shield Teams Selected: 10:45 am Skills Information session for Age Assistants
Sunday October 25	12's	John Mudge Day - Fun Day (U/6 - U/7)
Saturday October 31		1:30-4:30pm Training Workshop for ALL NEW Age Assistants and Water Safety at the Coogee Bay Hotel (Seaview Room Level 2) - For anyone who has NOT attended this course prior.
Sunday November 1	11's	Skill and Handicap Day 1 &  Training for Randwick Shield
Sunday November 8	10's	Life Saving Skills day and Surf Ed
Sunday November 15	9's	Teams Day 2 - Iron Man
Friday November 20		7.00pm -9.30pm: Minnows Parents Cocktail Party - Coogee Surf Club
Sunday November 22	8's	Surf Ed and  Training Day for  Randwick Shield
Sunday November 30		Randwick Shield (U/8 - U/14) - at Maroubra (No Nippers for Under 6's and 7's) Coogee SLSC hosting Island Challence @ Coogee
Friday 4th - Sunday 6th December		Branch Development Camp for U/13's  Port Hacking
Saturday December 5		South Maroubra Carnival
Sunday December 6	7's	Skill and Handicap Day 2
Sunday December 13		Sponsors Day and Christmas Cheer
Dates 2009		4 weeks holiday - No activities
Sunday January 10	6's	Skills Development Life Saving for Under 9's -13's
Sunday January 17	13's & 14's	Teams Day 3 - Iron Man
Wed-Fri January 21&22	2 days	Coogee Minnows Surf Camp at  Coogee Beach
Sunday January 24	12's	Skills Training, Team Training, Iron Person Races - PREPARATION FOR BRANCH
Friday 29th to  Sunday 31st February		Branch Development Camp for U/11's  Port Hacking
Sunday January 31st	10's & 11's	Coogee Jnr Inter-Club Gala Day Coogee v Clovelly v Bronte
Saturday February 6	Minnows Team BBQ	Coogee Open Carnival
Sunday February 7	Good Luck all Coogee Competitors	Sydney Branch Junior Carnival @ Eloura (Fun Day at Coogee for U6's & 7's)
Sunday February 14	9's	Minnows Age Championships
Friday 19th to Sunday 21st Feb	Good Luck all Coogee Competitors	NSW Open Championships Carnival - Swansea
Sunday February 21	8's BBQ @ Club	Skillls and Handicap Day
Sunday February 28	7's BBQ @ Club	Surf Ed and Assesment Day
Sunday March 7		Coogee  - Regular Nippers, and RESCEDULED BRANCH CARNIVAL AT ELOUERA
Sunday March 14		Lifesaving Teams Comp 9's-13's
Sunday March 21		6's and 7's Presentations Last Sunday of Season for ALL AGES ON THE BEACH
Sunday March 28		8 - 14's Presentation Day and Annual General Meeting at Labor Club in Randwick

Download a copy of the calendar

................................................................................

The Coogee Surf Lifesaving Club is one of Sydney's oldest surf clubs. The Minnows is the junior ("Nipper") division of the club and meets each week on Coogee Beach at 8:45am.

The 2009/2010 Minnows season runs from the second Sunday in October 11th 2009 - until the last weekend in March, with a break during Christmas/New Year.

The age groups are Under 6s through to Under 14s and your child's group is determined by their age as at October 1 of the current season. Under 6s and 7s children attend on an educational basis and are given a non-competitive (game-based) introduction to the beach and Minnows' activities.

Children in the Under 8s age group compete in beach activities and wade races, while activities for children in the Under 9s and above include surf swims and board events. All children in the older age groups compete in beach and water events and are taught surf life saving skills. All age groups participate in our surf education program.

Minnows' activities are aimed at teaching your children the basics of surf awareness and water safety. These skills, combined with beach activities, are designed to be fun, educative and enable your children to become lifesavers themselves and compete for the club if they wish. Each age group is managed by an Age Convenor, who runs the activities and can answer any questions that may arise during the season.

You will notice that whenever your children are in the water, there will always be a number of Water Safety Officers (WSOs) also present who are qualified lifesavers. Their role is to assist the children in their water-based activities and ensure their safety. These WSOs are supported by Coogee Beach lifesavers on rescue boards and an inflatable rescue boat (IRB).

We hope you and your children enjoy your involvement with the Coogee Minnows and we look forward to seeing you on the beach each Sunday.

Tass Karozis
Coogee Minnows Captain

It is our aim to teach the children about all aspects of surf/beach safety including sun protection. However, with all children, the modeling for this protection must come from parents. Please remember for yourself and the children.

Finally, if you have any questions ...

Talk to your Age Convenor on the beach or email them at the addresses below or speak to Minnows Captain, Tass Karozis who is always on the beach.

We hope you have a very enjoyable season with the Coogee Minnows.

Coogee Minnows gratefully acknowledges the commitment and effort of all our Sponsors.

As a community based organisation we rely on the business community to work with us so we can deliver the resources required to all our Nippers

Our Sponsors work with us in many ways and we are always looking for new teams to work with.

As our Platinum Sponsor Ray White Randwick/.Sth Coogee delivers to Coogee Minnows major resources, and we look forward to building our relationship with them over the years to come

This season our Sponsors are

As our Platinum Sponsor Ray White Randwick/.Sth Coogee delivers to Coogee Minnows major resources, and we look forward to building our relationship with them over the years to come.

These Sponsors are supported by a range of community groups and businesses who assist on a direct basis such as sponsoring our boards

We are pleased  that our Racing Mals have been sponsored by
Medina Apartments, Coogee

Also, all our age flags are sponsored by 7-Eleven

For sponsorship enquiries

Please write to us at:

Coogee Minnows
c/- Coogee Surf Club
Cnr. Beach & Carr Streets
Coogee NSW 2034

Or email our Sponsorship Coordinators:
Di or Bruce at sponsorship@coogeeminnows.com.au

Snail Mail:

Coogee Minnows
c/- Coogee Surf Club
PO Box 14
Coogee NSW 2034

Phone: 0408 868 885

Email: mail@coogeeminnows.com.au

Age Managers

Under 6's Age Manager
Under 7's Age Manager
Under 8's Age Manager
Under 9's Age Manager
Under 10's Age Manager
Under 11's Age Manager
Under 12's Age Manager
Under 13's Age Manager
Under 14's Age Manager