Balmoral Nippers

Yesterday marked the official end of the Nipper’s season across NSW and for us it feels timely to bid adieu to our fantastic summer of fun.

"Where are they", they said... TBH we did contemplate a Duchess style photogate - did the season even happen? - but we thought you would want one last real note from us…

Presentation Day

We’re still bursting with pride and gratitude over Presentation Day. Honestly, there is nothing better than the look on the faces of those awarded ‘Spirit of Nippers’ or ‘Most Improved’. They don’t expect it and they are unreservedly joyful when they front up to the stage. If you’re keen to reflect on the day and those who took home trophies, you can visit the Nippers website for Champs scores, here. 

This year we celebrate the achievements of our Bronzies and their families’ who are parting ways with the program. We don’t blame their emotions; their Mum’s / Dad’s / carers have been doing the early Sunday morning slog for up to 9 years, playing Russian roulette with parking inspectors all in the spirit of enabling their little ones to participate in Australia’s best Nippers program (at least we think it's the best). We know you have made every moment count and we couldn't be prouder of the collective efforts of all Bronzies who participated this season. 

It's also about this time in the program that some of the younger tweens get itchy feet to ditch that dreaded beach run for other pursuits. We encourage them to hang in there - we promise their sense of achievement and mateship will make it all worthwhile in the end. What’s not to love about hanging with a bunch of your besties at the beach every week?!

Balmoral Nippers Hall of Fame

First up, let’s give a round of high-fives to our rockstar sponsors - Auscap, Mosman BMW and The Buena. We also thank Mosman Council for sharing the beach with us every week. Together their unwavering commitment to our cause has been the cornerstone of our success, providing the resources and support needed to nurture the next generation of surf lifesavers. Without your generous support, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the program as it stands today. Ten cheers to you for keeping us afloat (literally)!

Now, onto the real MVPs - Will, Annie, and all members of the Green Crew and Shed Crew. You guys deserve a medal for voluntarily wrangling the kids, turning chaos into organised chaos. From untangling knotted ropes and managing lost property, to organising Champs’ courses and insurance, you continue to be a jack of all trades and we give you a standing ovation as our unsung heroes of the beach. Annie, if there was a Hall of Fame, we’d be inducting you (and your partner in crime, Scott) this year. Thank you.

If you would love to contribute to this great program like Burney above, we’ll have new openings for Green Crew next season. It’s wholly rewarding and a little social too (occasional drinks at the Club included), so please get in touch with us to share your interest!

And let’s not forget our beloved Sharkies, the heart and soul of our all-inclusive program. Your enthusiasm and infectious smiles fill our cups with happiness and remind us that the true measure of success lies not in coming first, but in the pure joy of coming together as a community, for each other. You’re the true champions of the surf and we’re blooming proud to deliver the Sharkie’s Program.

Nipper’s friends raise vital funds for the Zero Childhood Cancer program

Before we wrap up this essay, we leave you with the story of the season. The incredible Claudia and Elsie, who are both members of Balmoral Nippers, have been training for the 1km Balmoral Swim for Cancer this coming weekend. Some of you may have read that their motivation goes far beyond personal achievement.

Claudia and Elsie are swimming to raise vital funds for the Children’s Cancer Institute’s Zero Childhood Cancer program, which aims to find personalised cures for childhood cancers. Their commitment is all in support of their dear friend Jacob Weston, who was diagnosed with leukaemia just before they started primary school. 

It is hard to find the words to recognise their incredible contribution; no child should ever have to have cancer in their orbit, and we send our love to Claudia, Elsie and Jacob.

If you are able, please donate ahead of their big swim this weekend. You can do so at the following links:

 Balmoral Swim For Cancer - Claudia Boylan-Fear

 Balmoral Swim For Cancer - Elsie Lisney

Good luck to everyone participating in the Balmoral Swim for Cancer this weekend. You can find out more information about it, here.

Feeling all the feels…

The end of the season can be an emotional time for some. Our memories are inextricably tied to watching our kids grow summer after summer, bringing all the feels when it’s time to pack away the Nippers cap. We think we spotted some tears on the beach at Presentation Day, but perhaps for the stoic ones it was just sunscreen in your eyes, yeah? I’m not crying, you are!

As we pack away the flags, fold our rashies and bid farewell to another epic season, let’s raise our sand-filled water bottles to all Nippers far and wide.

Until we meet again, 

The Nippers Crew

We were handed yet another stellar day last week, perfect for seeing out the last full session ahead of Presentation Day this coming Sunday. We particularly enjoyed watching the Nippers beat parents in tug-o-war and the Age Managers who gave their all to inspire the 4s.

We also loved that the 5B girls collected synthetic confetti that blew over from the Rotunda and disposed of it properly in support environmental safety. Kudos to their Age Manager who improvised and made a game out of the task at hand. 

Bronzies setting the example

The Bronzies finished with a focused session on learning important life saving techniques and theory. A special shout out goes to one of our Bronzies, Jackson, who in addition to always being super helpful, gave a speech to the 9 Boys about what to expect from the program. With a sincere dose of encouragement, Jackson’s words, together with all the Bronzies who give their time to help with the sessions, set a great example for the younger folk coming through the ranks.

Nippers who graduate from the 11s age group are encouraged to participate in the RLSSA Bronze Medallion program ("Bronzies"). This is a two year program where children learn more about surf lifesaving and the practical aspects of the skills needed and is supported by Surf Lifesaving Australia Lifeguards. If children are keen, they can then go on to earn their SLSA Bronze Medallion. Pretty cool, huh!

Presentation Day fun!

For our newbies yet to experience the final session, the time has come to have our Presentation Day where we work to ensure the kids enjoy maximum FUN and we take the time to celebrate the wonderful achievements of our Balmoral Nippers over the course of the 23/24 season. 

We will run a 30 minute program of games and activities in the normal age groups and then we will ask Nippers and their families to congregate at the front of the Beach Club for the closing event. We hand out participation medals at the end of the season for all children in age groups 4-8 inclusive. Special Awards are given for Spirit of Nippers and Most Improved Nipper across all age groups. And while the focus for the main Nippersprogram is on fun and participation, we do have some more competitive awards reserved for our Champs.

This is followed by the allllll important sausage sizzle, generously provided by our sponsor, The Buena.

We need your help to run The Buena BBQ this weekend!

We're cooking up a storm to celebrate the end of the season on Sunday, and we need some 'grilliant' volunteers to make it sensational fun for everyone. As they say, many hands make light work!

It is easy to register yourself as a volunteer. Just add your name on this link.

That’s all for now folks, 

Cheers,

The Nippers Crew

PS. A reminder that the 5s are on set up and pack down this weekend, but frankly, everyone should pitch in!

PPS. We hope those who made the T Swizzle concert loved it, and to those who didn’t make it, we hope you have been able to mend the broken hearts. Hats off to all of the carers out there who had to ‘manage expectations’. Taylor will certainly be back!

We’re not sure about you, but Taylor Swift mania has reached fever pitch for some of our little Balmoral Nippers... Some haters gonna hate, but we’re just gonna shake it off and have a jolly good time getting swept up in the hype. If Sunday is not a sea of Swiftie wrist bands traded in the school yard, have we really even lived?

Tay Tay aside, let’s not forget the textbook perfect day we had last Sunday. Conditions were totally calm and ideal for working on swimming technique, board speed and a dash of wheelbarrow rides. Hats off to some of the Parent Helpers for their creativity!

Setting big goals and the satisfaction of achieving them

This season our 7B boys have been working tirelessly toward the goal of reaching the buoys, and guess what? They nailed it on Sunday! Their determination and perseverance paid off in spades, serving as a pretty cool example of what can be achieved with a bit of consistency, mateship and teamwork. We hope it's a lasting memory for them, an invaluable lesson to take through life. 

As we near the end of the season, please take a moment to thank your Parent Helpers and any Green Crew you see working around the clock to make this season one of the best yet for our kids. As we have mentioned before, the coordination of the program is almost entirely run by volunteers working at night and on the weekend to prepare for each week. It’s pretty inspirational when you piece together all their hard work, so they deserve a lot of nice praise over the next two weeks 

Cheers,

The Nippers Crew

PS. Tay & Trav should really think of adding Balmoral Nippers to their Sunday itinerary this weekend.

PPS. Thanks to Millie, Coco and Amelie for helping this ghost writer’s daughter finish Champs last Sunday. You girls have great values and continue to be incredible. We thank you for your kindness.

PPPS. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22!

G'day everyone! Before you start wondering if we’ve been swept out to sea by one of Sunday’s rogue waves, let us (actually me, the ghost writer) apologise for the tardiness of this update. It seems like we have been busier than a seagull at a fish and chip shop lately!

Speaking of Sunday’s waves, they were a little bit wild. While Balmoral could have been mistaken for Freshy, the beach conditions were perfect for our Nippers to learn about swim safety. Wave breaks, currents, diving under the wave, maneuvering boards over the waves, and the science of seaweed and king tides made for some pretty cool Nipperslearning. Here’s hoping your bags didn’t get too wet and you all made it out of there in one piece.

This week we give another shout out to Coco, who you may recall from last week’s newsletter. While Coco was doing Champs last Sunday, she stopped mid-race to collect rubbish and bring it back to the shore on her board. The Nipper’s Crew couldn’t be prouder of your eco act, Coco. You have again been a shining example of what makes our Nippers community so special.

If you spot a Nipper doing a heroic act of kindness and living by our values, please report it to the Nippers Crew so that we can celebrate their good deed accordingly.

Last but never least, a reminder to parents of the 10’s & 11's that you are on ‘set up and pack down’ duties this weekend. Please present to the Shed Crew from 8am to help us get sorted for the morning.

With just a couple more weeks left in the season, let’s make every session count, especially for those families whose kids are growing up and completing Nippers and Bronzies this season.

Cheers,

The Nippers Crew

PS. TGIF!

As we move toward the final weeks of our Nippers season, allow us to share a heartwarming tale that embodies the very essence of our beach community.

 

Picture this: amidst the excitement of the Champs swim, a girl named Coco found herself facing the daunting long swim, taking the plunge anyway, albeit reluctantly. Fate had a special twist in store for her in the form of her friend, Millie.

As Coco valiantly navigated the waves, Millie, with a heart as vast as the ocean, decided to wait at the shoreline to help her friend to the finish line. As Coco was coming into the shore, Millie was there waiting to extend her helping hand and together they crossed the finish line. Needless to say, there have been parents’ hearts melting everywhere over this tale of friendship.

To Coco and Millie, wherever you may be, we extend our gratitude to you both. Your acts of perseverance and kindness, going above and beyond in this way, truly embodies the essence of what it means to be a Balmoral Nipper. 

Parents, we need your help :)

And in the spirit of helping each other, let's not forget the vital role parents play in shaping this experience. We encourage all parents to be present and active in supporting our Age Managers each week. Your presence not only ensures the safety of our little ones, but also positively contributes to your kids' memories of Nippers which we know they'll cherish for years to come. Remember, it takes a village to raise a Nipper, so let’s do this together!

Oh, and before we forget, a gentle reminder to the parents of the 9s - you're on 'set up and pack down' duty this Sunday from 8 am.

Cheers,

The Nippers Crew

PS. There are just four sessions to go. Mark your calendars for Presentation Day on 3 March 2024.