CRCC has a growing number of junior paddlers who either paddle just for the fun of it or get more serious and race at both club,state, national and international levels.
Children can generally start to paddle from about 8 years old, although several of our youngest memebers have started even earlier. Juniors under the age of 12 are refered to as “Guppies” in reference to the class of boat they paddle being either a Guppy K1 (single) or Guppy K2 (double). The primary pre-requisite is that they can confidently swim about 50m unaided.
Juniors of all ages race on Tuesday nights starting at 5:30pm at Riverton Bridge over a variety of courses ranging from about 2km up to about 5km. The two main race formats are Nomination and PB (Personal Best). In nomination races, the paddler advises the time they believe they will finish the race in and the winner is the closest to their nominated time – meaning anyone can win. In a PB race, the winner is the paddler that beats their 3 week average PB by the most. There is fee of $2 to enter a Tuesday night race and a small prize is awarded to the winner.
The club also organises other non-competitive events throughout the year, so if racing is not your thing, there are other fun paddling activities to participate in.
Junior Safety Rules
1. All juniors must be able to swim 50m unaided. It is the parents responsibility to inform us if their child can’t swim 50m unaided as we do not put them through a swim assessment.
2. All juniors must wear an appropriate PFD when on the water. This is at all times – no exceptions. The PFD must be suitable for the weight of the child and must be secure fitting. In other words the PFD must not ride up when the child is in the water and must be able to hold their weight so their head is clear and above the water. If unsure please ask us.
3. When paddling near or after dusk, the child must have a light on their person. It is important that the light is securely fitted to the child so that they can be seen if they are separated from their boat. NO light, NO race.
4. All boats must have a light attached that is visible from 360 degrees. This is actually a State law and therefore must be adhered to by all paddlers.
5. All juniors must assist each other in getting their boats to and from the water by buddying up. They must also take responsibility for washing equipment and taking it back to the trailers. An adult will actually load and upload the boats on the trailers.
6. A junior cannot go onto the water unless an escort is already on the water. Juniors must assemble together on the shore and wait for an escort to actually be on the water before they can then get on the water themselves.
7. Once on the water juniors must stay together or as otherwise directed by an escort. Juniors cannot paddle away from an escort and must follow instructions from an escort.
8. The race course and names of escort paddlers will be put on the Notice Board outside the gazebo. If anyone is unfamiliar or not sure about the course, they should ask.
9. If a child capsizes they should hold on to their boat and paddle and start to move/swim towards the shore. Generally an escort will be close by and can assist in getting back in the boat.
10. If there are any questions or concerns on the night or any other time in regard to juniors they should ask Steve Egger or Dave Brown.
For more information on the CRCC Junior Program contact the Clubs Coaching Coordinator click here
