Junior Program

Claisebrook Marathon Race, Sunday 4/12/17

Tough conditions greeted CRCC juniors Tom Green and Tim Hyde at the Claisebrook marathon series races. Junior paddler of the year, Luke Egger, still nursing a sore back was on hand to offer the boys a few tips for the hot & windy conditions. Also on hand and making their debut were brothers Morgan & Noah Boldy, doing the short course.

Up front in division 1, Tom had his work cut out dealing with the bumpy conditions thanks to power boat traffic and did well to finish 7th overall and 2nd junior on the day. Tim was locked in a 4-way dice from the gun and just managed to grab line honours in division 2 in a tight finish. Well done to Morgan for finishing his first marathon races.

The CRCC Club Juniors Coordinator is Stuart Hyde  click here

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 members 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 are welcome to join in on Tuesday club nights starting at 5:30pm at Kent Street Weir over summer (Oct to Mar) and Shelley Sailing Club in Winter.  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.

All our junior trainers have Working with Children clearances – you can find copies of these on our Club Documents page.

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.

Parents consent to photography form available here

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 Stuart Hyde.

For more information on the CRCC Junior Program contact the Clubs Juniors Coordinator Stuart Hyde  click here