From the President's Desk
Greetings,
I would like to first extend my congratulations to all of the #WhangaFam selected as finalists for the recent Eastern Region Awards of Excellence. To be represented across the majority of the Coromandel lifesaving award categories as well as being the only Coromandel club with multiple finalists in the sports categories shows that as a club we continue to lead the way in the region. In terms of results; Max Jones was awarded Instructor of the Year for his efforts instructing at both a club level and in the regional space. Additionally, our lifeguards were recognised for their rescue of 9 people on the 31st of March, being presented with the prestigious BP Rescue of the Year for 2017/18. While we don’t do it for the recognition, to be recognised is awesome – well done to everyone involved.
The Board, along with Club Manager Andrea have been working hard on our goals for the coming season and beyond. At the core of this is our commitment to the people of Whangamata and all those that visit ‘the best beach in NZ’ (officially) to provide a world-class beach safety service in order for beach users to enjoy our famous playground. One of the key tools we use as a club to deliver beach patrols is through our two ATVs, often seen roving the sand or responding to beach emergencies. Sadly our existing Kobotas were suffering badly from the effects of their harsh beach existence and I’m pleased to confirm that with the outstanding support of Manco Environmental Ltd and New Zealand Community Trust, the club will have two new Yamaha Viking ATV’s ready to go for the new season. In addition to meeting our roving patrol needs, these fit for purpose vehicles will allow our lifeguards to respond more efficiently and effectively in an emergency to help us deliver on our objective of delivering a world-class lifeguarding service. I’d like to personally thank Manco Managing Director and WSLSC Life Member Mr Bryan Black for his extraordinary generosity in supporting our vision and enabling us to take another great step towards it through this sponsorship – thanks Bryan. With a rapidly changing risk profile of how people are increasingly using the beach / aquatic area, our patrol system & rescue methods must also evolve to keep up with demand. We are working hard on this and hope to confirm more exciting news for the club in the coming month. Stay tuned!
Labour weekend isn’t far away – time to dust of the speedo’s and hit the pool!
Yours in surf,
Nathan Hight
Club President
Club Captain's Update
Hello fellow clubbies,
The season is quickly approaching and the work behind the scenes is starting to ramp up.
Some very exciting opportunities are on offer with the position of Junior Surf Lead Coordinator recently being advertised. In the next few weeks, we will begin to advertise for paid guard positions and the supervisor role. There is no better place to work so if you are interested in any of these roles please apply.
Over the weekend (28th/29th July) we held a club conference and invited all those on committees along to help us as a board and as a club re-align ourselves to a vision and ensure we are progressing in the right direction for the club. The discussion, thoughts and ideas that have come out of that day have been amazing. We are now in the process of putting it altogether to send out to you all in draft to gather some further feedback. We were pleased to see that the club continues to head in a positive direction and it was refreshing to hear new ideas brought to the table, to grow our club even further.
On Sunday we held the paid guard briefing. Thank you to those who made the effort to come along. Some important information from the briefing is below:
- The trial day is Saturday of Labour weekend at 1pm. Be prepared to do: 3km run, theory paper, 2 person CPR and the "run, swim, run"/Adventure challenge.
- You may choose to participate in the morning refresher or not, however it is compulsory that you turn up for the briefing in the morning and then we would appreciate your help.
- Our season will run for 8 weeks this year and the roster may look slightly different to allow for this.
- The roster will also be looked at to best enable our guards to provide a quality service for the entire season and to avoid burn out.
If you have any questions regarding paid guard this season then please contact me, 0211898890 or rachelle.bright@hotmail.com.
As we get closer to the beginning of the season please have a think as to how you're going to help your club during this season and what you can realistically commit to. Many hands make light work to ensure we all have a fun, smooth, safe and enjoyable season.
Cheers,
Rachelle Bright
Surf Sports Update
Pool Champs
I am very excited to say that Week 1 of the WSLSC Pool Championships programme will begin this weekend (28th/29th July). If you are on the fence, or not considering doing pool champs I strongly urge you to get involved. Pool Champs is a side of surf that offers a lot of variety in an all-inclusive, engaging and technically rewarding manner.
Training for pool champs will be held weekly in Auckland, Thames, and Tauranga.
Upcoming Pool Championship events include Day #1 Eastern Region Championships, Day #2 Eastern Region Championships, Northern Region Interclub #2, and Nationals.
Eastern Region Pool Championships
For those interested ER Pool Champs have been split into two days on two weekends. The details for ERPC Day #1 are as follows:
Date: Saturday 18th August 2018Venue: Baywave Pool, Mt MaunganuiAddress: Corner Girven Road & Gloucester Rd, Bayfair, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga 3116 Entries close: 2pm Wednesday 1st August 2018 Entry fees: $25.00 entry fee per competitor (GST Inclusive), $10.00 per substitute (GST inclusive)
These are the draft events for ERPC Day #1…
Seniors; 100m Manikin Tow with Fins, 100m Manakin Carry with Fins, 200m Swim with Obstacles, Line Throw
Juniors; U14 100m Swim with Obstacles, U12 50 Swim with Obstacles, U14 100m Patient Tow with Fins, U12 100m Patient Tow with Fins
Those who are interested please contact me promptly, so we can get you entered!
If anyone has any questions or interest in the upcoming training and events please flick me a text on 021 121 1770, or via Email
Junior Surf Update
The Junior Surf Committee has been working on some exciting developments for the coming season. We are currently advertising for the role of junior surf coordinator and will shortly be looking for coaches to join the team for the coming season. Keep an eye out and if you’re interested in becoming part of the junior surf team for the 2018/19 summer please apply!
Lifesaving Update
Shout out to those who have continued their IRB development over the winter period, most recently at the ER Pauanui development weekend. There’ll be a few more of these opportunities popping up so keep an eye out for them. The Raglan IRB Development/Exam weekend has been confirmed for September 29th and 30th, so keep this date free!
Recruitment for the 2018 SLGA camp has begun, if you know of someone interested in becoming a lifeguard direct them to our Recruitment Officer Tyla Rose. Planning for this camp will also shortly be underway, so if you’re interested in helping out let us know via the Facebook page or recruitment email.
That's all for now, if there is any other club news you want to know about in the future, or you have some news you would like shared get in touch and we will make this happen. Make sure you have joined our Facebook Group and followed our Instagram account, as these feature information regarding club events, lifesaving updates and sports results.
