Junior Competitor Eligibility

To maintain our safety and lifesaving standards, Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) has set a standard of competency that Junior members must achieve before being eligible to compete in Junior Carnivals. Junior members will not be deemed competent until the assessment has been recorded and awarded in the Nipper Admin App and published to Surfguard.

At the time of entry, competitors must be a financial member of the club with which they have their competition rights and be registered for the current season. It is the Club’s responsibility to ensure this occurs, along with the responsibility to ensure that all competitors are proficient and hold all relevant awards, and that competition requirements are met.

Eligibility note for LSV and club-led carnivals

To be able to compete at LSV Carnivals and Club-led Carnivals, competitors must hold the appropriate Preliminary Assessment and Competition Skills Evaluation for the age group in which they are competing, and they MUST be processed in the Nipper Admin App prior to the close of entries for the first carnival entered by the competitor. Checks will be made throughout the season. If a competitor’s awards have not been processed, contact your clubs Junior Coordinator and / or Nipper Administrator to ensure they have completed and processed these proficiencies via the Nipper Admin App, or contact nippers@lsv.com.au if you are still having issues.

Membership Clearances and Transfers

Any transfers MUST be fully completed prior to entries closing for each respective LSV carnival a member(s) is entering. No late entries will be accepted for any LSV carnival if a Competitive Transfer is incomplete by the time of entries closing. Please refer to Section 2.2.4 of the Surf Sports Manual for further detail.
For any membership transfer questions or status requests, please contact clubsupport@lsv.com.au

2024/25 Junior Skills Evaluation and Surf Education Requirements

All competitors at Junior Carnivals should be sufficiently proficient in both a physical and mental capacity to compete in each event that they partake in. This includes:

• All competitors in Under 12s and 13s are required to achieve the appropriate Competition Skills Evaluation for their age group to be able to compete at any carnival, in any event
• Competitors in Under 9s, 10s, and 11s are required to achieve the appropriate Competition Skills Evaluation to be able to compete in water events (except wade) at any carnival.
• Under 8s are not permitted/required to undertake a Competition Skills Evaluation.
• Under 8s are not permitted to compete up an age group in any water team events (except wade).
• All team managers must ensure that competitors are proficient in their competition skills to ensure their safety during carnivals in all conditions. If the prevailing carnival conditions indicate as such, team managers should consider withdrawal of competitors at their discretion.
• Members of the Carnival Committee/Safety Committee can remove a competitor at any stage if they feel the competitor is not displaying competency as per 37th Edition Surf Sports Manual (2.2.1 clause d), and LSV team managers handbook 2024/25 Appendix 1, or in their opinion struggling with the distance or conditions.
• The carnival safety committee reserves the right to request clubs to re-assess a competitor’s proficiency prior to entry to the next carnival before accepting entries or participation in future carnivals.
  

Information on the requirements for each group, can be found in appendix 1 of this document.