Board race / Board rescue

Lesson 9 – 60 minutes

Learning outcomes

• Demonstrate board skills in a board race event.
• Demonstrate board rescue skills in a board rescue event.
  

Preparation

• Water Safety Personnel (1:5).
• Set of swim buoys.
• 3 x single buoys.
• Start poles/finish flags Boards (approx 10).
  

IMPORTANT

• This lesson is designed to give participants – some of whom may have never participated in an event before – an opportunity to experience a board race and board rescue race in a supporting environment.
• The focus should be on participants putting all their skills together to complete the event – not on winning the race.
  

Discuss

• Discuss the surf conditions and safety considerations before entering the water.
  

Demonstrate

• Have a board race course set up as per the layout specifications, refer to the separate Junior Surf Sports – Events resource located at the end of this Age Guide.
  

Discuss

• Using the Junior Surf Sports – Events resource in the back of this Age Guide, discuss with the participants the starting procedure, method, rules and judging of the board race.
  

Activity 1

• Organise the participants into manageable groups (heats) ensuring each participant has a board.
• Conduct board race heats as per the event specifications.
  

Activity 2

• Finish board racing with a fun ‘Pair Paddling’ race.
• Same method as for board race, except participants pair up and paddle around the course together on the same board.
  

Discuss

BOARD RESCUE RACE
Using the Junior Surf Sports – Events resource in the back of this Age Guide, discuss with the participants the starting procedure, method, rules and judging of the board rescue race.

Activity 3

• Have a board rescue race course set up as per the layout specifications, see Junior Surf Sports – Events section in the back of this Age Guide.
• Organise the participants into pairs ensuring each pair has a board. Conduct board rescue race heats as per the event specifications.
  

Activity 4

• Finish board rescue racing with a fun ‘Reverse Board Rescue’ race.
• Similar to board rescue method except the order changes around so the board paddler paddles to the buoys first, and swimmer swims out second before both paddle back together.
  

ASSUMED SKILLS
This lesson assumes participants have acquired previous skills from earlier lessons:

• Positioning on a board and basic paddling technique.
• Entering the surf and bunny-hopping with a board.
• Sitting over a wave and paddling through a wave.
• Exiting the water with a board.
• Catching a broken and un-broken wave.
• Rolling under a wave.
• Board rescue.