Get Started in Outrigging (Junior Program)
Starting 7th January 2024
WHEN: Sundays 7:00AM – 8:30AM
WHERE: Lake Coomera
Cost: FREE IN JANUARY!
All equipment is provided, sessions run by qualified coaches, suitable for ages 8-18!
Juniors Program
Our junior ‘champions of tomorrow’ are the future of our club and sport, and we encourage them to participate, learn and grow into positive, healthy and proud teenagers. The sport of outrigging via its national association AOCRA recognises all young people from 8 years through to 19 years of age as Juniors.
In conjunction with Paddle Queensland & AOCRA we aspire to see a paddling program within many more Gold Coast schools.
Our qualified coaches are committed to training and educating children and young people from 8 years of age to assist them to develop friendships, leadership and team building skills; healthy competitive spirit; an affinity with the water, as well as a cultural education in outrigger canoe paddling and racing.
We will ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people in an inclusive and supportive environment – Respect, Responsibility, Positivity and Innovation are values that reflect the culture that we are committed to promoting within our club.
The juniors also receive training and mentoring from our elite paddlers and coaches – some the best paddlers in the country. That support has helped our juniors to recently be crowned the National Point Score Champion Club in both marathon and sprint formats.
Parental support
All our coaches and co-ordinators are volunteers and work extremely hard to impart their knowledge and experience to the juniors on the water – working on all aspects of paddling including technique, roles, and behaviours. In addition they co-ordinate training and competition days across all the age divisions to maximise the development and participation of all the juniors. The more support they can receive from involved parents, the better the outcomes are for all paddlers and the Juniors program. Parents are encouraged to participate and assist with the management of the junior group as well as supporting their kids – and we welcome them to paddle with our senior groups as well.
Attitude Attendance Ability
Junior paddlers can join in and paddle with our club for the enjoyment, companionship and exercise that paddling can provide in a group and team environment. For those juniors who wish to compete at regattas, the coaches will base crew selections on the 3As – the attitude, attendance, and ability of the paddlers. Coaches expectations and selection reasons will be transparent and communicated to the paddlers at all times. Refer also to our code of conduct which guides our standards of behaviour – club culture is a key to the success of our junior and senior programs and we strive to maintain these standards.