Whatshot
"Best ever" Nippers Championships ends at Addington Beach
"Best ever" Nippers Championships ends at Addington Beach
Consistent results by the boys and girls across all disciplines and age groups saw the Durban Surf youngsters steadily pull away from the other clubs on accumulated points, with the Western Cape club Clifton SLC in second and Umhlanga Rocks SLC in third.
The interprovincial title went to the Western Cape ahead of the home province KwaZulu-Natal's A side and the Eastern Cape in third.
In sharp contrast to the senior championships, which were held in tricky sea conditions with the sea chop whipped up by a heavy Easterly wind that drove bluebottles into the competition areas at regular intervals, the Nippers championships was gifted three days of calm seas, windless conditions and warm weather.
The event was supported by a large contingent of family members, ensuring that the multiple beach arenas that engulfed Addington beach were a colourful hive of vocal support for the athletes taking part in the competitions.
The event proved challenging for the hosts Marine SLC, celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, as they became the first club to host seniors and Nippers in the same year, all within a two week period, however they pulled this off with aplomb, meeting the demands of the extended programme and the heightened safety requirements, and winning praise from competitors and delegates from clubs from around the country.
"It was a challenging time for the club as we accepted the responsibility of hosting both champs at pretty short notice," said Marine SLC club boss Trevor Martin. "With the collaboration from all the local role players at the municipality we managed to pull it off."
"It was an honour to be able to host the events as part of our 50th anniversary celebrations, and to be able to use our clubhouse venue to its full potential, and prove that is is one of the best venues for high level lifesaving competitions imaginable," he added.