School + Bodyboarding

Jaypee
September 2008
Hello, I was wondering how a person can go about, to convince schools to open a bodyboarding/surfing club, its inexpensive "hence kids supply there own bodyboards, wetsuites and fins".. only thing they will actually be paying for is the transport.. I saw in the passed that my school had a surf club.. but couldnt find out why it closed. anyhow wb if you interested or can give me advice on how to get it into the schools..

Eastern Province Bodyboarding Association 1,428 views

11 Replies

Kelly
September 2008
Excellent question - it is the Eastern Province Bodyboarding Association who is responsible for development of bodyboarding in your area and that encompasses schools. I will try forward this post onto them.

The below document was put together by past SABA Chairman Alistair Taylor and is worth a read - it can be found in the Library on http://www.sabaonline.co.za. Here is a direct link.

http://www.sixty40.co.za/saba/files/1/s ... tation.pdf

I'm not aware of the status of this programme - you should talk to EPBA and if no luck then try SABA and you can get hold of them using the Contact Us page.

Most School Bodyboarding Programmes work as an inter-school league within the local area or province and while it will help to have the help of the provincial organisation, you do not need much from them to make it happen - essentially just a bit of guidance will help. If someone is willing to help then excellent as it could make things easier - otherwise, your best bet is to get support from a few bodyboarders at your school and then approach a teacher who can champion this for you. They will need to contact other local schools to encourage them to set-up a bodyboarding team at their school but if you already have mates at another school then you could be chatting to them to start doing the same as you. You need a bodyboarding captain who will take care of as much as they can so that it does not take massive amounts of effort from a teacher - especially if you're trying to bend their arm.

Good luck - I'll be stoked to see a schools league happening in PE. All it takes is one willing person (even a school pupil) to make this happen.
Jaypee
September 2008
Thanks Kelly, im at the moment speaking to a teacher at my school about it, then if i get his support, ill speak to my principle.. lets hope this takes off
Kelly
September 2008
Cool - Good luck.

I'll email Darryn Campbell's email address to you - he is the EPBA Chairman and can help drive this. I believe your ballie knows Marc Jucker and has his number - Marc is willing to help with advice and putting you in contact with the right people.
Jaypee
September 2008
ahh sweet! shot alot, yea my topie knows Mark. Ill ask him for his number and phone him "after i get confirmation from school"..
ronald911
September 2008
This is an Great Idea.... Someone should actually send that letter by Alistair Taylor to most schools along the coast of south africa and see if they can get as many schools involved as possible.
po10cy
September 2008
this is a awesome idea, if there are enough guys interested i dont see why a school wont allow this, especially if you can get a teacher on your side aswell.

I remember grey used to do something like this when i was in school, not sure if they still do, its defenitely worth pressing on for, would help promote the sport and maybe if your school starts a club it will motivate more schools to start their own aswell.
Kelly
September 2008
Durban has recently started up their School's league and Cape Town has been running a successful league for the last couple of years.

With SA champs coming up, if anyone from a province is interested to find out more from these two then it would be a perfect opportunity to find some time to sit down and discuss ideas.

If a province is wanting to improve the standard of riding in their province then one of the easiest ways is to increase the number of bodyboarders and then the pyramid structure comes into play ... A large base means more intermediate bodyboarders and therefore more bodyboarders at an advanced level too.

Clubs and school leagues should be part of every provinces development programme - it brings in new talent and gives guys more contest experience. And if your province isn't doing it then you are disadvantaged against those provinces who are.
po10cy
September 2008

Kelly wrote:
Durban has recently started up their School's league and Cape Town has been running a successful league for the last couple of years.

With SA champs coming up, if anyone from a province is interested to find out more from these two then it would be a perfect opportunity to find some time to sit down and discuss ideas.

If a province is wanting to improve the standard of riding in their province then one of the easiest ways is to increase the number of bodyboarders and then the pyramid structure comes into play ... A large base means more intermediate bodyboarders and therefore more bodyboarders at an advanced level too.

Clubs and school leagues should be part of every provinces development programme - it brings in new talent and gives guys more contest experience. And if your province isn't doing it then you are disadvantaged against those provinces who are.

I fully agree, I strongly believe that having a club that any interested bodyboarders can join to go on missions together and help each other with moves and advice is a great way to promote the sport an build good friendships, and i really think this is something EP is lacking, although it is picking up, but there is no club anyone can join, the only "group" i know of is the EPBA guys but you gotta be on the EP team which excludes all the other guys from being part of a group of bodyboarders.
Kelly
September 2008

po10cy wrote:
I fully agree, I strongly believe that having a club that any interested bodyboarders can join to go on missions together and help each other with moves and advice is a great way to promote the sport an build good friendships, and i really think this is something EP is lacking, although it is picking up, but there is no club anyone can join, the only "group" i know of is the EPBA guys but you gotta be on the EP team which excludes all the other guys from being part of a group of bodyboarders.

For sure bru, a group of us started up Blow Out Bodyboarding Club on SKZN's lower South Coast when we were 16/17. 16 years on and the club is still running - it has had its low points and high points and is the main reason why SKZN won the SA Champs in 2002 and many individual titles over the years. Back before Blow Out started up, the only bodyboarding club was in Warner Beach (Amanzimtoti) and the SKZN team would consist mainly of riders from this club and a few from the Lower South Coast - when the 'Toti club disappeared the demographics changed and it is now mainly riders from Blow Out who make the team with a few from other areas in SKZN. SKZN could definitely improve this by starting up a club around Amanzimtoti and working on a schools league but if you are looking for a case study - SKZN is definitely punching above it's weight because of the strong bodyboarding community on the Lower South Coast which has their club as their backbone.

If we're wanting to improve the standard of the sport as a whole then each province needs to learn from each other.
ronald911
September 2008
Kelly:
Quote:
For sure bru, a group of us started up Blow Out Bodyboarding Club on SKZN's lower South Coast when we were 16/17. 16 years on and the club is still running - it has had its low points and high points and is the main reason why SKZN won the SA Champs in 2002 and many individual titles over the years. Back before Blow Out started up, the only bodyboarding club was in Warner Beach (Amanzimtoti) and the SKZN team would consist mainly of riders from this club and a few from the Lower South Coast - when the 'Toti club disappeared the demographics changed and it is now mainly riders from Blow Out who make the team with a few from other areas in SKZN. SKZN could definitely improve this by starting up a club around Amanzimtoti and working on a schools league but if you are looking for a case study - SKZN is definitely punching above it's weight because of the strong bodyboarding community on the Lower South Coast which has their club as their backbone.

If we're wanting to improve the standard of the sport as a whole then each province needs to learn from each other

If they will start something like this in Toti again some day, would be cool. I go school in t0ti so I dont see why it might be a problem.

I'm in Kuswag and if they finally think about opening a little bodyboard league thing, it can get big. All starting like from Interhouse Bodyboarding (where riders from the same school compete against each other)-- then going to InterSchool bodyboarding (where the best riders of the each school compete against each other) and then going Provincial and so on.
Jaypee
November 2008
hey, as seen as there is not a huge demand at my school, I doubt the school team would happen at my school, tho i'm urging any scholars at other school's who know they have a lot of body boarders to take consider making a a school team

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