Outlined below are proposed changes to our format with a view to improving how we run the club and making it more enjoyable and inclusive for all members.  Come along to the AGM on Wednesday January 18th to have your say!

Our divisions

Division Name	Who is eligible?
Open Men	All male competitors Those seeking the highest level of competition
​Open Women	All female competitors ​Those seeking the highest level of competition
Semi Pro	Those around the 35 years and over age bracket seeking a balance between a social and competitive vibe
Masters	Those around the 45 years and over age bracket who's shoulders and knees aren't as fresh as they once were, seeking a more relaxed vibe in the water
Junior Boys	All male competitors under 20 (no parent assist)
​Junior Girls	All female competitors under 20  (no parent assist)
Super Groms	Super Groms – All male/female competitors around/under 14  years old who are starting to catch their own waves on a short board.  Parent assist permitted.
Micro Groms	All junior members learning to surf

our events

10 events to be run from February to November, consisting of:

• 7 Pointscore events
• 3 Club Championship events
• See proposed calendar below

Pointscore

• A ​“Pointscore” will be a single round of heats only
  • eg.  16 entrants compete in 4 heats of 5.  
  • Placings in each heat gets points allocated as per points allocation defined below
  • There is no subsequent round to progress to.  Each competitor leaves the event with a result.
• Points accumulate over the 7 events for an eventual "Pointscore Champion" per division
• The throw-away system proposed
  • If 7 events are run, 5 results are counted.  
  • If 6 events are run, 5 results are counted.  
  • If 5 or fewer events are run, all results are counted

Club Championship

• Event is run with heat progression (ie.  heats, semis, finals)
• All 3 events will count to an eventual "Club Champion" 
• Divisions are Open Men, Open Women, Junior Boys, Junior Girls
• The draw will be unseeded.  Pointscore rankings are not relevant

why are we suggesting this?

​Key observations of the last few seasons

• The club is growing in numbers, making it increasingly difficult to create and maintain a stable draw for each event; ultimately degrading the quality of the event.
• We're constantly changing it on the fly, squashing extra numbers into heats that shouldn't be there, asking divisions to accept 6/7/8-man finals in the interests of time, etc . 
• ​It's the same frantic rush every event to finish the day by a reasonable time.  
• We have become very disengaged with our broader member base on the day as the relentless focus on running/changing every heat takes away any opportunity to connect (particularly with our newer members and those with families).
• People grow frustrated and bored and do not feel the desire to hang around all day.  Eventually they risk losing interest in the club altogether.
• In a nutshell, the numbers we have now and the numbers we believe we can get to won't fit into the current format.

The main influencing factors

• Womens and Girls numbers have soared in the last 2 seasons.  What used to be a double-banked straight final for 2 divisions now requires 3 heats each (2 semi + final).  That's increased from 20 mins to 2 hours.
• Old members have returned to the fold
• Our micros will continue to feed our junior divisions.  We need to keep up.

Biggest opportunities with this change

• The day will only take just over half the time it takes now.  The duration of the time saving becomes bigger with the greater number of entrants.
• Caters for both the ultra-competitive and casual participants
• Flexible - people can just do one or the other (or both) with less commitment and it still completes a full season of events with a recognised result.
• This flexibility will attract new members and people to return to the club that may currently struggle to attend an all-day event.
• Gives us more time to focus on family-friendly activities with much of the day freed up.  We could look to combine with activities such as tag team, foamy comp, inter-club tag team at least a couple of times a year.
• With more female participants than ever and a sponsor that has specifically funded women's development, now is the time to consolidate our position as the number one club that women (and everyone else) want to join. 
• Sponsorship opportunity for exclusive naming rights for each of the Club Championship events
• The flow on effect will be that we're stronger in events like ABB and the reputation of the club in general will be boosted.

2023 event calendar

Event	Location	Date
Pointscore 1	Woonona or Northside	26 Feb (backup 5 Mar)
Pointscore 2	Woonona or Northside	26 Mar (Backup 2 Apr)
25 Beach Challenge	Stanwell to Shellharbour	8 April
Club Championship 1	Woonona or Northside	30 Apr (backup 7 May)
Illawarra Junior Titles	Woonona	20 May
​Pointscore 3	​Woonona or Northside	28 May (backup 4 Jun)
​Pointscore 4	Woonona or Northside	25 Jun (Backup 2 Jul)
Club Championship 2	Woonona or Northside	30 Jul (Backup 6 Aug)
​Pointscore 5	​Woonona or Northside	27 Aug (No backup - Fathers Day)
Club Championship 3	Woonona or Northside	24 Sep (No backup - Long Weekend)
Pointscore 6	​Woonona or Northside	29 Oct (Backup 5 Nov)
​Pointscore 7	​​Woonona or Northside	26 Nov (No backup - Preso)