Brunswick Baths - Beginners Canoe Polo

Hi everyone!

The Victorian Youth Polo Academy (VYPA) are excited to announce its partnership with the Brunswick Baths for 2024 and onward to host their club in the pool complex and offer canoe polo and kayaking opportunities for anyone interested.

Please note that this trip is run externally by VYPA in affiliation with Paddle Australia. As a result, participants are required to book through Paddle Australia's JustGo website here.

Canoe Polo is an exciting and challenging team sport that combines the fun and dynamic aspects of water polo and basketball with a whole-body workout in kayaks. Try out the sport in a warm and clean swimming pool. All equipment is provided you just need to bring bathers and a towel to join in. All ages, abilities and skill levels are welcome. Prior experience in kayaking is not required.

This four-week 'come and try' season is the perfect way for new people to try out the sport for a couple of sessions and see what they think. It would also be a great way for people who haven't played for a while to brush off the cobwebs and get back in a boat.

Over the 4 weeks we'll go over safety, learn basic boat control, wet exits and T rescues interspersed with games, ultimately building towards playing your first canoe polo match!

This trip includes gear and pool hire for 4 weekly sessions starting Wednesday, May 8 from 7:30-10PM at a cost of $70. You will need to bring a towel, water and clothes that you can get wet and will keep you warm (ie. rash guard and thermals) as the weather will likely be cold even though the pool is heated. Please see important additional information from VYPA regarding membership and insurance below:

Insurance and Membership Requirements

As a club (VYPA), our insurance is provided through our affiliation with Paddle Australia. This requires all participants in our programs to hold membership to be covered for insurance while on the water. There are a number of membership options through the club that will provide you with the appropriate insurance

4-week triallist membership - This is a free introductory option for anyone who has not been a member of Paddle Australia or an affiliated club before. The triallist membership will provide you with four weeks of membership for free to try out the sport, and would cover you for the four weeks of the come and try season. However, if you were to continue on to 12-week season, you would then need to take out a membership to cover you for that period.

4-month membership - This is a new membership we are offering with the club that will cover participants for the duration of both the come and try season and the competition season. The cost of this membership is $66, compared to the annual cost which is around $165, and has been introduced to acknowledge those that participate annually in the Brunswick Baths season and are looking for a membership option to cover them for the season without paying high costs for an annual membership they do not use for the rest of the year.

Annual membership - for those that are already involved in the sport and will participate in both the Brunswick winter season as well as upcoming spring and summer programs, you can take out an annual membership.

How do I take out membership? See a few steps below

Create a free account on Paddle Australia's JustGo site, you will have needed to do this to sign up to the event link

Head to the membership tab on My Profile and click on the Add Club Membership option, then search for Victorian Youth Polo Academy and add the club to your profile. This links your profile to the club but is not taking out membership

Once you have linked the club to your profile you can then choose the type of membership option you are interested in (triallist, 4-month, annual) and then the process from there is a simple online checkout-style page. Once you have then made an appropriate payment you will be a member of the club and covered by appropriate insurance

Please note if you already have a membership with VYPA or a different club, you do not need to take out additional membership. We would request you link your profile to our club as this allows us to check the validity of people's memberships which we will need to do during programs.

Other Information

As a youth club, we encourage all members and participants in our programs to hold a current working with children's check. The volunteer card is free and can be applied for online. You can upload a copy of your WWCC to your membership profile on JustGo as well.

Entrance to the Brunswick Baths can be from the front entrance or the rear gate on Pheonix Street. If you are bringing your own personal gear please enter via Pheonix Street only.

Proceeding the come and try sessions there will be a 12-week competition season starting on June 5th running till August 21st with intermediate/advanced and beginner/social divisions. If interested, the trip page for the season can be accessed via this link.

If you have any questions, please email myself () or Avryl () or pm me on messenger https://m.me/nathan.daniel.7330/.