SLSA Launches Updated Digital Surf Sports Manual
Surf Life Saving Australia has today officially launched the online version of the 36th edition of the Surf Sports Manual, designed and developed to manage and administer surf sports competitions throughout Australia.
A key feature of the update for members and in particular surf sport officials and athletes, is the move to digital, with the 300-page document now available via the new SLSA Publications App.
“We are really excited to officially launch the 36th edition of our SLSA Surf Sports Manual online so that it can be accessed at any time,” said Chair of Sport Andrew Buhk.
“This is one of the first steps to ensure we’ve got all our rules and guidance of conduct on competition, online and at everybody’s fingertips.
“This is one step forward in trying to get technology involved and into the conduct of our events whether their local club events or right through to the Aussies.”
The Surf Sports manual is the key document and information source that allows for the advancement and management of our surf sports competition across the country. The Surf Sports manual is used at over 500 events each year, with use at every level of competition from club, to branch, state and all the way through to national events like the Aussies.
The Surf Sports manual is kept up to date by the SLSA Technical Advisor Greg Allum OAM and endorsed by the Surf Sports Australia Board, with the most recent update to the manual made in August 2019. Updates to the manual are made to ensure that top compliance is met for safety and the newest and best practices for our surf sport events.
With the shift to digital, members’ will be able to download the publication for free in both iOS and android with key features as follows:
- Easy to use search function to help members navigate through specific and relevant sections
- Ability to bookmark and highlight within the publication
- Ability to pick up from where you last read
- Easy accessibility and storage for events – no more printing or wasted paper
“We know that we have to move toward this so that our officials and our athletes are kept up to date and can access everything they need online, whether that be judging, draws, results or the surf sports manual,” said Buhk.
The Surf Sports Manual 36th edition will be updated digitally as required, meaning that Members will have the most up to date version of the manual. A PDF version of the manual is also available within the Members Area.
Surf Life Saving’s Publications App was built by local Sydney company BRAINS, which has deep ties to the surf lifesaving community. BRAINS worked closely with the SLSA National Learning & Development team, to create the new digital platform for all of Surf Life Saving’s publications.
The app created by BRAINS uses state-of-the-art technology to be infinitely scalable and will be able to house all SLSA’s publications in the future. The app can be used offline and allows members to learn anywhere, anytime, in a convenient way. SLSA are also able to make regular updates to the app in house, so that the most current information reaches members as soon as possible.
The Publications App supports a range of learning styles, and also features images, videos, audio and direct links. It provides intuitive ways to bookmark and highlight, search and navigate, to make learning and teaching easier.
The new SLSA Publications App is supported on both Apple and Android devices and is available through the App Store and Google Play.
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