Welcome Starr Partners

It is our pleasure to welcome Darren Starr and Starr Partners to club races this morning.

Starr Partners have been a long-term sponsor & supporter of our club. This support has helped our club grow and provide equipment and activities over many years. Local sports clubs like ours find it difficult to operate without the support of local businesses like Starr Partners and we greatly appreciate this support.

This morning Starr Partners will be taking some video footage of our club races and also interviewing some members of our club as part of their Community Video Series.

Please make everyone from Starr Partners welcome today and we will be hosting a BBQ after club races to thank Starr Partners for their support.

Remember if you are looking to sell, buy or rent property contact Starr Partners and support their business.

Merrylands SwimFest entries – close today

SwimFest entries close today at 5.00pm. Remember to take advantage of the discounted entry fee for your swims.

See the website for details and get your entries in today!

Merrylands SwimFest jobs

Planning for the hosting of the SwimFest meet is well underway and we need everyone helping on the day.

There are no club races on the morning of Saturday 18^th February so we ask that everyone arrives by 12.30pm to assist with the setup for the meet.

To nominate for roles at the SwimFest here.

Club Uniforms

Order your club uniforms before the Merrylands SwimFest online here.

Relay Competition – new times

If your team has been struggling to match their entry time in the relay competition, you are in luck. This week is Round 7, which means teams can nominate a new time before today’s swim. So, if unlike the Grumpy Old Men, your team is finding it hard to get near your nominated time, see the Race Secretary to submit a new one.

Remember to nominate your 4 swimmers before the event here.

Learn to Swim

Our Learn to Swim program resumes again this morning. These lessons commence at 9.15am.

Bring a Friend

Do you have a friend who needs practice for their school swimming carnival? Did you know that if they are new to swimming, they can try our Club Races for up to 4 weeks before joining the club? All they have to do is enter online here.

Do your kids know what is going on?

Keep your kids informed about what is happening. Print them a copy of the newsletter to read each week or sign them up to receive a copy via email.

Lions Club Award

Each month the Committee votes for the Lions Club Award – the club’s Volunteer of the Year.

You can nominate a club member to recognise their service online here.

Free Membership for kids 8 & Under

Did you know that thanks to Club Merrylands, we provide Free Membership for swimmers 8yrs & Under who regularly swim in our club races? Swimmers who meet the criteria can request a reimbursement of their membership fee. Details are here if you haven’t claimed your reimbursement yet.

Lucky Door Prize

The Lucky Door prize is drawn again this morning. You could win your choice of a Speedo kickboard, flipper bag or pair of Opal Mirror goggles. How do you win? You must be in attendance at the Championship presentation when your name is called to win.

Junior Swimmers Results

More fantastic swimming and results in the 15m, 25m & 33m races over the last few weeks. Congratulations to the following swimmers on breaking the times for these events:

25m Freestyle
21/01/2023 – Eevi Opano*

25m Backstroke

11/12/2022 – Lily Palise
21/01/2023 – Eevi Opano*

25m Breaststroke

28/01/2023 – William Johnston

33m Freestyle

11/12/2022 – Connor Mackie*
11/12/2022 – Caleb Mackie*

15m Freestyle

7/01/2023 – Talia Jambazian

* broke the time at their first attempt 

Championship Records

Last week saw the first of our Club Championship races for the second half of the season. There must have been plenty of training over the break as we saw fantastic swims and 3 club records broken in the 50m Breaststroke Championships.

Lillian set a new record in the 9yrs 50m Breaststroke in a new personal best time of 50.84. Lillian took 1.27 seconds off the record set by Lisa Shrestha in 2020.

Joseph swam a new record time of 40.83 in the 12yrs 50m Breaststroke, breaking the record held by Mitchell Emery since 2002. Joseph took 0.76 off the old record.

Lastly, Leo took 1.31 seconds off the 13yrs 50m Breaststroke record, finishing in 37.48. This record had been held by Anthony Ventra since 2006.

Congratulations Leo, Lillian and Joseph on your record swims last week.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

Check the website for the full list of upcoming meets, closing dates, programs and qualifying times.

Congratulations to Lillian Zhu, Joseph Assi and Leo Zhu who all set new records in the 50m Breaststroke Championships this morning.

Lillian set a new record in the 9yrs 50m Breaststroke in a new personal best time of 50.84. Lillian took 1.27 seconds off the record set by Lisa Shrestha in 2020.

Joseph swam a new record time of 40.83 in the 12yrs 50m Breaststroke, breaking the record held by Mitchell Emery since 2002. Joseph took 0.76 off the old record.

Lastly, Leo took 1.31 seconds off the 13yrs 50m Breaststroke record, finishing in 37.48. This record had been held by Anthony Ventra since 2006.

Congratulations to Lillian, Joseph and Leo on their swims.

See Also

• Championship Records

Merrylands SwimFest entries

Only 1 week to go before entries close (4^th February) for the Merrylands SwimFest.

See the website for details, get your entries in and think about how you will help on the day.

Merrylands SwimFest jobs

We need lots of people to help run the meet and now is the time to volunteer.

Put your name down to do one of these jobs online today.

• Timekeeper
• Chief Timekeeper
• BBQ Cook
• BBQ Sales
• Marshal
• Check Starter
• Starter
• Announcer
• Recorder
• Runner
• Medals
• Refreshments

We will also need help setting up and packing up on the day.

Relay Competition

The Relay Competition resumes this week. Remember to nominate your 4 swimmers before the event here.

Teams can nominate a new time to swim against from the 4^th February. If you want to nominate a new time to swim against, email the Race Secretary with your team name and new time before the race on 4^th February.

Speedo Sprint Series Heats

Entries close on 31^st January – see the website for details. Speak to your coach if you are unsure whether you should enter.

Club Uniforms

Order your club uniforms before the Merrylands SwimFest online here.

Video Promotion

A videographer will be attending Club Races next Saturday (4^th February) to film some of our club activities and conduct some interviews with members to promote the club and one of our sponsors, Starr Partners.

Please make sure you are wearing your club uniform on the day.

Do your kids know what is going on?

Keep your kids informed about what is happening. Print them a copy of the newsletter to read each week or sign them up to receive a copy via email.

Lions Club Award

Each month the Committee votes for the Lions Club Award – the club’s Volunteer of the Year.

You can nominate a club member to recognise their service online here.

Speedo Sprint Series Heats

Entries close on 31^st January – see the website for details. Speak to your coach if you are unsure whether you should enter.

Free Membership for kids 8 & Under

Did you know that thanks to Club Merrylands, we provide Free Membership for swimmers 8yrs & Under who regularly swim in our club races? Swimmers who meet the criteria can request a reimbursement of their membership fee. Details are here if you haven’t claimed your reimbursement yet.

Lucky Door Prize

The Lucky Door prize is back this week. You could win your choice of a Speedo kickboard, flipper bag or pair of Opal Mirror goggles. How do you win? You must be in attendance at the Championship presentation when your name is called to win.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

Check the website for the full list of upcoming meets, closing dates, programs and qualifying times.

Boardshort Relay

Our annual Australia Day Boardshort Relay will be held today. Get your boardshorts on and we will put you in a team.

Championships resume next week

Club Championships resume next week. Don’t forget you need to have swum an event previously this season to qualify, plus, you need to get your entries in on time!

50m, 25m & 200m Breaststroke are up next week.

Video Promotion

A videographer will be attending Club Races on Saturday 4^th February to film some of our club activities and conduct some interviews with members to promote the club and one of our sponsors, Starr Partners.

Please make sure you are wearing your club uniform on the day

No Training – Australia Day

There is no training on Thursday 26^th January due to the Australia Day Public Holiday. Enjoy a day off to celebrate our great country.

Merrylands SwimFest – closing soon

The clock is ticking on entries for the Merrylands SwimFest with now only 14 days until the entries close.

See the website for details, get your entries in and think about how you will help on the day.

Club Uniforms

Order your club uniforms before the Merrylands SwimFest online here.

Do your kids know what is going on?

Keep your kids informed about what is happening. Print them a copy of the newsletter to read each week or sign them up to receive a copy via email.

Merrylands SwimFest Jobs

We need lots of people to help run the meet. There are many niche jobs we need to fill.

Announcer: Do you like the sound of your own voice? Then the job of announcer at the meet could be for you!

Medal Table: Fancy a bit of bling? Then maybe a spot on the medal table distributing medals is your thing.

Marshal & Check Starter: Swimmers need help getting to the correct lane at the correct time. These positions are critical to the meet running smoothly.

Recorder: Can you handle numbers? The recorders process the results and relay entries for the meet.

Do any of these sound like you? If so, please volunteer when asked later this month.

Lions Club Award

Each month the Committee votes for the Lions Club Award – the club’s Volunteer of the Year.

You can nominate a club member to recognise their service online here.

Speedo Sprint Series Heats

Time is running out to enter the Speedo Sprint Series. Speak to your coach if you are unsure whether you should enter. Entries close on 31^st January – see the website for details.

P-Plate Award

The P-Plate Award recognises (or perhaps highlights) the “Silly Mistake of the Year”.

This award is hotly contested and we have even had a couple of visiting officials trying to get in on the act recently.

So, have you seen a swimmer, spectator or official 17 years or over do something silly? Nominate the person here.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

Check the website for the full list of upcoming meets, closing dates, programs and qualifying times.

There will be no training sessions on Thursday 26th January due to the Australia Day holiday.

Enjoy your day. 🦘

Merrylands 50s

There was some exciting racing in the Merrylands 50s last week. Congratulations to all who took part – we hope you enjoyed the event.

The top 3 in the final were:

Well done to Matt on taking out the competition for this year!

Metro South West Qualifying Meet

Congratulations to our team at the Metro South West Qualifying Meet last week. It was a long meet, plagued with technical difficulties – the highlight being a meltdown of the timing system with 50m left to swim in one of the 800m Freestyle heats. Good times. Nevertheless, our team performed very well maintaining a positive attitude and bringing home 3* medals and 9 PBs. Great job!

* Well, it should have been 3 medals, but for one swimmer who was told by an official the event had been amalgamated, swam in the wrong heat, and then because of the timing issues didn’t get a time.

Handicap Relay

The fun events continue this week with the 2x50m Handicap Relay. Entries have already closed, so if you didn’t enter, you’re too late. Sorry.

Merrylands SwimFest – Entries open

The clock is ticking on entries for the Merrylands SwimFest with 21 days until the entries close.

The meet will be held on Saturday, 18^th February, 2023 and we need everyone’s support in running the meet, and our swimmers to compete.

See the website for details, get your entries in and think about how you will help on the day.

Merrylands SwimFest – BBQ

What is a swim meet without a BBQ? The SwimFest involves feeding a small army of volunteers and officials, plus the visiting competitors and their families. You don’t need to be a Master Chef - if you can burn a sausage without burning yourself you are qualified. We need people to help cook and sell the BBQ so please volunteer when asked later this month.

Lions Club Award

Each month the Committee votes for the Lions Club Award – the club’s Volunteer of the Year.

Nominees last month:

Thank you to all these people for their work around the pool last month.

You can nominate a club member to recognise their service online here.

Entries for Club Races

Reminder: Entries close at 8pm on Thursdays! Entries are open for the rest of January, so there are no excuses. Championships resume in 2 weeks – don’t miss out just because you didn’t get your entries in.

Next Week: Boardshort Relay

Next week is our annual Australia Day Boardshort Relay. To get involved, just bring a pair of boardshorts to club and we will put you in a team.

Speedo Sprint Series Heats

Time is running out to enter the Speedo Sprint Series. Speak to your coach if you are unsure whether you should enter. Entries close on 31^st January – see the website for details.

Do your kids know what is going on?

Keep your kids informed about what is happening. Print them a copy of the newsletter to read each week or sign them up to receive a copy via email.

P-Plate Award

P-Platers: they make silly mistakes; we all know it. But they aren’t the only ones. The P-Plate Award recognises (or perhaps highlights) the “Silly Mistake of the Year”.

Any swimmer, spectator or official 17 years or over (because they should know better) is in the running for this prestigious award. The good news is, once you have won it, you are unlikely to win it again (unless you do something really out there).

“So how can I be in the running for this award?”

I’m glad you asked. Previous winners have received the award for feats such as:

• Making their cup of tea using the hotdog water
• Disappearing with their stopwatch to the car park just as a meet was due to start
• Repeatedly pressing the start button on the starting device rather than the microphone button when giving the “Take your marks” command.

If you have seen an outstanding performance, nominate the person here.

Set up and pack up

Thank you to the families that have been helping with set up and pack up for club races. Please remember to arrive before 6:50am to help set up the pool and then assist with packing up before you leave. Don’t know what needs to be done or where something goes? Ask one of the Committee members and they will point you in the right direction.

Club Uniforms

Order your club uniforms before the Merrylands SwimFest online here.

COVID-19 Conditions

Read the conditions for club races here.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

Check the website for the full list of upcoming meets, closing dates, programs and qualifying times.

School Holiday Activities

Kids Disco
Tuesday 17 January 11-1pm
Who is ready to party? Dress up in your favourite costume and join in the fun, Kids FREE soft drink, Prizes up for grabs
Register at https://www.clubmerrylands.com.au/

Kids Barefoot Bowls
Thursday 19 January and Friday 20 January
Roll up for a fun day on the green
10.30-11.30am
Register at https://www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and welcome back to swimming club for 2023. We hope you had a restful Christmas and New Year and are ready to hit the water again to maybe work off some holiday indulgences!

Merrylands 50s

The highlight of this week’s program – the Merrylands 50s – is back for 2023.

How does it work? Swimmers that have entered the event have been evenly seeded across 4 heats for the preliminary round, and given a time handicap. You need to finish in the top 4 in your preliminary heat to progress to the semi-finals. The top 4 from each semi-final will then progress to the final. Swimmers will be re-handicapped after each round based on their time from the previous round.

The rules for handicaps are detailed on the website. Note that rule SW14.2 will apply to this event while rule SW14.3 will not apply. So you can’t get disqualified for going too fast, but you may get your seed time adjusted if you go too slow.

Need some tips for the event? Try asking one of our previous winners:

The first-placed swimmer in the final will win a prize.

Next Week: Handicap Relay

The fun events continue next week with the 2x50m Handicap Relay. Want to enter? Get a teammate, come up with a team name and enter online before 8pm Thursday.

Metro South West Qualifying Meet

Good luck to our team swimming at the Metro South West Qualifying Meet tomorrow: Joseph, Laura-Belle, Ren, Alison, Daniel and Matthew.

Merrylands SwimFest – Entries open

Our annual swim meet, the Merrylands SwimFest will be held on Saturday, 18^th February, 2023.

This meet is not only great competition practice for our swimmers, but is the club’s main fundraiser of the year with proceeds going towards our annual presentation evening.

Needless to say, we need everyone’s support in running the meet, and our swimmers to compete.

Our members get discounted entry fees for the meet and both Full Swimmer and Club Only Swimmer members are able to compete.

Entries close on Saturday, 4^th February. See the website for details, get your entries in and think about how you will help on the day.

Merrylands SwimFest – Timekeeping

One of the most important and best jobs at the SwimFest is timekeeping, and it couldn’t be any easier – push a button when the swimmers hit the wall at the end of the race. No pencil, no clipboard, no splits, no writing times. All you need is eyes, a thumb and a connection between the two. The rest of the time you have a front-row seat to all the action with food served to you on a platter. We need 16 timekeepers to run the meet, so please volunteer when asked later this month.

Speedo Sprint Series Heats

The Speedo Sprint Series Heats will be held at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on Sunday, 12^th February. Swimmers aged 8-13 years that can swim 50m are encouraged to swim at this meet - speak to your coach if you are unsure whether you should enter. Entries close on 31^st January – see the website for details.

Do your kids know what is going on?

Keep you kids informed about what is happening. Print them a copy of the newsletter to read each week or sign them up to receive a copy via email.

Lions Club Award

Each month the Committee votes for the Lions Club Award – the club’s Volunteer of the Year.

You can nominate a club member to recognise their service online here.

Club Uniforms

Order your club uniforms before the Merrylands SwimFest online here.

COVID-19 Conditions

Read the conditions for club races here.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

Check the website for the full list of upcoming meets, closing dates, programs and qualifying times.

School Holiday Activities

Bingo

Tuesday 10 January 10.30-12pm
Great prizes to be won
Register at https://www.clubmerrylands.com.au/

Kids Disco

Tuesday 17 January 11-1pm
Who is ready to party? Dress up in your favourite costume and join in the fun, Kids FREE soft drink, Prizes up for grabs
Register at https://www.clubmerrylands.com.au/

Kids Barefoot Bowls

Thursday 19 January and Friday 20 January
Roll up for a fun day on the green
10.30-11.30am
Register at https://www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/

The 2023 Merrylands SwimFest Swim Meet will be held at Merrylands Swimming Centre on Saturday, 18th February, 2023.

Entries are now open, and will close on Saturday, 4th February, 2023. This is our club's carnival so all club members are expected to attend.

For more information visit the Merrylands SwimFest section of our website.

See Also

• Merrylands SwimFest Swim Meet

Christmas Celebration

Well, we are now halfway through the current season and Christmas provides a time to celebrate and rejuvenate for the new year.

On behalf of the Committee, I would like to thank everyone for their help with club activities. We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2023 ahead.

Today is our last swim of 2022 and club races resume on Saturday 7^th January 2023 (squad training resumes on Tuesday 3^rd January 2023).

Following club races today we will have:

• Novelty races and events
• Christmas Breakfast & Hamper draw

Merrylands 50’s

The Merrylands 50s is a knockout handicap competition with 3 rounds: Preliminaries and Semi-Finals, all leading to a Final with a winner-takes-all prize at the end. The top swimmers from each round progress to the next round. Each swimmer is given a time handicap, so everyone has a chance of winning.

Just enter Club Races as usual for the 7^th January.

Updated conditions for attendees at all club activities

Updated conditions applicable for attendees wanting to attend any club activity (e.g. club races, squad training & social events) can be found here:

• Club Races & Social Events
• Squad Training
• Learn to Swim

Important Club Reminders

We want to reiterate some important membership requirements:

• Parents of swimmers under the age of 18yrs are required to attend club races with their children. It is not a babysitting service and if at least one parent is not able to attend then the child/children should not attend club races that morning;
• The club is run by volunteers and requires the assistance of everyone to be able to run club races each week. We require at least one parent from each family attending club races on the morning to assist with jobs around the pool deck. This means a parent of each family is required to assist with roles such as timekeeping, marshalling, check starting;
• Arrive at the pool early to assist with set up and be ready for races to start at 7.00am. Set up and pack up of the club’s equipment is not the domain of 1 or 2 people. Everyone can assist with this. So why not come down earlier and learn how to set up.
• Even if your child/children are not swimming in the first event being at the pool assists us in getting races started on time as we need to ensure we have enough timekeepers to start races;
• When timekeeping please ensure you use the lanyard to secure the stopwatch around your neck, remain quiet when a race is about to commence (the referee’s whistle is an alert for you that a race is about to start, as well as inviting the swimmers to get on the blocks or enter the pool), concentrate on the swimmer in your lane and be in the correct position at each turn and the finish of the race, i.e. looking directly down the pool wall so you can see the swimmer touch the wall.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

Check the website for the full list of upcoming meets, closing dates, programs and qualifying times.

Sponsors

Thank you to our major sponsors who provide fantastic support to our club. If you know of a business or organisation that may be interested in providing sponsorship or support to our club please speak to Graham Edwards.

School Holidays

Bingo

Tuesday 10 January 10.30-12pm
Great prizes to be won
Register at https://www.clubmerrylands.com.au/

Kids Disco

Tuesday 17 January 11-1pm
Who is ready to party? Dress up in your favourite costume and join in the fun, Kids FREE soft drink, Prizes up for grabs
Register at https://www.clubmerrylands.com.au/

Kids Barefoot Bowls

Thursday 19 January and Friday 20 January
Roll up for a fun day on the green
10.30-11.30am
Register at https://www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/

Maroon win Whales Challenge #2

In a tight finish, the Maroon team won last week’s second round of the Whales Challenge, defeating the White team 816-803.

The deciding round will be held on 11^th March next year, so we have a bit of a wait to see who will come out on top in the 2022/23 season.

NSW Senior State Age Championships

Well done to Alison Johnston and Leo Zhu on their results at the NSW Senior State Age Championships this week.

Alison’s time in the 50m Freestyle was just 0.07 outside her best time this season, while Leo swam a PB in the 200m Breaststroke.

Well done to both swimmers!

Christmas Party

Our Christmas Party will be held next Saturday in conjunction with the Club Races from 7am. Races, including the Junior Handicap will be followed by Novelty Events and a BBQ and will be finished by 9:30am.

Enter the races as normal, and complete the Novelty Events form on the Online Entries page.

School Holiday Program

Time is running out to register for our School Holiday Program, with only a few spots left!

This program is for kids aged 5 to 12 and is open to both members and non-members. More details here.

Learn to Swim

This is the last week of Learn to Swim for this year. Lessons resume on Saturday, 4^th February. Thanks to our instructors and helpers for running the program.

Christmas/New Year Break

Our last club morning for 2022 is the 24^th December. Races will resume on 7^th January, 2023.

The Merrylands 50s is back!

The Merrylands 50s is back on Saturday, 7^th January!

“What is the Merrylands 50s?”, I hear you ask.

The Merrylands 50s is a knockout handicap competition with 3 rounds: Preliminaries and Semi-Finals, all leading to a Final with a winner-takes-all prize at the end. The top swimmers from each round progress to the next round. Each swimmer is given a time handicap, so everyone has a chance of winning.

“Sounds cool! So how do I enter?”

Just enter Club Races as usual for the 7^th January (entries will be available in the next few days).

Helping on Saturday Mornings

Thank you to those families that helped out last week.

Please remember:

• Arrive before 6:50am to help setup
• Volunteer to time keep – we need 16 timekeepers to provide accurate timing – please don’t make us come and ask.
• Help pack up before you leave

Don’t know what needs to be done? Ask a member of the Committee and they can point you in the right direction.

This is not the Baby-Sitters Club

Please remember: Parents of swimmers under the age of 18yrs are required to attend club races with their children. It is not a babysitting service.

Are you going on holiday?

Squad Members: Are you going on holiday in December/January? Make sure you complete the form here to let us know as soon as possible.

Lucky Door Prize

Each championship week, we have a Lucky Door prize. You could win your choice of a Speedo kickboard, flipper bag or pair of Opal Mirror goggles. How do you win? You must be in attendance at the Championship presentation when your name is called to win.

Share your photos

Do you have photos from meets or club races you can share for the newsletter or presentation evening? Use the link in the weekly Whales Tales newsletter to upload them.

Lions Club Award

Each month the Committee votes for the Lions Club Award – the club’s Volunteer of the Year.

You can nominate a club member to recognise their service online here.

COVID-19 Conditions

Read the updated conditions for club races here.

Club Uniforms

Order club uniforms online here.

Junior Swimmers Results

We have seen more fantastic swimming and results in the 15m, 25m & 33m races over the last few weeks. Congratulations to the following swimmers on breaking the times for these events:

25m Freestyle

12/11/2022 – Connor Mackie

19/11/2022 – Caleb Mackie

3/12/2022 – Jude Johnston

3/12/2022 – Lily Palise

25m Backstroke

19/11/2022 – Connor Mackie*

33m Breaststroke

12/11/2022 – Patrick Hannan*

* broke the time at their first attempt

Upcoming Meet Calendar

Check the website for the full list of upcoming meets, closing dates, programs and qualifying times.

Sponsors

Thank you to our major sponsors who provide fantastic support to our club. If you know of a business or organisation that may be interested in providing sponsorship or support to our club please speak to Graham Edwards.