Swimsuit Update

06 July 2009 Peter-Johnston Latest News
Following the most recent announcement by FINA regarding swimsuits, Swimming Australia has amended its Australian Championships By Laws (CBL 14), covering swimsuit guidelines for Swimming Australia events.

Effective 1 July 2009, swimmers competing in Swimming Australia events can only wear FINA-approved swimsuits as listed here.

Additionally, since the FINA-approved list only addresses ‘new model’ swimsuits submitted by swimsuit manufacturers, swimmers will, until otherwise directed by SAL or FINA, also be able to wear ‘traditional’ swimsuits provided the suits meet the following criteria highlighted in the revised CBL 14.1 (3) below.

CBL14.1 General Swimsuit Guidelines
  1. The swimsuits of all swimmers shall be in good moral taste and suitable for the individual sports discipline.
  2. All swimsuits shall be non transparent and must conform with FINA approved standards in all respects.
  3. For the avoidance of doubt, swimmers, until otherwise directed by SAL and/or FINA may wear ‘traditional’ swimsuits provided the suits meet the following criteria:
  4. Men’s swimwear may not extend above the waist or below the knees;
  5. Women’s swimwear shall not cover the neck, extend past the shoulders or past the pelvis.
  6. The referee of a competition has the authority to exclude any competitor whose swimsuit does not comply with this rule.
  7. Swimwear is limited to one (1) swimsuit.
It should also be noted that swimmers in Swimming Australia Age Group Events must also still abide by the current CBL 14.2 outlined here.

At the upcoming Telstra Short Course Championships and State Age Short Course Championships all swimwear will be checked during marshalling and swimmers will be asked to record the make and manufacturer of their swimsuit.

See Also
  • Swimsuit Rule Changes

  • Swimsuit Rule Clarification

  • FINA 2009 List of Approved Swimsuits

    • Metro South West Entries

    05 July 2009 Peter-Johnston Latest News
    Entries for the 2009 Metro South West Area Short Course Championships close on Monday, 13th July, 2009. The Championships will be held at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd August, 2009.

    To compete at these championships, you must have achieved the required qualifying time (where applicable).

    The entries are to be on Multi-Entry cards which must be completely filled out including the date and place that times were achieved. Entries must also include your registration number.

    For more information on Championship meets, read the Championship Procedures information in the Swim Meets Section.

    No late entries will be accepted.

    See Also
  • 2009 Metro South West Area Short Course Championships - Program of Events

  • 2009 Metro South West Area Short Course Championships - Qualifying Times

  • Meet Entry Procedures
  • State, Metropolitan and Country Championship Procedures
  • Competitor Information
  • NSW Championship Entry Times (Schedule of Constants in Seconds)
  • Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre Parking Arrangements

    • Metropolitan Results

    28 June 2009 Peter-Johnston Latest News
    Anthony Ventra finished 10th in the 100m Breaststroke at the NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships this weekend to become Merrylands first finalist at the meet since 2006.

    The Championships, which were held at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th June, 2009, also featured 3 other swimmers from our club. Our members swam 4 new personal best times at the meet, with a number of other swims which were very close to PBs.

    On Saturday morning, Anthony went into the 15yrs 100m Breaststroke ranked 14th and took 0.29 off his personal best time to finish in 10th place in 1:15.14. The top 10 finish meant he would also take home his first ever finalist ribbon from a state meet. On Sunday morning Anthony returned to compete in the Open 50m Freestyle, where he swam another PB, touching in 25.59 and breaking his time by 0.11. Anthony's next event was the 15yrs 100m Freestyle in which he finished just 0.02 outside his PB. His last event of the meet was the 200m Breaststroke, and after being over a second ahead of his PB at the 100m mark, he faded in the second 100m to finish outside his best time.

    Amber Johnson swam two events at the meet. Her first was the 100m Backstroke on Saturday morning but after a solid first 50m she finished outside her best time. On Sunday she returned to make amends in the Open 50m Backstroke. In a good swim, she finished just 0.23 outside her PB in 33.43, her second fastest time ever.

    Brittany Johnson was the club's third swimmer at the meet. Brittany's first event was the 200m Individual Medley on Saturday morning and she took 2.83 seconds off her time to finish in 2:36.38. In the 100m Butterfly on Sunday morning, after a good first 50m, Brittany tired in the second 50m to finish outside her PB. In the 100m Freestyle however, she put the disappointment of the Butterfly behind her, to swim a new personal best time of 1:03.74.

    Our fourth swimmer at the meet was Stephanie Hindle, swimming in her first Metropolitan Championships for the club. Stephanie swam in the 100m Breaststroke on Saturday afternoon and was looking to improve on her 5 second PB swum late last month. Unfortunately after a good first 50m, Stephanie struggled in the second 50m and was disappointed to be unable to match her entry time.

    Congratulations to all our swimmers for qualifying and on their performances at the meet. The full results are now available here.

    See Also
  • 2009 NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships - Results

  • 2009 NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships - Team

  • 2006 NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships - Report



    • Anthony Ventra - Finalist in the 15yrs 100m Breaststroke at the 2009 NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships

    NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships

    24 June 2009 Peter-Johnston Latest News
    The 2009 NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships will be held at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th June, 2009.

    Our club will be represented by 4 swimmers at the meet, competing in 10 individual events.

    This year's team consists of new, regular and returning team members.
    Stephanie Hindle will be competing at her first Metropolitan Championships for Merrylands and her first since 2006. Stephanie will be swimming in the 100m Breaststroke after qualifying for the meet just last month. Anthony Ventra adds the Open 50m Freestyle to his events for a total of 4 swims, while Amber Johnson will again swim the 50m and 100m Backstroke.
    Brittany Johnson will be our 4th representative at the meet. Swimming in 3 events, this will also be Brittany's first Short Course Metropolitan Championships since 2006.

    Our team will be competing in the following events over the two day meet:

    Anthony Ventra
    15yrs 100m Breaststroke (Day 1 - Session 1 - 9:46am)
    Open 50m Freestyle (Day 2 - Session 3 - 12:37pm)
    15yrs 100m Freestyle (Day 2 - Session 3 - 1:11pm)
    14/15yrs 200m Breaststroke (Day 2 - Session 4 - 3:22pm)
    Stephanie Hindle
    12yrs 100m Breaststroke (Day 1 - Session 2 - 4:22pm)
    Amber Johnson
    16yrs & Over 100m Backstroke (Day 1 - Session 1 - 10:47am)
    Open 50m Backstroke (Day 2 - Session 4 - 2:52pm)
    Brittany Johnson
    16yrs & Over 200m Individual Medley (Day 1 - Session 1 - 12:30pm)
    16yrs & Over 100m Butterfly (Day 2 - Session 3 - 10:49am)
    16yrs & Over 100m Freestyle (Day 2 - Session 3 - 1:35pm)

    Times should be used as a guide only.

    Congratulations to the 4 swimmers for qualifying and good luck at the meet.

    You can follow the team's progress over the weekend at http://www.nswswimming.com.au/.

    See Also
  • 2009 NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships - Program of Events

  • 2009 NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships - Qualifying Times

  • State, Metropolitan and Country Championship Procedures

  • Competitor Information

  • Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre Parking Arrangements

    • 2009 World Masters Games

    11 June 2009 Peter-Johnston Latest News
    Sydney will host the seventh World Masters Games from 10-18 October 2009.

    Open to people of all abilities and most ages, the World Masters Games is the world's largest multi-sport event, attracting up to three times more competitors than the Olympic Games. A significant, fundamental difference between the World Masters Games and the Olympic Games is that World Masters Games are open to people of all abilities rather than just elite athletes, with the emphasis on participation.

    To compete at the Sydney 2009 World Masters Games, people only need to satisfy their sport's minimum age, which for swimming is 25. Competitors do not need to be members of a swimming club or masters swimming association to participate.

    The swimming competition at the games, as with other masters swimming competitions, is broken up into 5 year age groups starting from 25-29 with the age determined as at 31 December 2009.

    Competitors can enter a maximum of five individual events, four relay events and the open water swim event.

    Registration for the games is done online and close at 5pm, 31st July 2009.

    For more information, visit the Sydney 2009 World Masters Games website.

    See Also
  • Sydney 2009 World Masters Games - Official Website

  • Sydney 2009 World Masters Games - Swimming Competition

  • Sydney 2009 World Masters Games - How to Register

    • Succession of Coaches

    07 June 2009 Peter-Johnston Features
    1968 - Jim Earl - President & Club Coach
    1968 - Harry Vella - Club Coach
    1968 - Eva Bory and her squad at Merrylands Swimming Centre
    1970s - Harry Vella coaching a morning training session at Merrylands Swimming Centre
    1970s - Training at Merrylands Swimming Centre
    1985 - Glad Pye - Secretary & Club Coach
    2001 - Training at Granville Swimming Centre with Kristen Sunner
    2004 - Kristen Sunner, Club Coach, at the Merrylands SwimFest
    2005 - Training at Wentworthville Swimming Centre - Kristen Sunner's final session
    2005 - Peter Johnston - Club Coach & Learn to Swim Coordinator
    2009 - Training at Merrylands Swimming Centre
    There have been a number of coaches at the Merrylands Swimming Centre since it opened in 1968. The club coaches have been both amateur and professional, paid and un-paid, with various levels of success over the years, however they have all had one thing in common: a passion for swimming.

    Jim Earl & Harry Vella were the club's first coaches and they ran a free service for kids that could not pay for training.
    Jim was in the Fire Brigade while Harry lived across the road from the pool and they were able to work around each other to run the training sessions. When Merrylands Swimming Centre closed during the winter, sessions would be held at Fairfield.

    The club started the free Learn to Swim in the second season and as the kids progressed through the Learn to Swim, they joined Jim and Harry for training. Hundreds of kids used to turn up for the Learn to Swim held at the pool on Saturday mornings after club.

    Later when Jim Earl left the area, Harry's wife, Nan took over the afternoon sessions and Harry coached in the mornings. This suited both of them as their daughter Karen was already there training anyway, plus they loved it. Harry and Nan showed a great deal of commitment to the club and the swimmers by providing this free service, especially considering Karen was training with the other coaches at the centre.

    During the same period, there was also professional coaching at the centre, which parents had to pay for. This coaching was run by Alex and Eva Bory. Alex and Eva were members of the Hungarian team for the 1956 Olympic Games and after competing at the Olympics, they applied for and were granted political asylum in Australia. The younger kids trained with Eva, who did stroke correction, and the older ones were with Alex. As the numbers grew after a couple of years, they hired John Bowen to help them coach. All three were excellent coaches. Although many club members were members of their squad, neither Alex, Eva or John were ever members of the club.

    During this time the Bory's used 2 lanes and Jim & Harry used 4, leaving 2 for the public. Harry & Nan left the club and moved to the Central Coast in 1979.

    After the Vellas left, the club was without a coach for the 1979/80 season and when it was still without a coach for 1980/81, Glad Pye took on the position of Amateur Coach. Glad coached a number of swimmers during her time in the position, in particular coaching Astrid Howton to Gold in the 100m Backstroke at the State Championships.
    Glad remained in the position through to the end of the 1985/86 season when she had to relinquish the role due to work commitments.

    Following Glad's tenure as coach the club again found itself unable to fill the position. To provide coaching to the swimmers, some of the parents and club captains ran free training sessions on a couple of afternoons during the week. These sessions were well attended by club members at times, with the club purchasing equipment, including a number of pairs of flippers in various sizes, for the swimmers to use while training.

    In 1991/92, Holroyd Council was approached by Jim & Ros Harby, who were looking to run training sessions at the pool. The council subsequently granted them permission to coach at the pool and the club encouraged members to join the new squad. By the end of the 1993/94 season, the Harbys had left the pool and the club requested to council that future arrangements be more reliable.

    At the start of the 1994/95 season, the council granted Kristen Sunner permission to coach at the pool and the club encouraged members to begin training with the new squad. Before coming to Merrylands, Kristen had been coaching under David Wick at the Guildford Swimming Centre. The following season Kristen did not plan to continue coaching at Merrylands, so the club requested, and was granted the coaching rights at the centre. However before the start of the season, Kristen re-considered, and the club subsequently appointed her as the club coach for 1995/96.

    During the winter, when Merrylands Swimming Centre closed, Kristen would move the squad to other pools to enable the swimmers to keep training. Winter training sessions were initially held at Granville Pool. In 1996, having not been happy with the conditions at Granville, Kristen took the squad to the Wran Leisure Centre instead, however they returned to Granville the following winter. When Granville was closed for re-development in 2003, winter sessions were moved to Parramatta which had recently been heated, and then to Wentworthville Pool once it was heated in 2005.

    The appointment of Kristen and the opportunity for members to train all year round with the same coach led to a period of stability which had been lacking for the previous eight years. This led to increased attendance at training and a gradual improvement in results with more and more swimmers competing at higher and higher levels.

    By December 1994, with so many swimmers having joined the new squad, Kristen hired Peter Johnston as one of her assistant coaches to coach some of the younger swimmers in the afternoons. Over the ensuing years, Peter would also fill in by coaching the older swimmers when Kristen was unable to do so due to work, family commitments or holidays.
    At the beginning of the 2000/01 season, Kristen appointed Greg Towle as another one of her assistant coaches. Kristen had coached Greg at Guildford when he swam for McCredie Park and with his appointment he joined Kristen in coaching the morning sessions. Greg would coach the older swimmers, allowing Kristen to concentrate on the younger ones. With Kristen continuing to coach the older swimmers in the afternoon, and Greg coaching them in the mornings, the club recorded their most successful performance under Kristen's coaching, as the club's 2001 NSW State Age Short Team won 5 medals from 11 events. Greg left the club at the end of the 2001/02 summer season. He was appointed as the Australian Open Water Head Coach in 2006.

    In 2001, Kristen coached her first National Age Qualifier and ultimately first National Age Finalist for Merrylands. Troy Tomkinson competed in 3 events at the 2001 Australian Age Championships, finishing in 5th place in the final of the 50m Freestyle. Kristen also coached Troy to the 2002, 2003 and 2004 Australian Age Championships.

    Kristen resigned as the club's coach at end of June, 2005 following the 2005 Metropolitan Short Course Championships and the club began the search for a new coach.

    The club's goal was to have a new coach appointed before the squad was due to return to Merrylands for training in September, 2005 and Peter Johnston took over the coaching of the squad in the interim. Following an extensive advertising and interview process, Peter was appointed as the club coach for the 2005/06 season and remains in the position today.

    Since Peter's appointment, the number of swimmers in the squad has continued to grow and there is now a clear pathway from both the Club and Council run Learn to Swim programs, into the squad program and the club. There has been an influx of younger swimmers over the past two seasons, while the club's representative teams continue to grow and improve, building on the work that Kristen started with our representative swimmers over 10 years ago. Merrylands Swimming Centre was heated in 2004, and the centre now operates 8 months of the year, however the squad still moves to Wentworthville Pool for training each winter when Merrylands closes.

    For the 2007/08 season, Peter introduced an Adult Squad for parents and other adult club members to improve their fitness. It is fantastic that in our 40th Anniversary Season, one of the current members of this group was originally coached by the club's first coaches, Jim Earl & Harry Vella, 40 years ago.


    Succession of Coaches
    1968/69 to 1971/72 Jim Earl & Harry Vella
    1972/73 to 1978/79 Harry & Nan Vella
    1980/81 to 1985/86 Glad Pye
    1991/92 to 1993/94 Ros & Jim Harby
    1994/95 to 2004/05 Kristen Sunner
    2005/06 to present Peter Johnston


    Assistant Coaches
    The following is a selection of club members that have worked as assistant coaches over the years:
    Dylan Baker
    Matthew Jenkin
    Amber Johnson
    Brittany Johnson
    David Johnston
    Peter Johnston
    Rachel Johnston
    Sarah Johnston
    Simon Johnston
    Abby Krige
    Meaghan Legge
    Steven Nguyen
    Nicole Smith
    Greg Towle
    David Wang


    Thank you to the following members who provided information on the club's coaches:
    Karen Robertson née Vella
    Doreen Cashel
    Gladys Pye
    Margaret Edwards née Smart

    Other Sources:
    Whales Tales Newsletter (19/12/1992; 29/10/1994; 19/11/1994)
    President's Reports (AGM 1994; Swim Centres Meeting 1994)
    HCC Business Papers (2/5/1995)
    See Also

  • Mr Harry Vella, Life Member

  • Mrs Glad Pye, Life Member

  • Mr Peter Johnston, Life Member

  • Whales Tales Newsletter - November 19, 1994 (PDF 1MB)

  • Merrylands at the Nationals

  • A Mixed Bag for Troy at the Nationals

  • 2001 NSW State Age Short Course Championships

  • Club Coach Resigns

  • Farewell Kristen

  • Kristen Sunner - Head Coach, 1994-2005

  • New Coach Appointed

    • 2008/2009 Presentation Evening

    06 June 2009 Peter-Johnston Latest News
    Lachlan Stewart and Charlotte Neill both won the Graded Pointscore for the first time at the club's Annual Presentation Evening last weekend.

    Lachlan and Charlotte were presented with the new Pointscore Champion shields which replaced the now full Michael Rossek and Ronald Exley Memorial Trophies this season. Both were clear winners, with Lachlan nearly 100 points ahead of his nearest rival.

    Another first time winner at the presentation was Steven Nguyen. In a close finish, Steven won the Senior Handicap in his first season in the competition. Steven was also presented with the inaugural Learn to Swim Volunteer of the Year Award for his assistance in running the club's Learn to Swim Program this season.

    Brittany Johnson was presented with the Champion of Champions Award for a record breaking 5th time. Brittany won the Senior and Open Womens Championships, breaking 12 club championship records along the way and also represented the club at the Area and Metropolitan Championships.

    Fady Farid was presented with The Jack Smart Encouragement Award after steadily improving over the season. In another first, the Relay Competition title was won by a new team, "The Grumpy Old Men" (Graham Edwards, Ian Johnston, Ian Wilson, Darren Sloane, Jim Legge, David Johnson) at their first attempt. Ian Wilson was presented with the P-Plate Award for "Outstanding Commitment to the Senior Handicap" while Janet Sloane was presented with the Lions Club Award for her volunteer work throughout the season which included organisation of the 40th Anniversary activities.

    In our Winter Season Jacob Killick won the male Graded Pointscore competition for the first time while Belinda Sloane won her third straight female Graded Pointscore competition.

    Six awards were presented to members of Merrylands Swimming Squad for their efforts at Swimming Training throughout the season. All swimmers were deserved recipients of the Coach's Awards with Carl Sorensen, Jessica Adamson, Angela Gardner, Brittany Johnson, Richard Hamwi and Graham Edwards all taking home a club beanie while Simon Johnston was also presented with a beanie for his contribution to the club's relay teams during the season.

    Six swimmers were also presented with Swimming Australia Junior Excellence Awards. Timothy Tunks achieved the Gold Standard, Samuel Killick and Rebecca Tuivawa achieved the Bronze Standard, and Angela Gardner, Reece Tulloch and Belinda Sloane achieved the Green Standard.

    The night was very enjoyable and those people that stayed after the presentation had a good time.

    Thank you to all the people who helped organise the presentation and who helped throughout the season.

    You can find the season results in the Club Races section and the full list of other awards presented on the night in the Presentation section.

    See Also
  • Presentation Evening

  • Graded Point Score Results

  • Championship Results

  • Senior Handicap Results

  • Relay Competition Results

  • Champion of Champions Results

  • Feature: The History of The Graded Pointscore

  • Feature: The History of The Senior Handicap

  • Feature: The History of The Champion Of Champions

  • Awards - John “Jack” Smart Encouragement Award

  • Awards - Learn to Swim Volunteer of the Year Award

  • Australian Junior Excellence Program (JX)

    • Swimsuit Rule Clarification

    03 June 2009 Peter-Johnston Latest News
    Following Swimming NSW's publication of Swimsuit Guidelines for Age Group Events in March this year, there has been some discussions over the interpretation of what swimwear can be worn in events such as a ‘15 and Over’ event. These events would/could encompass different rules on what swimwear would be permissible, dependent upon the athletes age. (eg 18 and under or over 18).

    In an attempt to clarify this situation, as there are a number of events in State Championships and also Areas/Clubs which have such defined events, the Swimming NSW Board deliberated as to the best approach, and the final determination is as follows:

    Any “... and Over” event is treated as an Open Event and any approved swimwear can be worn.

    FINA released a list of approved swim suits for the rest of 2009 on 19th May, 2009. Some of the suits responsible for the flood of world records since February 2008 did not make the list, including the Arena X-Glide, Jaked 01 and BlueSeventy.

    See Also
  • Swimsuit Rule Changes

  • SwimNews.com - FINA Suit List Released

  • SwimNews.com - Pioneering Sprint WRs Shot Down In Suit Tests

  • SwimNews.com - Round Two Over: Some Props Gone

    • Metropolitan Short Course Entries

    03 June 2009 Peter-Johnston Latest News
    Entries for the 2009 NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships close on Tuesday, 8th June, 2009.

    The entries are to be on Multi-Entry Cards.

    To compete at these championships you must have achieved the required qualifying time at an approved meet as detailed on the Qualifying Time Information page.

    The Multi-Entry cards must be completely filled out including date and place that times were achieved. Entries must also include your registration number.

    For more information on NSW meets read the Championship Procedures information in the Swim Meets Section.

    No late entries will be accepted.

    See Also
  • 2009 NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships - Program of Events

  • 2009 NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships - Qualifying Times

  • Qualifying Time Information
  • Meet Entry Procedures
  • State, Metropolitan and Country Championship Procedures
  • Competitor Information
  • NSW Championship Entry Times (Schedule of Constants in Seconds)
  • Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre Parking Arrangements

    • Metro South West Awards Dinner

    03 May 2009 Peter-Johnston Latest News
    At the 2009 Metro South West Awards Dinner last night, Merrylands was presented with the "All In" Club Award for our club member's assistance in conducting the 2009 Metro South West Sprint Meet.

    Our club was already rostered to help at the meet as the Host Club, providing people to work as runners, card sellers and to work on the gate however, due to a lack of Technical Officials, we also ended up supplying Time Keepers for 7 of the 8 lanes as well as filling a number of other jobs. All of this was achieved with a number of committee members absent due to preparations for our 40th Anniversary Dinner that night. A big congratulations and thank you to all the members involved.

    Our other members to receive awards on the night were Anthony Ventra and Mitchell Burt who were presented with Record Diplomas in recognition of their record setting achievements at the Metro South West Championships in February.



    See Also
  • Sprint Meet Results

  • 9 Medals at Metro South West Championships