Merrylands team of 13 swimmers hit the water at the Metro South West Speedo Sprint Heats on the weekend. The heats were held at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre and for 5 of our swimmers it was their first time racing at this pool!

All our swimmers had great performances and as always there were so many wonderful moments.  As a team, we achieved 30 new personal best times!

Aisha achieved 3 new personal best times including a fast 50m freestyle where she swam under 37 seconds for the first time.

Gabby was on debut at this meet and achieved personal best times in all her events, cracking the minute in her 50m Breaststroke.

Joseph took a chunk of time off his 50m Backstroke and continued to drop his 50m Freestyle after only achieving a PB the week before.

Cameron successfully completed his first-time swimming at SOPAC and did a great job with his 2 swims.

Patrick had classy swims with a beautiful 50m Backstroke taking 5 seconds off his time, as well as his Butterfly and Breaststroke swims.

William broke the minute for the 50m Backstroke for the first time and swam his first sub-50 second 50m Freestyle.

Anastasia was a bundle of excitement all day and put her energy to good use with personal best times in all her events.

Nikolai achieved personal bests in his 50m Breaststroke and 50m Freestyle events, edging closer to the 40-second barrier.

Jay had a cracking 50m Backstroke taking over a second off his time, with his head lovely and still.

Lisa had awesome swims with new personal best times in her 50m Backstroke, Butterfly and Freestyle and was only 0.04 off her Breaststroke time.

Daniel achieved a new personal best time in his 50m Butterfly, having only dropped it in our championship the day before. Daniel also swam under 32 seconds for 50m Freestyle for the first time.

Leo set new times in 3 of his events, including a speedy 50m Backstroke in 33 seconds and continued to lower his 50m Freestyle time after successive PBs in his last 3 swims.

Lillian broke her 50m Backstroke time and was close to her best in all her other swims.

Thank you to all our parents and support crew for encouraging our swimmers and thank you to Peter and Alison for preparing our swimmers for the meet.

Merrylands will be sending a team of 13 swimmers to the Speedo Sprint Series Heats which will be held at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre tomorrow.

Our team will compete in 46 individual events at the meet and consists of:

Aisha Abdelraheem
Gabriella Assi
Joseph Assi
Cameron Evans
Patrick Hannan
William Johnston
Anastasia Krga
Nikolai Krga
Jay Shrestha
Lisa Shrestha
Daniel Vicic
Leo Zhu
Lillian Zhu

Good luck to our team at the meet, especially those swimming at their first Speedo Sprint Series!

Thank You

Thank you to everyone who turned up last Saturday in their club uniform for the filming. Thank you also for your patience as we had to rearrange some things on the fly to accommodate the schedule. We will share the video as soon as it is complete and we hope it will be a great promotion for the club.

Starr Partners recently completed a video with one of our other sponsors, Club Merrylands. You can check this video out here.

Thank you to Starr Partners for their ongoing support.

Merrylands SwimFest – Helpers Required

It takes a small army to run the SwimFest and we need your help! If you haven’t already done so, please nominate for a position now!

We need to fill the following positions:

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

No Club Races - Saturday, 18^th February

This year, we have decided to trial not running Club Races on the morning of the Merrylands SwimFest.

This should shorten the day for everyone involved.

Club Races will be back on 25^th February.

Club Uniforms

Order your club uniforms before the Merrylands SwimFest online here.

Merrylands SwimFest - Setup

We need assistance setting up for the meet, so we are asking that you arrive at the meet by 12:30pm to assist with the setup.

There is lots of setup work to do including:

• Shelters
• Chairs & Tables
• Lane Ropes
• Timing Equipment & Touchpads
• Flags and Banners
• BBQ and Food preparation

Then it all needs to be packed away again at the end. Please make sure you help.

Speedo Sprint Series Heats

Good luck to our team at the Speedo Sprint Series Heats on Sunday. Thirteen of our junior swimmers will swim in 46 individual events at the meet, with some swimming their first meet at SOPAC. Go Team!

Championship Records

Three new championship records were set in the Freestyle Championships last Saturday.

Kylee Murray set a new record of 36.68 in the Veterans 50m Freestyle breaking the previous record of 37.09 by 0.41 seconds which she had held since 2017. Kylee then backed up for the Veterans 200m Freestyle where she also broke her own record. Kylee took a massive 3.8 seconds off the record of 3:10.40 which she had set in 2020.

Matthew Vicic set a new record time in the 15yrs 200m Freestyle, breaking the old record of 2:24.72 which had been held by Robert Griffey since 1999. Matthew took a huge 3.06 seconds off the time to touch in 2:21.66.

Well done to Kylee and Matt on their swims!

Three new championship records were set at club races on Saturday with Kylee Murray breaking 2 records and Matthew Vicic breaking 1.

Kylee set a new record of 36.68 in the Veterans 50m Freestyle breaking the previous record of 37.09 by 0.41 seconds which she had held since 2017. Kylee then backed up for the Veterans 200m Freestyle where she also broke her own record. Kylee took a massive 3.8 seconds off the record of 3:10.40 which she had set in 2020.

Meanwhile, Matthew set a new record time in the 15yrs 200m Freestyle, breaking the old record of 2:24.72 which had been held by Robert Griffey since 1999. Matthew took a huge 3.06 seconds off the time to touch in 2:21.66.

Well done to Kylee and Matt on their swims!

See Also

• Open & Age Championship Records

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/