Club Captains

Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations for the positions of Male and Female Club Captains. We are pleased to advise that nominations were received for:

A nomination was also received for a member who was not aged 14 years and over as at 1^st October, so this nomination was not accepted.

All financial first claim members are eligible to vote for these positions. Voting will be available online and concludes next Saturday (11^th November, 2023). The announcement of the Club Captains for 2023/2024 will be made the following week.

Relay Competition

The Relay Competition point score races start today. Only teams who have nominated and submitted their entry time are eligible to compete. The competition runs over 10 weeks (concluding on 23^rd March, 2024 (last day of club races).

Enter your team here.

Whales Challenge # 1

Last Saturday we held the first of the three Whales Challenges for the season. Congratulations to everyone in the Maroon team who scored a total of 1,247 points, finishing over the top of the White team, who scored 1,043 points.

But don’t despair, there are another two Whales Challenges to be held during the season, so the White team can make a strong comeback to level the series. The second Whales Challenge will be held on Saturday 16^th December, 2023.

An IM Skins event was held as part of the Whales Challenge, seeing the 8 fastest swimmers from the Championship events held earlier in the morning, racing down the pool in four knockout races. The final two to fight out the last race were Leo Zhu & Matthew Vicic. Congratulations to Leo Zhu who came out on top to claim bragging rights.

Look out for the Captain’s Freestyle Skins event to be held as part of Whales Challenge #2.

Parramatta Inter-Club Cup

Entries are open for the Parramatta Inter-Club.

Help our club retain our title after winning the cup last year. We encourage everyone to enter and help us take on Parramatta City and McCredie Park at Granville Swimming Centre on Saturday, 11^th November, 2023 starting at 3.00pm.

Cost is $4.00 per event (plus transaction fee) and pool entry is free for all competitors and spectators. Entries close this coming Thursday (9^th November 2023) at 9.00pm.

Lions Club Award

We are looking for your help in recognising those members who provide service to the club, over and above their normal duties.

The Committee vote on monthly nominees each month. So, if you would like to nominate a club member to be considered for their service submit your nomination here.

Club Uniforms

See the Property Officer, Margaret Edwards for any questions about club uniforms, or click here.

Pool Entry for Squad Training

A reminder that club members receive discounted pool entry when participating in club activities, including Squad Training. All swimmers must pay pool entry when attending these activities. Spectators attending Squad Training receive free entry, but only if they are spectating swimmers in the squad. If they are swimming in the public areas or spectating non-squad members, the normal pool entry fees apply.

Pool Staff may ask club members to show their membership card when paying their pool entry or purchasing a Club Member Pass. Your membership card can be accessed from Swim Central following these instructions.

Championship races

The first of our Club Championship races were held last Saturday. These were the 200 metres Individual Medley for 10 years to Seniors & Veterans Age groups. We held two heats as Open Championship races and the results were then split into ages to determine the Age Championship results.

Congratulations to all swimmers who competed. The results were:

We also saw three Championship records broken during the morning. These were broken by:

• Leo Zhu (2002 record held by Todd Jenkin)
• Matthew Vicic (2009 record held by Anthony Ventra)
• Ian Wilson (2017 record held by Ian Wilson)

Open Championship results were:

Good luck to all of our swimmers competing in the 100 metre Freestyle & 100 metre Breaststroke Championship events to be held this morning.

Junior Swimmer Results

Congratulations to the following swimmers on breaking the times in the 15m, 25m & 33m races recently: (* broken at first attempt)

15m Freestyle

• Marcus Chan *

25m Freestyle

• Lucas Terry *
• Harper Darwich *
• Marcus Chan

33m Freestyle

• Harper Darwich
• Lucas Terry

25m Backstroke

• Tomas Dlesk *
• Petra Vozenilkova *
• Lucas Terry *

33m Backstroke

• Lily Palise
• Tomas Dlesk *
• Petra Vozenilkova *
• Connor Mackie
• Lucas Terry *

25m Breaststroke

• Petra Vozenilkova *
• Tomas Dlesk

25m Butterfly

• Harper Darwich

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

Club Captains

A reminder that nominations for the positions of Male and Female Club Captains close this morning at 9.30am. Nominations can be submitted here.

Information about the duties and responsibilities of Club Captains can be found on the club website in the By-Laws.

All financial first claim members can vote for these positions on week 6 (11^th November, 2022).

Relay Competition

The Relay Competition point score races start next Saturday (4^th November), so make sure you have your team members selected (maximum of 6 per team) and your team entry time submitted. Enter your team before the competition starts here.

Parramatta Inter-Club Cup

Entries are open for the Parramatta Inter-Club.

Help our club retain our title after winning the cup last year. We encourage everyone to enter and help us take on Parramatta City and McCredie Park at Granville Swimming Centre on Saturday, 11^th November, starting at 3.00pm.

Cost is $4.00 per event (plus transaction fee) and pool entry is free for all competitors and spectators. Entries close 9^th November 2023 at 9.00pm.

Enter online here.

MSW Area LC Championships

The Metro South West Area LC Championships were held last weekend at SOPAC. Our team of 9 swimmers (Joseph Assi, Laura-Belle Casey, Alison Sakurovs, Jay Shrestha, Lisa Shrestha, Daniel Vicic, Matthew Vicic, Leo Zhu & Lillian Zhu) contested 29 individual events and ended with 22 new personal best times, 4 finalists and 1 bronze medal (Laura-Belle).

Congratulations to everyone who swam. A full report is here.

Whales Challenge # 1

Today is the first of the three Whales Challenges for the season. Swimmers have been divided into two teams (Maroon “Turner” Team and White “Emery” team”) and these teams are available on the club website. Make sure to wear your club cap in your team colour while competing to get points for your team.

Members receive a club cap as part of their membership. If you have not received your cap this year, you can collect one from Margaret Edwards in your team colour. Check what team you are in here.

Last year saw the White team take the 1^st challenge, but a strong performance by the Maroon team in the 2^nd and 3^rd challenges saw them win the series 2-1, avenging the 3-0 clean sweep by the White team in the previous season. So which team will triumph this year?

An IM Skins event will also be held as part of the Whales Challenge where the top 8 swimmers from the 200m Individual Medley Championships will compete in a knockout format.

Championship races

The first of our Club Championship races will be held this morning. This is the 200 metres Individual Medley for 10 years to Seniors & Veterans Age groups. All swimmers entered in these Championship races will swim together in an Open event, with the results split into ages to determine the Age Championship results.

These are the first races swum in the morning, so we ask that everyone is at the pool before 7.00am to assist in getting races underway on time.

Next week (4^th November) we have two Championships held during the morning, 100 metres Freestyle & 100 metres Breaststroke. The 100 metres Freestyle Championships will be the first events swum and the 100 metres Breaststroke will be held towards the middle of the morning.

Club Uniforms

See the Property Officer, Margaret Edwards for any questions about club uniforms, or visit https://shop.merrylandsasc.asn.au/club-uniforms

Learn to Swim

Learn to Swim commences this morning and the lessons will run in two blocks:

• Saturday, 28^th October to Saturday, 16^th December, 2023
• Saturday, 3^rd February to Saturday, 23^rd March, 2023*

* There will be no lesson on 17^th February, due to the club's swimming meet being held that day.

Lesson times are:

• Child Lessons start at 9:15am and finish at 9:45am.
• Adult Lessons start at 9:30am and finish at 10:15am.

More information can be found on the club website.

Pool Entry for Squad Training

A reminder that club members receive discounted pool entry when participating in club activities, including Squad Training. All swimmers must pay pool entry when attending these activities. Spectators attending Squad Training receive free entry, but only if they are spectating swimmers in the squad. If they are swimming in the public areas or spectating non-squad members, the normal pool entry fees apply.

Pool Staff may ask club members to show their membership card when paying their pool entry or purchasing a Club Member Pass. Your membership card can be accessed from Swim Central following these instructions.

Lions Club Award

We are looking for your help in recognising those members who provide service to the club, over and above their normal duties. The Committee vote on monthly nominees each month. So, if you would like to nominate a club member to be considered for their service submit your nomination here.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

Merrylands' team of nine swimmers had fantastic results at the Metro South West Area Championships held at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.

Our team contested 29 individual events and ended with 22 new personal best times, 4 finalists and 1 bronze medal.

Joseph achieved 5 new personal best times across his 4 swims, including a new 50m Freestyle PB split in his 100m Freestyle.  Joseph further reduced his 200m Breaststroke time after only just beating it at a meet last weekend.  Joseph also achieved new personal bests in his 50 and 100m Breaststroke, with his first Long Course 38 seconds in the 50m.

Laura-Belle took a break from HSC studies to scoop up a Bronze medal in her 50m Breaststroke in a new personal best time.  Laura-Belle was also a finalist with 7th place in her 100m Breaststroke which was an excellent achievement for an Open event, and was 0.02 outside her best in the 50m Freestyle.

Alison was a finalist in the 50m Freestyle and 50m Butterfly, with 6th and 4th respectively.  Her butterfly sprint was her fastest time in over 4 years.  Alison's 100m Freestyle was also her fastest in 2 years.

Jay was just a fraction off his personal best in his 100m Freestyle with only 0.1 seconds outside his mark.

Lisa had a great result in her 100m Backstroke with a 4-second personal best time and was just outside her 100m Freestyle time.

Daniel achieved 3 new Backstroke personal bests in his 2 Backstroke swims with a PB split in the 100m and then reduced it the following day in the 50m event, taking a further 2 seconds off his time.  Daniel also took over 2 seconds off his 100m Freestyle personal best.

Matthew contested 6 events and came away with 5 new personal best times.  Matthew started with a personal best in his 200m Butterfly and continued to fly with personal bests in his 100m and 50m Butterfly.  Matthew was a finalist in the 100m Butterfly and his 50m Butterfly was his first time under 30 secs in a Long Course event.  Matthew also achieved new personal best times in his 50m Freestyle and 200m Backstroke.

Leo had some fast 50s with new personal bests across his 3 swims.  Leo achieved sub 35 seconds in his 50m Breaststroke, sub 28 in his 50m Freestyle and took 0.5 off his 50m Backstroke.

Lillian achieved 2 new personal bests in her 100m Breaststroke, taking a huge 6-second chuck off her existing time. Lillian also took over 9 seconds off her 100m Backstroke later that afternoon.

Congratulations to all our swimmers on their wonderful performances!  

Six of our Masters Swimmers headed up the coast for the NSW Masters State Short Course Championships.  This meet was held at the Peninsula Leisure Centre at Woy Woy.

Our team had great results including achieving some all-time personal bests which is a wonderful achievement in Masters Swimming.  Some of our swimmers also wound back the clock with swims the fastest in 4 to 8 years!

Varant flew up the coast after racing at club and demonstrated hard work pays off with all of his swims being new short course personal best times. Varant cracked under 1:20 for the first time in his 100m Freestyle.

Peter picked up some bling with a Silver in the 100m Breaststroke and Bronze medals in the 50m Breaststroke and 200m Freestyle.  Peter also earned club bragging rights with a 50m Freestyle win over Tim and Alison.

Kylee achieved a new personal best time in the 50m Backstroke where she also picked up a Bronze medal.  Kylee’s 200m IM was the fastest she has swum since 2016 earning herself a Silver and Kylee’s new personal best in her 200m Backstroke gave her another Bronze medal.

Timothy bagged a Silver and a new personal best time in his 50m Freestyle.  Timothy swam his fastest 200m Freestyle outside of Modern Pentathlon competitions and picked up a Bronze for his effort. 

Alison almost had a clean sweep with 4 Golds and 1 Silver medal. 

Ian swam his fastest 100m Freestyle since 2017 then followed with a Gold in the 200m Individual Medley, which was also his fastest time since 2017. Ian also decided to mix it up with a 50m Breaststroke and 100m Butterfly.  The decision paid off with a Bronze medal in the Butterfly.

Well done to our team on these amazing results!

Club Captains

A reminder that nominations for the positions of Male and Female Club Captains are open and close on 28^th October at 9:30am. Information about the duties and responsibilities of Club Captains can be found on the club website in the By-Laws.

All financial first claim members can vote for these positions on week 6 (11^th November, 2023).

Nominate a member online here.

Relay Competition

Time trials for the Relay Competition conclude today. The Relay Competition point score races start on 4^th November, so start organising your team and your team entry time. Remember to enter your team details before the competition starts here.

Parramatta Inter-Club Cup

Entries are open for the Parramatta Inter-Club and information about the meet was emailed to all members this week.

We are looking to retain our title after winning the cup last year. So, we encourage everyone to enter and help us take on Parramatta City and McCredie Park at Granville Swimming Centre on Saturday, 11^th November, starting at 3:00pm.

Cost is $4.00 per event (plus transaction fee) and pool entry is free for all competitors and spectators. Entries close 8^th November 2023 at 9:00pm.

Masters NSW SC Championships

Last weekend our team of 6 swimmers competed at the Masters NSW SC Championships at Woy Woy.

Congratulations to Varant Jambazian, Peter Johnston, Kylee Murray, Timothy Oliver, Alison Sakurovs & Ian Wilson, with a lots of SBs, PBs and medals won.

Check our website and Facebook page for full details

SNSW Qualifying Meet

Congratulations to Joseph Assi who swam at the SNSW Qualifying Meet at SOPAC last weekend

MSW Area LC Championships

We have a team of 9 swimmers representing our club at the Metro South West Area Championships this weekend at SOPAC. Good luck to our team of Joseph Assi, Laura-Belle Casey, Alison Sakurovs, Jay Shrestha, Lisa Shrestha, Daniel Vicic, Matthew Vicic, Leo Zhu & Lillian Zhu who are swimming a total of 29 individual events. May the whale be with you all

Whales Challenge # 1

The first of the three Whales Challenges for the season is being held next Saturday (28^th October). This is our intra-club series with swimmers divided into two teams (Maroon “Turner” Team and White “Emery” team”).

Last year saw the White team take the 1^st challenge, but a strong performance by the Maroon team in the 2^nd and 3^rd challenges saw them win the series 2-1, avenging the 3-0 clean sweep by the White team in the previous season. So which team will triumph this year?

Entries for club races are submitted as usual for a normal Saturday morning. Swimmers must wear their club cap in their team colour while competing to get points for their team. Swimmers that have swum in club races so far this season have been selected in teams here.

To spice things up for the two teams we also have a Knockout IM Skins event, where the top 8 swimmers from the 200m IM Championships will represent their team in some knockout 50m swims.

First Championship races next Saturday

The first of our Club Championship races will also be held next Saturday morning. This is the 200 metres Individual Medley for the 10 years to Seniors & Veterans Age groups. All swimmers entered in these Championship races will swim together in an Open event, with the results split into ages to determine the Age Championship results.

These are the first races swum in the morning, so we ask that everyone is at the pool before 7:00am to assist in getting races underway on time.

Learn to Swim

Learn to Swim grading will be held this morning after the conclusion of club races. Enrolments for the program are closed and the lessons will run in two blocks:

• Saturday, 28th October to Saturday, 16th December, 2023
• Saturday, 3rd February to Saturday, 23rd March, 2023*

* There will be no lesson on 17th February, due to the club's swimming meet being held that day.

Lesson times are:

• Child Lessons start at 9:15am and finish at 9:45am.
• Adult Lessons start at 9:30am and finish at 10:15am.

More information can be found on the club website.

Pool Entry for Squad Training

A reminder that club members receive discounted pool entry when participating in club activities, including Squad Training. All swimmers must pay pool entry when attending these activities. Spectators attending Squad Training receive free entry, but only if they are spectating swimmers in the squad. If they are swimming in the public areas or spectating non-squad members, the normal pool entry fees apply.

Pool Staff may ask club members to show their membership card when paying their pool entry or purchasing a Club Member Pass. Your membership card can be accessed from Swim Central following these instructions.

Club Uniforms

We have a great range of club uniforms available for sale. These can be purchased through the club’s online shop. Some items may require a special order to be placed with our suppliers, so planning orders ahead of time will allow for the items to be delivered.

If you have any questions about club uniforms please talk to the Property Officer, Margaret Edwards or visit https://shop.merrylandsasc.asn.au/club-uniforms

Planning your Championship races

As you will see in the Season Program, we have club championship races commencing on Saturday 28^th October 2023 (week 4). A tight season sees a number of Championship double up days, so it is vital that you plan your swims well ahead to ensure you qualify for the Championships you wish to compete in. How do you do this? Follow these quick tips to plan your qualifying swims:

• Review the Season Program to see the date Championship swims are held;
• Plan your qualifying swim for a Championship at least 2 weeks before the Championship is held as this provides you with leeway in case you miss a week, are disqualified in the race etc;
• For example, the 100 metre Backstroke Championship will be held on Saturday 11^th November (week 6). Plan to swim your qualifying swim for this Championship by Week 4 (next week);
• Likewise look at the following weeks Championships and try and include these in your earlier swim plans. The more Championships you swim qualifying races for at the start of the season the less likely you are to miss qualifying.

The entry cost for each 100m and 200m Championship swim (Age & Open) will increase to $2 per entry. This increase reflects the fact that swimmers obtain points for both their Age & Open Championships from their one swim.

Lions Club Award

We are looking for your help in recognising those members who provide service to the club, over and above their normal duties. The Committee vote on monthly nominees each month. So, if you would like to nominate a club member to be considered for their service submit your nomination here.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

Club Captains

Nominations for the positions of Male and Female Club Captains are open and close at 9.30am on week 4 (28^th October, 2022). Information about the duties and responsibilities of Club Captains can be found on the club website in the By-Laws.

All financial first claim members can vote for these positions on week 6 (11^th November, 2022).

Relay Competition

Time trials have commenced for the Relay Competition and will conclude next Saturday (21^st October). The Relay Competition point score races start on 4^th November, so start organising your team and your team entry time.

Parramatta Inter-Club Cup

We will take on Parramatta City and McCredie Park at Granville Swimming Centre on Saturday, 11^th November. This is a great event for all our members with events from 7yrs & Under through to 50yrs & Over, and we need everyone’s help to retain the cup we won last season.

Information will be emailed to swimmers who are not registered as Full Members with our club, to explain how to register to swim at this meet. Full members can enter the meet as normal.

Club Uniforms

We have a great range of club uniforms available for sale. These can be purchased through the club’s online shop. Some items may require a special order to be placed with our suppliers, so planning orders ahead of time will allow for the items to be delivered.

If you have any questions about club uniforms please talk to the Property Officer, Margaret Edwards.

https://shop.merrylandsasc.asn.au/club-uniforms

Planning your Championship races

As you will see in the Season Program we have club championship races commencing on Saturday 28^th October 2023 (week 4). A tight season sees a number of Championship double up days, so it is vital that you plan your swims well ahead to ensure you qualify for the Championships you wish to compete in. How do you do this? Follow these quick tips to plan your qualifying swims:

• Review the Season Program to see the date Championship swims are held;
• Plan your qualifying swim for a Championship at least 2 weeks before the Championship is held as this provides you with leeway in case you miss a week, are disqualified in the race etc;
• For example the first Championship is the 200m Individual Medley on Saturday 28^th October (week 4). Plan to swim your qualifying swim for this Championship in Week 2;
• Likewise look at the following weeks Championships and try and include these in your earlier swim plans. The more Championships you swim qualifying races for at the start of the season the less likely you are to miss qualifying.

The entry cost for each 100m and 200m Championship swim (Age & Open) will increase to $2 per entry. This increase reflects the fact that swimmers obtain points for both their Age & Open Championships from their one swim.

Masters NSW SC Championships

We have a team of 6 swimmers representing our club at the Masters NSW SC Championships being held ay Woy Woy this weekend.

Good luck to Varant Jambazian, Peter Johnston, Kylee Murray, Timothy Oliver, Alison Sakurovs & Ian Wilson. May the whale be with you all. 

SNSW Qualifying Meet

Joseph Assi will swim 3 events at the SNSW Qualifying Meet at SOPAC this weekend. May the whale be with you too Joseph

Pool Entry for Squad Training

A reminder that club members receive discounted pool entry when participating in club activities, including Squad Training. All swimmers must pay pool entry when attending these activities. Spectators attending Squad Training receive free entry, but only if they are spectating swimmers in the squad. If they are swimming in the public areas or spectating non-squad members, the normal pool entry fees apply.

Pool Staff may ask club members to show their membership card when paying their pool entry or purchasing a Club Member Pass. Your membership card can be accessed from Swim Central following these instructions.

Learn to Swim

Our Learn to Swim program starts Saturday 21^st October 2023 at 9.15am.

Lessons will run in two blocks:

• Saturday, 28th October to Saturday, 16th December, 2023
• Saturday, 3rd February to Saturday, 23rd March, 2023*

* There will be no lesson on 17th February, due to the club's swimming meet being held that day.

Lesson times are:

• Child Lessons start at 9:15am and finish at 9:45am.
• Adult Lessons start at 9:30am and finish at 10:15am.

More information can be found on the club website.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

Welcome

Welcome back to our first week of Club Races at Merrylands. We have a jam-packed season planned with Championships, Meets and activities. This morning we open with club races, Novelty Events and a BBQ.

Since we were last together………….

Over the last few months a number of things of note have occurred:

April

• State Masters Championships were held at SOPAC
• MSW 5-8 Years meet held at Guildford
• 9 of our swimmers competed at the Australian Masters Championships in Tasmania, bagging 10 medals, 13 PBs’& 23 Season Best times
• Tim Oliver competed in the 2023 Modern Pentathlon Australian Championships

May

• Presentation Evening and AGM held with the new Committee elected

June

• A team of 12 swimmers represented the club at the MSW Area Short Course Championships at SOPAC
• Great results from the short course races held at Guildford, with lots of PBs, Area times and new Metrops time. Pizza rounded out the night for everyone
• A big night of ten pin bowling was held at Parramatta Leagues Club. Thank you to Parramatta Leagues Club for providing a grant towards the cost of the night

July

• Joseph Assi and Leo Zhu represented the club at the Metropolitan Short Course Championships
• SNSW announced they were introducing a new Meet Levy (see separate section for more information about this)
• New pace clocks were installed at Merrylands Swimming Centre thanks to a NSW Govt Office of Sport Local Sport Grant sourced by the club

August

• The World Aquatics Masters Championships were held in Japan. A team of 4 swimmers (Kylee Murray, Steven Nguyen, Alison Johnston and Ian Wilson) represented the club at these championships. Outstanding results were achieved, with 1 medal (Alison won the club’s first ever World medal), 1 finalist, 3 new personal best times and 7 season best times
• Wylas timing system was purchased thanks to a grant from Club Merrylands

September

• Cumberland City Council voted unanimously in support of a Notice of Motion to allocate $14.6m to the cost of refurbishing Merrylands Swimming Centre
• Tim Oliver came 2nd in the Oceanian Championships for Modern Pentathlon, held in Cairo, Egypt
• New laptop computers were purchased to replace the existing equipment thanks to kind assistance from Accucom Systems Integration

Club Captains

Nominations for the positions of Male and Female Club Captains are open and close at 9.30am on week 4 (28th October, 2023). Information about the duties and responsibilities of Club Captains can be found on the club website in the By-Laws.

All financial first claim members can vote for these positions on week 6 (11^th November, 2023).

Committee 2023/2024

The Executive and Committee for 2023/2024 were elected at the AGM in May:

Executive Members

Committee Members

We have a couple of vacancies on the Committee and other roles, so if you are interested in helping out, please speak to Graham Edwards

Swimming NSW Meet Levy

SNSW announced in June 2023 they were introducing a new Meet Levy to take effect post 30^th August 2023. Implementation of this new Meet Levy proposed adding a cost of $1.50 for every race entry from club races up, with this levy going directly to SNSW (this would see club race entry cost rising from $0.50 to $2.00 and club championship entries rising from $1.00 to $2.50 but with no increased financial return to our club). We objected to the implementation of this new Meet Levy, especially at club race & championship level. SNSW subsequently decided to defer the implementation at club level (for 12 months), but they have implemented this at intra club and higher meet level.

We will continue to object to the implementation of a Meet Levy at club race level and we will keep you informed as we receive further information.

Parramatta Inter-Club Cup

We will take on Parramatta City and McCredie Park at Granville Swimming Centre on Saturday, 11^th November. This is a great event for all our members with events from 7yrs & Under through to 50yrs & Over, and we need everyone’s help to retain the cup we won last season.

Merrylands Swimming Centre refurbishment

In November 2022 Cumberland City Council voted to obtain a report on allocating capital works funds towards the cost of refurbishing Merrylands Swimming Centre. This report was received and discussed at the Council meeting in September 2023 and Council voted unanimously to allocate $14.6m to the cost of refurbishing the swimming centre. We will continue to work with Council to see this decision followed through and have refurbishment works carried out. We will share more information with you as we hear more about the project.

Planning your Championship races

As you will see in the Season Program we have club championship races commencing on Saturday 28th October 2023 (week 4). A tight season sees a number of Championship double up days, so it is vital that you plan your swims well ahead to ensure you qualify for the Championships you wish to compete in. How do you do this? Follow these quick tips to plan your qualifying swims:

• Review the Season Program to see the date Championship swims are held;
• Plan your qualifying swim for a Championship at least 2 weeks before the Championship is held as this provides you with leeway in case you miss a week, are disqualified in the race etc;
• For example the first Championship is the 200m Individual Medley on Saturday 28th October (week 4). Plan to swim your qualifying swim for this Championship in Week 2;
• Likewise look at the following weeks Championships and try and include these in your earlier swim plans. The more Championships you swim qualifying races for at the start of the season the less likely you are to miss qualifying.

The entry cost for each 100m and 200m Championship swim (Age & Open) will increase to $2 per entry. This increase reflects the fact that swimmers obtain points for both their Age & Open Championships from their one swim.

Club Uniforms

We have a great range of club uniforms available for sale. These can be purchased through the club’s online shop.

Some items require special orders to be placed, so minimum numbers may be required before orders for these items can be placed with the supplier.

If you have any questions about club uniforms please talk to the Property Officer, Margaret Edwards.

https://shop.merrylandsasc.asn.au/club-uniforms

Technical Officials

Welcome back to all of our technical officials. For those who are non-swimming members don’t forget to renew your Dry/Support membership to ensure your technical accreditation remains current.

We need as many technical officials as possible to provide our swimmers with the best opportunities for their swims and qualification for events.

We will be holding a Technical Official refresher information session after club races this morning, so please stay around and join in.

For more information about becoming a Technical Official please see Graham

Metro South West LC Championships

The MSW Area Long Course Championships will be held at SOPAC on Saturday 21^st October and Sunday 22^nd October. Entries are open and close Wednesday 11^th October, so make sure you complete your race entries prior to this date.

Relay Competition

Time trials commence today for the Relay Competition and continue for the next two weeks. The competition starts on 4^th November, so start organising your team and your team entry time.

Sponsors

We have been fortunate over many years to receive great support from a number of sponsors. Our sponsors provide financial support to allow us to upgrade facilities, purchase equipment, provide free membership opportunities and in-kind support for events such as our Annual Presentation and Ten Pin bowling social event.

Without this great support it would be difficult to do all of the things we do, so we would like to thank all of our sponsors for the fantastic support they provide to our club. Please support our club sponsors whenever you can.

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

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

Training returns to Merrylands Swimming Centre from Tuesday, 3rd October, 2023.

All swimmers must complete their club membership renewal and complete a new enrolment form.

Training will continue through the School Holidays (with the exception of the Public Holiday). If you are going to be away, please complete the Training Break Form to advise when you will be away.

Session times may change based on the number of enrolments received. Sessions require a minimum of 4 enrolments to go ahead. The current training times for each group are published on the Training Schedule page.

Changes this season

• An increase in the cost of some sessions occurred in July.
• Changes to the Squad Structure, including membership, attendance and progression requirements.
• Changes to the Equipment requirements for some squads.
• Update to the Conditions.
• Changes to the Training Schedule on some days.
• Changes to usage of Active Kids vouchers.

What isn't changing

• Swimmers must have renewed their club membership for the 2023/2024 season before commencing training.
• Swimmers will continue to be booked into sessions, and must be cancelled through the booking system if you can't attend.
• Squad Fees continue to be paid via a multi-session pass.
• Pool Entry must be paid on entry to the centre.
• You may be required to show your Club Membership Card when paying pool entry or topping up a Pool Entry Card.

See Also

• Squad Enrolment Form
• Training Schedule
• Training Break Form

Registration for the 2023/2024 season is now open and instructions on how to re-register for the summer are on the How to Join page.

Registration this season will again be conducted through Swim Central.

Learn to Swim: We are still finalising details of our Learn to Swim program. Learn to Swim participants should register as a Club Swimmer or above if they want to participate in Club Races.

This season, thanks to Club Merrylands, we are again providing Free Membership for swimmers 8yrs & Under, who regularly swim in our club races.

All parents and adults who regularly attend the Club Races on Saturday mornings are requested to join the club as Non-Swimming Members (unless they want to swim).
There are a number of benefits to being a registered member of the club. Members are entitled to vote at Annual General and Special General meetings, vote for our Club Captains and can be recognised for their service to the club through awards such as the Lions Club Award, Life Membership or Service Excellence Awards.

Swimmers 18yrs & Over have the option of additionally registering as a Masters Competitor. This allows them to participate in Masters Swimming activities including Masters Only competitions on Saturday Mornings.

Finally, don't forget to order your club uniforms through our Online Store.

See Also

• Club Membership
• How to Join
• Free Membership for 8yrs & Under

Merrylands' team has achieved some excellent results at the World Aquatics Masters Championships with 1 medal, 1 finalist, 3 new personal best times and 7 season best times.

Alison Johnston took home her's and the club's first World Championships medal with bronze in the 200m Butterfly. Alison was also a finalist in the 100m Butterfly in her fastest time since 2018, finishing 10th, and swam a season-best time in the 100m Freestyle.

Kylee Murray had a fantastic meet, with new personal best times in the 100m, 200m and 400m Freestyle. Kylee's best placing was 19th in the 400m Freestyle.

Ian Wilson also had a great meet, with excellent times in his 4 Freestyle pool events. Ian's 100m was his best time since 2016, the 200m was his best since 2018, the 400m was his best since 2018, and the 800m was his best time since 2019. His best placing was 18th in the 800m Freestyle.

Steven Nguyen swam his fastest 50m Butterfly this season.

Well done to our team on their results, especially considering the hot and difficult conditions.

See Also

• World Aquatics Masters Championships - Day 7
• World Aquatics Masters Championships - Day 6
• World Aquatics Masters Championships - Day 4
• World Aquatics Masters Championships - Day 3
• World Aquatics Masters Championships - Day 2
• World Aquatics Masters Championships - Day 1
• World Aquatics Masters Championships - Merrylands Team
• Alison Johnston - 50m Freestyle
• Alison Johnston - 100m Freestyle
• Alison Johnston - 50m Butterfly
• Alison Johnston - 100m Butterfly
• Alison Johnston - 200m Butterfly
• Kylee Murray - 50m Freestyle
• Kylee Murray - 100m Freestyle
• Kylee Murray - 200m Freestyle
• Kylee Murray - 400m Freestyle
• Kylee Murray - 100m Backstroke
• Ian Wilson - 100m Freestyle
• Ian Wilson - 200m Freestyle
• Ian Wilson - 400m Freestyle
• Ian Wilson - 800m Freestyle
• Steven Nguyen - 50m Butterfly
• World Aquatics - Masters
• World Aquatics Masters Championships - YouTube
• 2023 World Aquatics Masters Championships Website
• Start Lists and Results