State Age Championships

Good luck to Leo Zhu who will be representing the club at the NSW Senior State Age Championships next week.

Leo is swimming in the 50m Freestyle, 50m Breaststroke and 100m Breaststroke.

We wish Leo the best of luck at the meet!

Christmas Raffle

Our giant Christmas Raffle is back! We have a stack of prizes this year including a $100 Rebel Sport Gift Card and swimming equipment with noted PBs from Dual-Olympic Gold Medallist Bronte Campbell. We also have a bunch of minor prizes up for grabs.

Tickets are on sale through each Saturday’s meet entries in Swim Central, and will also be sold on Saturday mornings with payment via Credit/Debit Card.

Prices are 1 Ticket for $2 or 3 Tickets for $5. There is a limit of one prize per family, so every family that purchases tickets is in with a great shot of winning a prize. The raffle will be drawn at the Christmas Party on 23^rd December.

To purchase tickets through Swim Central, on the Event page, open the Products tab, and select which tickets you wish to buy:

Where is your Parent?

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

Helping on Saturday Mornings

At the December Committee Meeting the club committee considered a number of options to ensure we have enough officials to run the races each week, that the races start on time, and have help setting up and packing up.

The committee considered the following:

• Implementing a roster for setup and pack up each week
• Implementing a timekeeping roster
• Not awarding points for swimmers who do not have a parent helping
• Not recording times for swimmers who do not have a parent helping
• Not allowing swimmers to race if they do not have a parent in attendance.

To be clear, the Committee doesn’t want to implement any of these measures. However, we can’t run events for your children without timekeepers and people to help setup and pack up.

So please:

• Arrive before 6:50am to help setup
• Pickup a stopwatch 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.

Many hands make light work.

Christmas/New Year Break

Our last club morning for 2023 is the 23^rd December. Races will resume on 6^th January, 2024.

Merrylands SwimFest

Have you entered yet? Entries for the 2024 Merrylands SwimFest are open and we have already reached 30% capacity. Our members get a 25% discount off their entries, so make sure you click the correct button to get your club member rate. Entries close on 3^rd February, 2024.

See the SwimFest section of our website for all the details.

Oh, and as always, we need helpers too! Nominate for a position here.

400m Individual Medley Results

Congratulations to the competitors in the 400m Individual Medley Championships last week.

Open Mens

1. Joseph Assi
2. Ian Wilson
3. Daniel Vicic

Open Womens

1. Alison Sakurovs

Lions Club Award

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

Nominations for November:

Congratulations to these members on being nominated and thank you for your contribution over the past month – it hasn’t gone unnoticed!

Nominations are open for any member to recognise the service of other members. You can nominate a club member online here.

800m Freestyle Championships

The 800m Freestyle Championships are on this week. Good luck to all the swimmers entered, and don’t forget to count your laps!

Whales Challenge #2

Whales Challenge #2 is next week! Are Maroon set to celebrate Christmas by putting the series out of reach? Or will White force a decider in the new year?

A new event – the Captains Freestyle Skins could be the deciding event. If you are one of your team’s fastest 50m Freestylers, you could get a call-up from your Team Captain to represent your team. And if you don’t get the call, make sure you cheer your team on.

Get your entries in so that you don’t let your team down!

Timekeeping Tip

Immediately after the race starts, you should check that your stopwatch is running and functioning properly. Report any malfunction to the Chief Timekeeper. Do this check regularly throughout the race.

Swimming NSW has a free online Timekeeping Course that we encourage all our timekeepers to complete. It takes less than 1 hour to complete. Even if you are a qualified Timekeeper, it is a great refresher.

Timekeeping is just one of the positions required to run club races. Are you interested in Starting, Judging Strokes or even becoming a Referee? If so, speak to one of the Committee members about how you can get involved.

You can also find more information about officiating on the Swimming NSW website here.

Christmas Party

Our Christmas Party will be held on Saturday, 23^rd of December. This morning will consist of Club Races, followed by Novelty Events and a BBQ.

So, make sure you hang around to celebrate the first half of the season and a great year.

Swimming Australia National Integrity Framework

Swimming Australia’s new National Integrity Framework comes into force on 1^st January 2024.

This is a set of rules that all members of our sport need to follow when it comes to their behaviour and conduct in swimming including obligations to report misconduct. Those rules are contained in the following policies:

1. Safeguarding Children & Young People Policy
2. Member Protection Policy
3. Improper Use of Drugs and Medicine Policy
4. Competition Manipulation & Sports Gambling Policy
5. Complaints, Disputes & Discipline Policy (CDDP)
6. Code of Conduct

Further details can be found on the Swimming Australia website.

Swimming Joke of the Week

A new study shows sharks only bite those who swim in the ocean…

Researchers advise not swimming there.

P-Plate Award

It isn’t just our members that are in with a chance of winning the coveted P-Plate award. Last year we had two outstanding efforts from two visiting officials.

The first was a Referee forgetting to blow his whistle to signal the final 100m in the 800m Freestyle. The confused swimmers continued on, first one and then another, like a group of lemmings walking towards a cliff and their impending doom. All swimmers got value for money at least, with all completing at least one extra 100m.

The next effort was from the Starter in the handicap. As he rattled off the numbers, first one number was missed, then another, then a whole sequence. The bewildered swimmers were trapped on the blocks, laughing and confused and waiting in some cases for a number that never arrived. Now that’s a Handicap!

Have you seen something similar that will go down in club folklore? If so, nominate the person here.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

Our last training session for 2023 will be held on Thursday, 21st December, while our last week of club races will be held on Saturday, 23rd December.

Club Races start at 7am as usual, and will include Novelty Events after the regular races.

Training will resume on Tuesday, 2nd January, 2024, with Club Races resuming on Saturday, 6th January.

Our Christmas Party will be held on Saturday, 23rd December in conjunction with the Club Races from 7am to 9:30am. All squad members are encouraged to attend the club races and novelty events. We would love to see you there. Enter online here.

Are going to be away at all in December or January?

If you will be away, then please complete the form below to indicate your last day of training and your first day back.

Training Break Form

The Committee and Coaching Staff hope you have enjoyed the first few months back at Merrylands. Have a Merry Christmas and keep training hard as school carnivals and the Merrylands SwimFest approaches.

See Also

• Training Break Form
• Training Schedule
• Club Races - Online Entries

Merrylands SwimFest

Entries for the 2024 Merrylands SwimFest are now open through our website. Our members get a 25% discount off their entries, so make sure you click the correct button to get your club member rate. Entries close on 3^rd February, 2024.

See the SwimFest section of our website for all the details.

Junior Swimmer Results

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

25m Freestyle

• Christian Jambazian *
• Anna Johnston

33m Freestyle

• Christian Jambazian *
• Marcus Chan

33m Backstroke

• Jude Johnston

Well done also to Patrick Hannan, Gabriella Assi and Damien Chan who all completed their first 200m Freestyle.

800m Freestyle Championships

The 800m Freestyle Championships will be held next week. A reminder that to qualify for these Championships you must have achieved a time of 6:45 or faster in the 400m Freestyle this season.

Qualifying for Championships

While we are on the topic of Championships, remember you must have completed an event in the current season to be eligible to compete in the championship for that event.

Toowoon Bay Ocean Swim

Congratulations to Tomas Dlesk and Petra Vozenilkova who competed in their first Ocean Swim last weekend at Toowoon Bay.

Well done to Tomas who took home bragging rights over mum Petra.

A great achievement from two of our newest swimmers. Well done to both of you and keep up the good work in the pool!

If you are interested in trying an Ocean Swim, you can find one near you at oceanswims.com.

Squad Training over December/January

Are you going away at all over December or January?

Then make sure you fill in the form on our website to let our coaches know when you will be away.

Entries for Club Races

Entries for Club Races are open for the rest of the year, so don’t forget to get yours in on time.

Whales Challenge #2

Whales Challenge #2 is coming on 16^th December. Can White stage a comeback or will Maroon reign supreme?

Get your entries in so that you don’t let your team down!

Club Uniforms

See the Property Officer, Margaret Edwards for any questions about club uniforms and place an order online.

Bring a Friend

Did you know your friends can Come & Try club races for up to 4 weeks without being a member? Just get them to sign up here.

Lions Club Award

Have you seen someone going out of their way to provide invaluable help at Club?

Then why not recognise their contribution by nominating them for the Lions Club Award?

Nominations can be made online here.

Timekeeping Tip

For all events, all Timekeepers stop their stopwatch at the instant any part of the swimmer's body in their lane makes contact with the finish wall.

The method of touch, particularly in form strokes, is not the responsibility of the Timekeeper.

It is the referee’s job to determine if the swimmer has touched the wall correctly.

Swimming NSW has a free online Timekeeping Course that we encourage all our timekeepers to complete. It takes less than 1 hour to complete. Even if you are a qualified Timekeeper, it is a great refresher.

To find more information about officiating see the Swimming NSW website here.

P-Plate Award

The meet is ready to start. The swimmers are ready and waiting behind the blocks. The timekeepers are in position. Or are they? Suddenly the wireless connection to one of the watches has disappeared.

“What’s going on here?” the timing system operator mumbles to himself. “What’s happened to 4A”?

He runs to the far end of the pool calling out for the timekeeper who has 4A, wondering on the way, “Has the watch been turned off? Has the battery gone flat?” But he gets there and they are nowhere to be seen. Are they at the wrong end? No. Where are they?

Suddenly the timekeeper reappears. No wonder we lost the signal – the watches have a good range, but don’t work from the car park!

And that is how you win the P-Plate award!

Have you seen something similar that will get retold again and again? If so, nominate the person here.

Christmas Party

Our Christmas Party will be held on Saturday, 23^rd of December. This morning will consist of Club Races, followed by Novelty Events and a BBQ.

So, make sure you hang around to celebrate the first half of the season and a great year.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

New Records

Congratulations Matthew Vicic and Kylee Murray who set new records in the 400m Freestyle Championships last week.

Matt broke the 16yrs record which had been held by Mitchell Emery since 2006, by almost 9 seconds.

Kylee broke her own record in the Veterans by almost 2 seconds. This record had stood since 2019.

Well done!

Championship Results

Well done to everyone that competed in last week’s 400m Freestyle Championships. The results were:

Lions Club Award

We need lots of help on a Saturday morning to set up, run the races and pack up.

Have you seen someone providing invaluable help? Then give them some recognition by nominating them for the Lions Club Award!

Nominations can be made online here.

How many swims can I do?

The number of events you are eligible to enter each week depends on your age and the championships that are being held that day.

The easiest way to work it out is to check the event details in Swim Central. Each week we break down what events each age group can enter for that week.

You can access this by using the Enter Online button on the Online Entries page of our website, or by clicking the details tab on the event in Swim Central.

It is the swimmer’s responsibility to ensure they enter the correct number of events, and no refunds will be provided if you enter too many.

Free Membership for 8yrs & Under

Do you have a swimmer 8 years or under?

We have a grant from Club Merrylands to cover their membership fees. What do you have to do? Submit a request for reimbursement here.

Conditions apply and are detailed on the website.

Set up & pack up on Saturday Mornings

We need your help setting up and packing up on a Saturday morning.

Please make sure you arrive at the pool before 6:50am so we can get set up, start and finish on time.

Things that need setting up include timekeepers’ chairs, recording table and tent, starting device and stopwatches. The same equipment needs packing up afterwards.

So please don’t wait to be asked, jump in and lend a hand, and if you aren’t sure what needs to be done, Ian Wilson or Graham Edwards will point you in the right direction.

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.

Club Uniforms

See the Property Officer, Margaret Edwards for any questions about club uniforms and place an order online.

Entries for Club Races

Entries for Club Races close at 8pm every Thursday. Entries are open multiple weeks in advance, so don’t leave it until the last minute to enter!

Late entries will not be accepted unless, at the discretion of the Race Secretary, exceptional circumstances are considered to exist. A Late Entry Fee will also apply to these entries if they are accepted.

The Race Committee spends a lot of time preparing the entries and program each Friday, so please do them a favour and get your entries in on time.

Bring a Friend

Did you know your friends can Come & Try club races for up to 4 weeks without being a member? Just get them to sign up here.

Timekeeping Tip

Taking times accurately is the single most important responsibility of a Timekeeper to ensure each swimmer is treated fairly and recognised for their performance.

To ensure a proper view of the finish, Lane Timekeepers must stand:

1. at the finish end,
2. of the lane of the swimmer that they are timing,
3. directly over the top of the lane, and
4. looking down the face of the wall.

So, if the swimmer is finishing in a different lane to their starting lane (yes that does happen!), Lane Timekeepers need to move to that lane in order to be over the top of the lane and take the time correctly.

Please note that you can’t accurately take the time from the side of the pool.

Swimming NSW has a free online Timekeeping Course that we encourage all our timekeepers to complete. It takes less than 1 hour to complete. Even if you are a qualified Timekeeper, it is a great refresher.

To find more information about officiating see the Swimming NSW website here.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

Club Captains

Congratulations to the members who were nominated for Club Captains for the season. Voting concluded last Saturday and we will announce the elected Club Captains for 2023/2024 this morning at the start of the Championship presentation.

Parramatta Inter-Club Cup

Our club competed in the Parramatta Inter-Club last Saturday afternoon at Granville Swimming Centre.

Congratulations to our team of 39 swimmers (across all ages) who took on the challenge against Parramatta City and McCredie Park. Whilst we weren’t able to retain the cup won last year, our team achieved great times and results with 62 new personal best times swum. As always, the meet was contested in great spirit and we look forward to trying to wrest the cup back from Parramatta City next year.

A big thank you to our club coaches for preparing our team for the meet and to Sylvia Chan, Danielle Vicic, Prafulla Shrestha, Margaret Edwards & Umi Shrestha, who undertook timekeeping during the meet. Your help was invaluable and greatly appreciated.

Club Uniforms

Start planning your uniform needs, with Christmas coming and the Merrylands SwimFest in February. See the Property Officer, Margaret Edwards for any questions about club uniforms and place an order online.

Lions Club Award

Don’t forget to submit nominations for club members who provide outstanding service to the club during the month. If you would like to nominate a club member submit your nomination here.

Free Membership for 8yrs & Under

We have funds available due to the previous grant received from Club Merrylands to reimburse memberships costs for swimmers aged 8yrs & Under. Eligibility criteria includes members who regularly swim in our club races. More information on eligibility criteria and how to claim reimbursement is here.

Bring a Friend

Did you know your friends can Come & Try club races for up to 4 weeks without being a member? Just get them to sign up here.

Officiating

To successfully run club races every week we need the help of a lot of people.

Timekeeping plays an important part as every swimmer depends on accurate timing for their race. We need 2 timekeepers per lane so please step forward to help on the morning. Timekeepers should report to the Chief Timekeeper (Denise Assi) before races commence so we can assign you to a lane and determine which additional lanes we need to fill.

If you are interested in learning more about officiating, or learning about some of the positions, please let Graham know as we can provide a range of information and assistance to help you achieve your accreditations.

To find more information about officiating see the Swimming NSW website here.

Championship races

Last week we held two Club Championship events, the 100 metres Backstroke and 100 metres Butterfly. Congratulations to everyone who competed in these events. The results were:

100 metres Backstroke

Open Championship results were:

100 metres Butterfly

** Matthew Vicic set a new record for the 16 Years Mens Butterfly Championship, swimming a time of 1:08.71, breaking the time of 1:12.86 set by Robert Griffey in 2001.

Open Championship results were:

Good luck to all of our swimmers competing in the 400 metre Freestyle Championship event to be held this morning.

Swimming No. 1 sport in Australia

Swimming has topped the Australian Sport’s Commission’s latest national AusPlay data to be the number one participation sport in the country.

Nearly six million Australians participate in swimming – be it learn to swim, recreational lap swimming, squad training, ocean swimming or competition.

The 2022-23 report, released at the end of October 2023, also found that swimming is the most popular sport for children with nearly two million (1,918,000) participants.

Other key findings include:

• Swimming participation has increased 33% (1.45 million) since 2017-18.
• In all – 3.95 million adults and 1.92 million children are involved in swimming.
• Adult swimming participation rates have increased to 18% in 2022-23 from 14.6% in 2017-18.
• The swimming participation rate amongst children has increased to 37.9% in 2022-23 from 30.8% in 2017-18.
• Swimming is particularly popular amongst women and girls, who represent 54.8% of total swimming participation (3.22 million).
• Females represent 56.9% of total adult swimming participation and 50.6% of total swimming participation amongst children.
• Swimming is the leading sport for people with a disability (573,000).
• Swimming is the leading sport amongst people who speak a language other than English (LOTE) at home (995,000).

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

Club Captains

The accepted nominations for the positions of Male and Female Club Captains were:

All financial first claim members have received an email with a link for online voting. Voting concludes today, so if you have not yet submitted your online vote, please do so by 9.30am this morning. We will announce the elected Club Captains for 2023/2024 next week.

Parramatta Inter-Club Cup

The Parramatta Inter-Club will be held this afternoon at Granville Swimming Centre with races starting at 3.30pm. Swimmers should arrive by 2:45pm to stretch and be ready to enter the water for warm up at 3.00pm.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the pool, whether you are swimming or there to encourage and support our team as they look to defend our title. May the whale be with our swimmers

We are required to provide timekeepers for two lanes, so we will ask for help in covering the timekeeping during the meet.

Club Uniforms

Start planning your uniform needs, with Christmas coming and the Merrylands SwimFest in February. See the Property Officer, Margaret Edwards for any questions about club uniforms and place an order here.

Lions Club Award

Thank you for the nominations received for voting in the Lions Club Award.

Nominations received for October (only club members can be considered in the voting for the award, so nominations for non-members are not included in the voting):

Non club member *

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

Relay Competition

The Relay Competition point score races started last week. Only three teams competed so we encourage all swimmers to organise a relay team and enter the competition. Enter your team 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 by following these instructions.

Championship races

Last week we held two Club Championship events, the 100 metres Freestyle and 100 metres Breaststroke. Congratulations to everyone who competed in these events. The results were:

100 metres Freestyle

Open Championship results were:

100 metres Breaststroke

Open Championship results were:

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

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

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!