Darren Turner

24 June 2017 Peter-Johnston Features
In 1977, Darren became Merrylands' first State Champion when he won the Boys 10yrs & Under 100m Backstroke at the NSW State Winter Championships. He also finished with Bronze in the 100m Freestyle at the same meet. During his time at the club, Darren set 21 club championship records, and also won the 50m Backstroke at the NSW Shell Age Series.

After leaving Merrylands, Darren went on to become one of the world's best open water swimmers, winning the 1989 Australian Marathon Swimming Championships, and was named the 1989 World Long Distance Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine. Darren's achievements have seen him nominated for the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.

From the Daily News of Open Water Swimming...

The 1993 Waikiki Roughwater Swim was an event filled with studly ocean swimmers including Olympians and national champions. It was so fast that the 1993 race was one of the few times since 1972 that no women placed in the top 20.

Australian Darren Turner, one of the most physically imposing ocean swimmers from Wollongong, won that 1993 race.

Between the late 1980s to the early 1990s, Turner was on a tear, competing and winning everywhere he swam:

  • second in the 1986 and 1988 Magnetic Island to Townsville Swim in North Queensland, Australia
  • first at the 1987 and 1988 5 km Sri Chinmoy Swim in Lake Burley Griffin, Australia
  • first in the 1988 Turner won the 18 km International Long Distance Swim in South Australia
  • second at the 1988 Australian Marathon Swimming Championships
  • second at the 1988 Wategos Beach to Byron Bay, Australia Day Ocean Swim
  • participated in a Guinness Book of World Records 1988 40 km Ocean Relay Swim from Largs Bay to Port Noralunga, South Australia
  • completed the 1989 25 km Ocean Swim in Gunnamatta Bay, Australia
  • swam 20 km in Engadine Pool, Australia in 1989 in 4 hours 12 minutes
  • first at the 1989 USA National 25 km Championships in Long Beach, California
  • first at the 1989 Australian Marathon Swimming Championships
  • named the 1989 World Long Distance Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine
  • first at the 1989 5 km Yarra Super Swim in Melbourne, Australia
  • first at the 1989 Waikiki Roughwater Swim in Hawaii
  • first at the 1989 Santa Monica Pier to Pier Swim
  • first at the 1989 Melbourne Australia Day Yarra River Super Swim
  • first at the 1989 Wollongong Ocean Swim, Basin to Beach
  • first at the 1989 Macquarie River Swim in Dubbo, Australia
  • first at the 1992 Melbourne Australia Day Yarra River Super Swim
  • first in the World Rescue Tube Race at the 1992 World Lifesaving Titles in Shimoda, Japan
  • won 7 Australian individual and Team Surf Lifesaving titles
  • first at the 1993 Waikiki Roughwater Swim in Hawaii with a course record in 42.21 minutes
  • participated in the winning team at the 1993 Maui Channel Swim between Lanai and Maui in Hawaii
  • first at the 1997 Nepean River Bridge to Bridge Swim in Australia
  • Masters Swimming Australia National & NSW State Record in the 30-34yrs 400m Freestyle at SIAC in 1997 - 4:21.40
  • participated in the winning team at the 1998 Maui Channel Swim between Lanai and Maui in Hawaii
  • Masters Swimming Australia National & NSW State Record in the 30-34yrs 800m Freestyle at Blacktown in 1998 - 9:07.30
  • Masters Swimming Australia National & NSW State Record in the 30-34yrs 1500m Freestyle at Blacktown in 1998 - 17:15.08
  • participated in the winning team at the 1999 Maui Channel Swim between Lanai and Maui in Hawaii
  • completed the 9.6-mile Maui Channel Swim 7 times between 1989 and 1999
  • participated on the winning team in the 2005 Cottesloe to Rottnest Island Swim in Western Australia
  • first at the 2011 Bondi Beach Rough Water Swim
Darren was one of the many outstanding Australian swimmers and surf lifesavers of the 1980s and 1990s and recently recalled his long career in the open water swimming world with "Daily News of Open Water Swimming":

Daily News of Open Water Swimming (DNOWS): The most exciting race (dramatic) ocean swim during your career?

Darren Turner (DT): Of note was the USA National Long Distance Championships at Long Beach, California. It was a hard and fast race. I was only in a winning position in the last couple of kilometres. Representing your country and being part of the Australian team made this swim one the most exciting victories for me.

Following this race, I still remember being sore for days and I was lucky to lift my arms above my shoulders.

One of the most exciting races I was involved in was being a major part of a team that was the first team to beat the USA in the Maui Channel Swim. This was a relay swim, but it was also one of the most exciting and dramatic victories for more reasons than one.

DNOWS: What was your most difficult marathon swim of your career?

DT: Two stand out for different reasons: the Magnetic island to Townsville Swim, Qld, Australia and the Guinness Book of World Records 40 km Relay Swim in South Australia.

The Magnetic Island to Townsville was raced in a shark cage. This is one of the most difficult ways to race as it is difficult getting your pace in time with the tow boat which is usually several 100 meters away from the cage and accompanying boat.

Swimming in the shark cage was extremely difficult as it was only about 2.5 meters wide and 5 meters long. There is little or no room to move in the cage, especially for me as I am already 6 foot 4 inches (193 cm). Swimming in a cage meant I was constantly putting my fingers through the front of the cage and being thrown about depending on chop and surface conditions. Swimming in a cage also meant I needed to be constantly be communicating with my support crew in order to help with my adjustments in speed. I was lucky I had the great Des Renford on board and he knew all the tricks I needed. One of his tricks was tying coloured ribbons in the centre and sides of the cage. This helped me hold my position while racing. Holding my position at the front of the cage also helped me to maintain my speed and stroke.

The Guinness Book of World Records team swim that I did in South Australia was one of the most difficult for other reasons. Starting at 5 am in the dark swimming from the shore to find your support boat is not one for the fainthearted. To add to this, South Australia is known for its’ great White Sharks and swimming in the dark with no lights is like swimming blindfolded.

What also made this swim one of the most difficult, was we swum into a strong head wind of about 25 knots. This kicked up the swell and chop so keeping course was difficult and physically demanding for the entire swim.

DNOWS: The 1993 Waikiki Roughwater Swim was a classic. Can you describe this race?

DT: The Waikiki Roughwater Swim attracts some of the best open water swimmers from around the world and the start line is packed so getting a good start is critical.

I led the race from the start and the pace was on from the get-go, I was leading with Alex Kostich and Daniel Veatch trailing closely behind. We had broken away from the main pack, but I just could not shake these two but I was extremely determined to win.

At the last turning buoy, I knew I needed to break these guys using my surf skills and knowledge. I made a right-hand turn and made my way across to the wave zone which broke over the reef. The surf was up around the 4-foot mark on this day. Alex and Daniel had continued to swim straight into the main channel area as I proceeded to the wave zone. There were several surfers on this break when a nice 4-footer came through, I called to the guys surfing on the break “MY WAVE” which I caught and then surfed the wave for at least 100 meters over the shallow reef. I was then left with only a short swim to the beach area. This placed me much further from the finish line than the normal course, but I ran the extra 50 meters to the line and was the overall winner in record time, a record that still stands today.

DNOWS: What was your most difficult workouts?

DT: I trained with one of the toughest coaches ever, Dick Caine was a non-accredited coach who is very much non-mainstream in his approach. There is no science to his approach, it was just all about hard work. He still works in miles, not kilometres. Dick Caine was the coach of many still-water and triathlon Olympic champions, open water and surf lifesaving champions, he has also coached many other sporting legends from a range of disciplines including boxing, rugby and football.

One week which was often called Hell Week we swam 113 kilometres and often supplemented this with gym and running. We often started the workout with 1 hour of straight swimming with our ankle bands which is having your ankles are legs tied with rubber tyre band (NO pull buoy).

Other sessions consisted of over distance sets 400’s, 800’s, and 1500’s sessions also always included hypoxia breathing (i.e., breathing 1 in 5 strokes or 1 in 7 strokes or 1 in 9 strokes). Friday afternoons always consisted of 16 x 400 freestyle on a very short rest cycle (every 5min), 100x100 freestyle was always another tough set. I believe we gained a lot of our strength and conditioning from this type of training.

Dick Caine was a hard task master, so if he believed you were not trying or you choose to not be as focused on your workout you were penalised with 1-hour straight butterfly so you could re-focus.

If there was no valid reason why you could not make work out Dick Caine would have his wife ring and you were given a time frame to be there, if you choose not to follow his instructions you were given one chance to comply or you were never not welcome back.

However, if you applied yourself and lasted the distance with Dick Caine you were going to succeed he is the most caring of coaches who made you feel part of his family.

DNOWS: You were a highly successful surf lifesaver. How would you describe the differences between open water and surf lifesaving?

DT: In Australia, many swimmers have been exposed to surf lifesaving at some point in their career and are taught surf skills from a very young age. This experience has given me the ability to read and understand different surf conditions, the ability to be quick off the start, and ability to navigate the best path to and from the shore., to use the conditions to my advantage and to find the right path on my return to shore and put myself in the best possible position in the wave zone and to catch the first rideable wave.

Surf lifesaving gives you the experience in swimming in a large pack. A surf lifesaving surf race usually consisted of 30 or 40 swimmers starting the race often rounding a buoy at sea sometimes six or eight wide, so you become accustomed to swimming in a confined pack where locking arms and being kicked in the head was normal.

Open water swimming is a very different from surf life-saving. Open water swimming requires you to navigate open stretches of water, you need to adapt your stroke and style depending on surface conditions. As an open water swimmer, you need to be an endurance athlete and have the ability and training to complete a long-distance swim. I believe you need to be mentally strong and be to cope with the loneliness of longer swims. As an open water swimmer, you will also be required to swim in varied water temperatures this also requires training so your body and mind can cope.

I strongly believe that you also need to understand your own pace in open water swimming to be adaptable at any time during a race, you may also need to increase your speed or be ready to change tack at any time.

Solo swims are a lot different you need to swim at your own pace, not go too hard at the start, be prepared to build the swim and maintain good rhythm. During the swims, I completed I found that just after taking a drink stop, I would take several strokes of backstroke, I found this helpful as it relieved the pressure in my shoulders for a short time.

DNOWS: Do you still swim?

DT: I still love to swim I hit the pool several times per week and usually swim up to 5 km per session. However, when ocean conditions permit, I love nothing more than to swim solo just in open water this occurs just where I live and work as Manager of Bulli Beach Tourist Park in NSW Australia where I swim between the two headlands Waniora Point to Woonona Point.

Like the famous Kelly Slater, I find Fiji one of the most beautiful and unspoilt places on the planet and intend to complete the Mana island ocean swim soon.

I still have the desire to compete and would love to one day again compete in the following swims: the Maui Channel Swim, Waikiki Roughwater Swim, and the Rottnest Island swim this would allow.

See Also

2011/2012 Season Review

01 October 2012 Peter-Johnston Features
2011/2012 was a very successful season for the club with increased attendances on Saturday mornings, our first foray into Ocean Swimming, some great performances from our Masters Team and our first International Representative.

The club started the season with a bang as we sent a four member Masters Team to the NSW State Masters Short Course Championships in Canberra. The team returned from the meet with 17 medals and 9 personal best times. That was only the beginning of our Masters Team’s success however. At the NSW State Masters Championships in March, our team of 6 won 15 medals, with 15 new personal best times and also won our division. Four members then travelled to Adelaide in April for the National Championships where we won another 13 medals and swam another stack of personal best times.

Alison Sakurovs became the club’s first International Representative when she travelled to Italy in June to represent the club at the FINA World Masters Swimming Championships. Alison competed in 4 pool events at the Championships and also swam in the Open Water event.

On the home front, despite some inconsistent weather during the season, attendances on Saturday mornings were strong and the highest they had been since 2005/2006. Learn to Swim numbers decreased slightly, while the number of Masters Swimmers continues to slowly increase. Overall, the club’s total membership remained steady with 143 members registered and remained the largest club in the Holroyd LGA. In the Swimming Australia GoClub PB program the club achieved the Silver Standard for the first time showing how much work the committee has put into moving the club forward.

Adam Sharp was presented with the Lions Club Award for his volunteer work throughout the season while Steven Nguyen was presented with the Learn to Swim Volunteer of the Year Award for his contribution to the Learn to Swim Program. Four Members were presented with Service Excellence Awards at the club's Annual Presentation Evening with Ian Johnston, Graham Edwards, Glenda Wood and Chris Liepins receiving the awards in recognition of their outstanding service to the club for more than 10 years.

In the club competitions, a number of new champions were crowned while some successfully defended their titles. "The Great Ones" successfully defended their Relay Competition title. In the Senior competitions, Peter Johnston won the Senior Handicap while Ian Wilson won the Masters Aerobic Trophy.

Brittany Johnson was presented with the Champion of Champions Award for an 8th time. Brittany won the Senior Womens Championships, breaking 11 club championship records along the way. She also represented the club at the Area, Metropolitan and State Open Championships.
From our novice swimmers, Natalie Sorensen was presented with the Jack Smart Encouragement Award after steadily improving over the season. Carl Sorensen was presented with the Jim Pye Development Award or "Minties" Award - for his improvement throughout the season and qualifying for his first Metro South West Championships.

In the Graded Pointscore Alison Sakurovs was a clear winner in the female pointscore, while Carl Sorensen finished on top in the male competition.

The club's representative teams had another successful year with members competing at all levels up to and including State Open Championships.
Brittany Johnson represented the club at the State Open Championships, while Peter Johnston competed at the Metropolitan Championships. At the Metro South West Championships, the club finished with finalists in 11 events and with 9 finalists at the Short Course Championships.
Eight of our swimmer's performances over the season were recognised with selection in the 2012 Metro South West Area Development Squads.

2011/2012 saw the formation of our first Open Water Team as 5 members competed in various Ocean Swims across the summer, with a number of top 3 placings, each followed by a debrief over a greasy burger.

In the Club Championships, 18 Championship records were broken over the season.



The Merrylands SwimFest was again held on a Saturday afternoon with the meet running smoothly and 186 swimmers from 26 clubs in attendance. The club pointscore was closely fought with McCredie Park & Toongabbie finishing equal first.

As the summer season was drawing to a close, Holroyd Council were still undecided about the future of the 3 council operated swimming centres, eventually resolving to retain the three centres and undertake a modernisation program, however it is still uncertain what this program will involve.

Despite the uncertainty over the pool's future, the committee members continue working on strategies to attract and retain members. We look forward to an exciting and even more successful 2012/2013 season.

See Also
  • 2011/2012 Rankings

  • 2011/2012 Presentation Evening

  • NSW State Masters Championships - Team

  • NSW State Masters Championships - Results

  • Metro South West Championships Open & Age Championships - Team

  • Metro South West Championships Open & Age Championships - Results

  • NSW State Open Championships - Team

  • NSW State Open Championships - Results

  • NSW Metropolitan Championships - Team

  • NSW Metropolitan Championships - Team

  • NSW State Masters Championships - Team

  • NSW State Masters Championships - Results

  • Australian Masters Championships - Team

  • Australian Masters Championships - Results

  • FINA World Masters Championships - Team

  • FINA World Masters Championships - Results

  • Diary of a FINA World Masters Swimmer

  • Metro South West Open & Age Short Course Championships - Team

  • Metro South West Open & Age Short Course Championships - Results

  • Metro South West Development Squads

    • Diary of a FINA World Masters Swimmer

    21 June 2012 Peter-Johnston Features
    Alison Sakurovs represented Merrylands at the FINA World Masters Championships from 7-16 June. Alison is the club's first swimmer to compete at the Championships.

    Following is Alison's diary from the Championships...


    Day 1 - Thursday, 7th June
    We checked in at the hotel, 1940s style and very nice. Walked to the pool and registered, the buzz around the pool was pretty amazing. We watched the men's 45-49 Water Polo for a bit - USA vs Russia, and then watched some old ladies dive (aka fall into the pool). The blocks at the pool look really strange; I definitely have to practice as from a distance I have no idea how to get up on them!!

    The Opening ceremony is tomorrow night, which is apparently a street parade where you march with your country, should be good!

    Having an early night tonight, mum and I went out for pizza and beers (I didn't have any but mum had 2) and now ready to crash at 8pm.


    Day 2 - Friday, 8th June - Training
    Had our first breakfast at the hotel, mmm the cakes were awesome! Nah, just had cereal and yogurt, and salad for lunch today - being good until after the swimming (they have an outdoor bar set up at the pool...).

    Went for a walk today too to find where the open water swim started and looked at shops. It’s currently raining so might just train tomorrow instead of today.

    ---

    We didn't make it to the pool to train. From what I heard I'm glad I didn't. Apparently it was chockers and everyone was swimming over each other. It was the first day the pool was open to the swimmers, and only from 3-7 pm. I did 18 laps of the hotel pool instead, which we have approximated to be 22 metres long. I couldn't turn and there is a ledge all around but felt good to stretch out in the water given I had spent 27 hours on a plane - the first 4 laps felt awful!!

    Well we're off to the opening ceremony, wearing full Merrylands gear!


    Day 3 - Saturday, 9th June - Training
    Went to the pool to train today. Did my warm up, managed to do 400m free warm up, 4x50 with 25 Sprint, 25 easy (distance varied pending people in the way and on no time in particular as there was no clock and I had to find a gap anyway) 4 x 15 starts, don't like the blocks but oh well, 200 swim down then tried to do the efficiency test but too many people so did another 200 free then got out.

    Swam in my new swimmers, I love them! Off to lunch now, pretty much all the places sell ice cream or pizza!

    ----

    Today we went shopping and I bought some goodies.

    We went to a gelati bar which had a 40 page menu of desserts... (that's right FORTY). I was good and I had a fruit salad. (Although it was coated in sugar syrup mmmm).

    Saturday night is party night and all the Italians are glammed up (read not wearing much) but I'm going to crash out in bed.

    Been bumping into a few Australians that I have recognised from other meets I have swum at and it has been good to catch up and swap stories.

    Not sure what time I should get to the pool on Monday. I have emailed Peter to see if he can work out how long the first event will go for? Trying to do it all off my phone with limited access is proving to be difficult.


    Day 4 - Sunday, 10th June
    Got my own virtual swimming coach! Peter sent through the event times. From the timeline it looks like day 2 and 3 are going to be looonnnggg days!

    Did a lazy 500m or so before breakfast. Only one in the pool so I had a few spectators as the veranda where breakfast is served overlooked the pool.

    Mum and I took the bus to Rimini today, it was a Roman settlement and there was a lot of interesting buildings, with medieval buildings too. Popped into a medieval church for a sticky beak, they were having mass in Italian (obviously) so we didn't stay long.

    Just got back to the hotel for what will be a lazy afternoon to get ready for tomorrow.

    ---

    Watching the Formula One, and flicking between that and the UEFA CUP, plenty of Italians out watching the game against Spain. Mum and I were invited out to drinks by two friendly Italians too...

    Going to go do my stretches before bed tonight and email Peter to check if there is anything else I should know or should be doing.

    Bumped into Stuart Ellicott from my old club Hornsby today, he still isn’t happy that I have gone to the “other side” but we had a good catch up.


    Day 5 - Monday, 11th June - 100m Freestyle
    Oh my goodness!

    There were a billion people there today, no lie, a billion. I counted every one myself!

    So, here's how today went:

    Got the shuttle to the pool and then tried to find a spot to sit and walked around for ages as the grandstand was chokers, the grass was chockers, the chairs were etc etc...

    So eventually found a spot on the grass.

    Did a warm up, 400 free with occasional breaststroke as trying to avoid people, then tried to do the 4x50s but couldn't as there were so many people in the pool so did sporadic 10m of sprints when I could get through. Then another 200 metres afterwards. Then got changed back into my clothes and sat and waited...and waited...and got hot, and got sore so wandered around watching races and synchronized swimmers doing their warm up which is pretty cool - I think I have new found respect for them!

    Anyway, so the marshalling was efficient except for standing in the sun so everyone was a bit overheated before their races. Italians don’t seem to believe in shade or slip, slop, slap for that matter!
    Race was ok, dive was good, first 50 was great, turned in 31.91 I think and turned second but then with 25 to go I felt AWFUL and the last 10m I died! 1.08.56 I think and ended up 5th in my heat which I guess is ok considering the flight and lack of preparation.

    I had massive jelly legs after, did about 300m warm down then walked back to the hotel, had early dinner, then best gelati ever (pear) then now having a quiet one.

    I think I would have really liked someone there with me today, either as coach or team mate, it was all a bit overwhelming!

    ---

    Oh just saw the results, came 74th.. would have come 53rd if I swam to my time :S

    Going to check with Peter, but I reckon it's better to warm up in the hotel pool (22m with no people but hard to turn) rather than in the 25m pool at the centre which is full of people.

    Day 6 - Tuesday, 12th June - 200m Freestyle, 50m Butterfly
    Oooh report back to Ian, finally had a sighting of... the Speetster! Snobbed me as usual. Ok so maybe I did that thing where I stare off vaguely into the distance, not knowing I'm staring at someone and it happened to be her so maybe she thinks I snob her too!

    I had my 200 Freestyle today!

    So happy with my splits, don't care that it was slower than nationals but I'm just over the moon about my splits and how they compare to nationals:

    34.49
    1.14.10 (39.61) only 0.01 slower!
    1.54.62 (40.52)
    2.35.15 (40.53)

    Was coming 2nd for the first 100 then finished 3rd. I was really happy with how I swam and apparently it looked fantastic (mum's non biased motherly opinion). EXCEPT: my 3rd turn was an absolute shocker! Like I'm talking if my coach saw it, it deserved a slap and a good talking to from him! I was so puffed I took an extra breath before the turn so came out wrong, didn't get my feet evenly on the wall, took ages to realign and still came off semi crooked.

    So in a way I'm kinda happy because if my turn went well I'm pretty sure it would have been at least a second faster (yes, that's how bad it was)... then again, it could have been good to have a breather haha. Probably had time for a tea and a biscuit too ;)

    ---

    Well I'm back at the hotel now.

    They changed the heat from 72 to 70 for my fly but I was still in lane 1 so not sure what happened there. Lucky I always walk down with plenty of time.

    Start felt good but died with 20 to go. Still managed 35.92 but qualifying was 35.64. I had a look at the results and if my calculations are correct I'm the 2nd placed non qualifier.So let's just pretend that 35.64 was the break time, then I actually came 2nd! Wooooo! Haha.

    The warm down felt really good actually so I'm looking forward to the 50m Freestyle tomorrow. Given the results of the fly though I'm undecided whether I will do the 100m. I guess it depends on how long I have to wait around too.


    Day 7 - Wednesday, 13th June - 50m Freestyle
    So hot!

    The results board crashed 2 heats before mine, so I didn't see when I finished the race, then they didn't get posted by the time I left.

    Just got back to the hotel and looked it up, 31.03. A bit disappointed with that but my arms felt heavy in the race. Felt relaxed before it but a bit scatterbrained during the race. So I don't know.

    I'm going to pull out of the fly as I didn't actually qualify, I shouldn't be doing it. I know everyone else does, but I don’t think it’s fair.

    Time for a celebratory gelato I think! Or nutella crepes, been hanging out all week for them!

    So many campervans in the car park, people getting massages and drinking wine in them! Took a photo for Ian for the Ocean Swim Team :)


    Day 8 - Thursday, 14th June
    Peter sent a bunch of Open Water information through. I'm going to read it all after dinner tonight.

    I'm looking forward to the swim, apart from it being in the hottest part of the day! The water is F L A T which is lucky but I'm just worried about over heating or something. Oh well, should be ok if I prepare well.

    Today we took the bus to San Marino which is actually a different country to Italy. It was pretty amazing.

    ---

    Just got back from dinner, I had home-made ravioli with tomatoes and basil, was amazing!

    Tomorrow we are going to walk up to where the Open Water Swim will be held. We found it the other day but they hadn't set anything up yet. Hopefully it will be clearer tomorrow. I read Peter's Open Water information. I read it with mum too so she knows what to expect. I guess if I can't find a slushie a post race gelato would have to do? :)


    Day 9 - Friday, 15th June

    Back from the Open Water venue. It looks pretty flat but there is a definite current coming into shore. They buoys weren't out so I just swam about 200m out (after walking about 100!! It's so shallow!) Then turned around and spotted mum and practised swimming to her. The water is clean but very salty and tastes different; the water is cool but not too cold. I wore my black goggles and they didn't leak so I think I will stick with them. If they leak during the race I could probably stand up and fix them! Haha.

    Had lunch at a nice restaurant we found. The waiter proposed to me, but I declined!

    Off to have a swim in the hotel pool (read: float around and work on my tan).


    Day 10 - Saturday, 16th June
    I'm so so happy! Great swim, stoked with my time!

    Off to find a greasy hamburger joint.

    ---

    It felt weird doing an ocean swim without my team; swimming along knowing that they are swimming somewhere in front or behind me, or the post race debrief and greasy burger feed.

    The race was good, they were organised in the marshalling area and gave you a bag to put your stuff in and wrote your number all over you. (Currently lying in bed on a towel so I don't get black ink on the sheets). Then they gave a prerace briefing and the guy was pretty funny.

    I started on the right hand side, and was winning for the first 200m until I realised I had 2.8k to go and slowed down haha. A pack formed in front and behind me. I basically swam the whole thing by myself. Oh except for an annoying Italian woman! I'm glad Peter sent me the rules and explained about who has right of way, she was just in front of me early on and swam across me so I let her go knowing she can do what she wants. But after a while I caught up and got in front. After she got behind me, she kept trying to cross across my legs. This happened about 6 or 7 times in the first 1k and got me so fired up which ended up being exactly what I needed so after about 1.5k I got away from her and kept up a good pace as I didn't know how far behind she was. Ended up beating her by 1-2 mins :D

    There was a current going out and for the last 750 which slowed everyone down. It was hard too as there were heaps of support vessels and they made a lot of waves and once they crossed you, not only did you have to deal with wake, but the petrol taste in the water which was so bad!

    I finished strongly and think I could have done it slightly faster but it's always hard to know how fast to go. I'm happy as I pretty much kept the same pace the whole way and felt strong.

    I was so happy when I saw the results, made the first page, top 50, and under not only an hour, or 55 mins but under the time Peter set for me :D I can't wait for summer back in Oz and to do more ocean swims with the boys :)

    We went out for a late lunch/early dinner then came back for a nap.


    Day 11 - Sunday, 17th June
    Last night in Riccione, bags packed and ready to go for our 4am bus ride tomorrow to Milan.

    We went shopping today, then after a healthy lunch of nutella crepes we had a long nap, still tired and sore from the open water.

    We went to sit by the pool and have a quiet one but the staff had set up volleyball in the pool. The Italian guy who kept asking me to participate in all the activities who I kept saying no to got me in. It was fun, although everyone else playing were Italian but I could work out pretty much what was going on. They thought I was German at first! Got asked out on a date tonight, politely declined. He didn't understand why I would be hanging out with the old swimmers and not going for a drink with young people.

    Funny, I had such a nice afternoon as the Australians in my hotel have formed a group and all have drinks together before they go out separately for dinner or the night's activities. Today was the first day mum and I have stayed with them for longer (to avoid Carlo, my Italian "friend" as well) and everyone debriefed about the holiday and their swims and their training tactics and it was so nice to have a group of people, all ages and abilities who have never met before discuss swimming.

    There's one American lady staying with us, she's 92, travelling by herself and has the most positive attitude so it has been inspiring listening to her. I would have guessed she was in her 70s!

    I'm going to miss the swimming aspect of the holiday, I have had such wonderful experiences and it is something I will always remember.


    See Also
  • 14th FINA World Masters Championships - Report
  • 14th FINA World Masters Championships - Results
  • 14th FINA World Masters Open Water Championships - Results
  • 14th FINA World Masters Championships - Photos

    • 2010/2011 Season Review

    02 October 2011 Peter-Johnston Features
    2010/2011 proved a successful season for the club in spite of some very cold and wet weather, the continuing uncertainty over Holroyd Council's Swim Centre Review and the loss of one of our Life Members.

    As the 2010/2011 season began, Holroyd Council received a report from consultants recommending that any new or improved swimming centre be constructed on the site of the current Merrylands Swimming Centre. Council however decided to commission a feasibility study into constructing a new centre on Hyland Road in Greystanes instead. This decision could effectively mean the eventual closure of Merrylands Swimming Centre if or when a new centre is built. The council's decision to close Merrylands Swimming Centre during the winter months also meant that there would be no pre-season competition or training during September and no Winter competition during April and May.

    Even worse news was to follow. Within a month of the start of the season, the club received the sad news that Life Member, Jim Pye, had passed away aged 83. Jim was member of our club since it was formed in 1968, and was awarded Life Membership in the 1980s. He will be sadly missed by all members.

    In the pool, following the demised of the Winter season, the club revamped its summer program with some events previously held during the winter competition moved to the summer, including a new SpringSkins event. Despite some very cold and wet weather during the first couple of months, attendances on Saturday mornings were strong and the highest they had been since 2005/2006. With the Wentworthville RSL Swimming Club folding over the winter, the club also picked up a few new members from Wentworthville. Learn to Swim numbers decreased slightly, as did total membership, however the club remained the largest in the Holroyd LGA and 7th largest in the Metro South West Area with 143 members. In the Swimming Australia GoClub PB program the club again achieved the Bronze Standard and was only a hand full of points off achieving the silver level. This was good recognition of the work that the committee members have contributed in continuing to move the club forward, especially considering there were only 8 members on the committee.

    Vicki Baker was presented with the Lions Club Award for her volunteer work throughout the season while Adam Sharp was presented with the Learn to Swim Volunteer of the Year Award for his contribution to the Learn to Swim Program. Five Members were presented with Service Excellence Awards at the club's Annual Presentation Evening with Glad Pye, Tricia Johnston, Peter Johnston, Teresa Johnson and Margaret Edwards receiving the awards in recognition of their outstanding service to the club for more than 10 years. At the Annual General Meeting, Teresa Johnson was voted as the club's newest Life Member in recognition of her service to the club.

    In the club competitions, a number of new champions were crowned while some successfully defended their titles. A new team "The Great Ones x 6" took out the Relay Competition at their first attempt. In the Senior competitions, Steven Nguyen won the Senior Handicap for the third year straight while Peter Johnston won the Masters Aerobic Trophy.

    Brittany Johnson was presented with the Champion of Champions Award for a 7th time. Brittany won the Senior and Open Womens Championships, breaking 10 club championship records along the way. She also represented the club at the Area, Metropolitan and State Open Championships.
    From our novice swimmers, Rhiannon Farrugia was presented with the Jack Smart Encouragement Award after steadily improving over the season. Hayley Baker was presented with a new award - the Jim Pye Development Award or "Minties" Award - for her improvement throughout the season and qualifying for her first Metro South West Championships.

    In the Graded Pointscore Hayley Baker and Lachlan Stewart both defended their Pointscore wins from the previous season.

    The club's representative teams had another successful year with members competing at all levels up to and including State Open Championships.
    Brittany Johnson represented the club at the State Open Short Course Championships and was our club's first female representative at this meet in recent memory. Three swimmers competed at the Metropolitan Championships while Brittany Johnson was our sole swimmer at the Metropolitan Short Course Championships, but that didn't stop her from swimming seven new PBs from her six events. At the Metro South West Championships, the club finished with finalists in 13 events. At the Metro South West Short Course Championships, the club won 3 medals with Brittany Johnson taking home two Bronze and Peter Johnston a Silver.
    Ten of our swimmer's performances over the season were recognised with selection in the 2011 Metro South West Area Development Squads.

    2010/2011 saw increased participation and success by the club in Masters Swimming. Steven Nguyen, Brittany Johnson, Alison Sakurovs, Peter Johnston and Ian Wilson all represented the club at various State Masters Championships over the season, collecting 11 Gold, 8 Silver and 7 Bronze medals at the 3 Championships contested. Alison also represented the club at the Australian Masters Championships in Perth, winning 4 Bronze Medals.

    In the Club Championships, 12 Championship records were broken over the season.



    For the second year the Merrylands SwimFest was held on a Saturday afternoon. The meet ran smoothly again with the highest number of entries since 2008 and 34 clubs and 255 swimmers in attendance. Mt Pritchard won the club pointscore.

    As the summer season was drawing to a close, the club found itself without a winter training venue for the first time since 2005. The committee were eventually able to secure lane space at Guildford Swimming Centre for the winter, just days before Merrylands closed. In a surprise move, Merrylands was re-opened in mid September to allow the Department of Education School Swimming Scheme to use the pool, and the club was able to return to the pool for training three weeks earlier than previously expected.

    Despite the uncertainty over the pool's future, the committee members continue working on strategies to attract and retain members. We look forward to an exciting and even more successful 2011/2012 season.

    See Also
  • 2010/2011 Rankings

  • 2010/2011 Presentation Evening

  • NSW State Masters Championships - Team

  • NSW State Masters Championships - Results

  • NSW Metropolitan Championships - Team

  • NSW State Age 10-12yrs Championships - Team

  • NSW State Age 10-12yrs Championships - Results

  • Metro South West Championships Open & Age Championships - Team

  • Metro South West Championships Open & Age Championships - Results

  • NSW State Masters Championships - Team

  • NSW State Masters Championships - Results

  • Australian Masters Championships - Team

  • Australian Masters Championships - Results

  • NSW State Open Short Course Championships - Team

  • NSW State Open Short Course Championships - Results

  • Metro South West Open & Age Short Course Championships - Team

  • Metro South West Open & Age Short Course Championships - Results

  • NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships - Team

  • NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships - Results

  • NSW State Age Short Course Championships - Team

  • NSW State Masters Long Distance Short Course Championships - Team

  • NSW State Masters Long Distance Short Course Championships - Results

  • Metro South West Development Squads

  • New Look Summer Season
  • SpringSkins
  • Vale - James (Jim) Pye

    • Vale - James (Jim) Pye

    01 December 2010 Peter-Johnston Features
    Jim Pye (the Minty Man) passed away on Saturday 30 October in his 83rd year. For over 40 years Jim was an untiring worker for Cumberland Swimming, RSL Swimming, School Swimming and Swimming New South Wales.

    Jim joined Merrylands Swimming Club as a foundation member in 1968 and he was also a foundation member of the Toongabbie Swimming Club when it was formed in 1972. In 1976 he also became a foundation member of Guildford Swimming Club as its first Treasurer and then be became its President for many years.

    Jim qualified for his first Technical Officials credential in 1971 and qualified as a Referee in 1974. From 1971 he worked at many State Meets in most Technical Officials positions, including Referee and officiated at his first Australian Championship in 1975. Jim worked at every RSL State Championships from 1974 until 2004 and assisted the Executive of the State RSL in setting up the State RSL Swimming Championships.

    He was Cumberland’s delegate to the Swimming NSW Metropolitan Committee from 1978 to 2003 and was Chairman of that Committee for 15 years. He officiated at School meets at all levels from 1986, including District, Regional and State Championships, and also the Pacific School Games in Sydney, Darwin, and Perth.

    Jim was awarded Life Membership of the Merrylands Swim Club, the Cumberland District Association, which is now Swimming Metro South West, Combined High Schools Swimming and was an Honorary Life Member of Blacktown City Swim Club.

    Other recognitions that Jim has received for his outstanding contribution to swimming include:
    • In 1998 – he was recognized by the State RSL for his long service to RSL Swimming.
    • In 2000 he received the Australian Sports Medal for service to swimming.
    • In 2001 received an award from the Union of Old Swimmers for Outstanding Contribution to Swimming.
    • In 2003 Jim received the NSW Department of Sports and Recreation Distinguished Long Service award.
    • And in 2007 was awarded a Swimming NSW Service Excellence Award.

    See Also
  • James Pye, 1927-2010

  • Mr Jim Pye, Life Member

    • 2009/2010 Season Review

    01 October 2010 Peter-Johnston Features
    2009/2010 saw the club build on the sucesses of our 40th Anniversary season while under the looming clouds of Holroyd Council's Swim Centre Review.

    As the 2009/2010 season began, Holroyd Council was receiveing a report from consultants on the viability of the three council owned Swimming Centres. The report stated that upgrade works totaling an estimated $8 million would be required to conform with the proposed new Public Swimming Pool and Spa Pool Guidelines. The review concluded that none of Council’s three swimming facilities can be considered to be economically viable. As a result of the report, Council decided to investigate the feasibility of replacing the three existing swim centres with a modern outdoor/indoor, multi-use facility at a central location. This could effectively mean the eventual closure of Merrylands Swimming Centre.

    In the pool, the club built on the successes of the previous year. Learn to Swim numbers remained stable while total membership was down slightly on the previous season. In the Swimming Australia GoClub PB program the club achieved the Bronze Standard for the first time, recognising the work that the committee members have contributed in continuting to move the club forward.

    Four members underwent assessment for their Learn to Swim Instructor Qualifications this year with Steven Nguyen, Amber Johnson, Dylan Baker and Anthony Ventra all completing their assessments successfully. Dylan was a worthy recipient of the Learn to Swim Volunteer of the Year Award, often attending on a Saturday morning especially for Learn to Swim.

    In the club competitions, a number of new champions were crowned while some successfully defended their titles. A new team "Joint Venture" took out the Relay Competition at their first attempt. The team was a merger of the previously successful "The Swimmers" and "To Be Advised" and they proved too hard to beat. Steven Nguyen won the Senior Handicap for the second year straight.

    Brittany Johnson was presented with the Champion of Champions Award for a record breaking 6th time. Brittany won the Senior and Open Womens Championships, breaking 16 club championship records along the way and also represented the club at the Area, Metropolitan and State Open Championships. Brittany was also the first recipient of the Masters Aerobic Trophy.
    From our novice swimmers, Carl Sorensen was presented with the Jack Smart Encouragement Award after steadily improving over the season.

    In the Graded Pointscore Hayley Baker won the Girls Pointscore for the first time while Lachlan Stewart won the Boys Pointscore for the second year in a row.

    The club's representative teams had another successful year with members competing at all levels up to and including State Open Championships.
    For the first time in more than 20 years the club had four swimmers compete in individual events at the State Open Championships. Amber Johnson again competed in the Backstroke events while Anthony Ventra, Brittany Johnson and Peter Johnston all qualified for the meet for the first time. Peter all so represented the club at the State Open Short Course Championships and was our club's first representative in an individual event at this meet since 2005. Five swimmers competed at the Metropolitan Championships with Timothy Tunks qualifying for the meet for the first time, while Brittany Johnson swam six new personal best times from her seven events. The Metropolitan Short Course Championships were a similar story with Brittany swimming five new PBs from her six events. Tim also qualified for the State Age Championships, Metropolitan Short Course Championships and State Age Short Course Championships all for the first time.
    At the Metro South West Championships, the club finished the meet with 5 medals with Anthony Ventra and Brittany Johnson taking home medals. Our swimmers were also finalists in 13 events. At the Metro South West Short Course Championships, Timothy Tunks won his first Area Championship medal and our club's only medal of the meet with finallists in 8 events.
    The club also had its first Finalist at the Speedo Sprint Series since 2007, as Stephanie Hindle qualified for the finals in the 50m Breaststroke and 50m Butterfly.
    Eight of our swimmer's performances over the season were recognised with selection in the 2010 Metro South West Area Development Squads.

    2010 also saw the club's second appearance at the State Masters Championships. Steven Nguyen, Brittany Johnson and Peter Johnston represented the club at the State Masters Short Course Championships, collecting 11 Gold medals and 1 Bronze from the 12 events contested. Brittany Johnson and Steven Nguyen also set new State Masters records in three events.

    In the Club Championships, 22 Championship records were broken over the season.



    This year the club's Competition Committee made the decision to move our annual swimming meet, the Merrylands SwimFest, from it's traditional Sunday date to a new Saturday afternoon timeslot. The meet ran smoothly with 30 clubs in attendance and our club again topping the pointscore.

    Our Winter Competition was held for the seventh time with increased numbers and those attending enjoying some new events. Philo Farid won the male competition and Hayley Baker the female competition.

    As the Winter Competition ended, Holroyd Council announced, that to save money, it planned to no longer open either Merrylands or Wentworthville swimming centres during the winter months, with Merrylands closing its doors on 9th May and Wentworthville following on June 30th. Neither centre would re-open until early October. Council's decision to close both Merrylands and Wentworthville from April to October greatly affected the club's activities. The decision effectively signalled the end of the club's Winter Competition and Pre-Season time trials and has also heavily impact on the training of the club's swimming squads during the winter months. Training sessions from July to September moved to Guildford Swimming Centre, however with half the pool space that the squad had been permitted to use at Wentworthville. Council's decision to close Merrylands and Wentworthville from April to September means that the club now faces the prospect of having to train at a location other than Merrylands for more than half the year, an issue that it has not had to deal with since before the pools were heated in 2004.

    Despite the council's actions the committee members worked harder than ever through the winter on new and innovative events and competitions, as well as strategies to attract and retain members. We look forward to an exciting and new look 2010/2011 season.

    See Also
  • 2009/2010 Rankings

  • 2009/2010 Presentation Evening

  • NSW Metropolitan Championships - Team

  • NSW Metropolitan Championships - Results

  • NSW State Age 13-18yrs Championships - Team

  • NSW State Age 13-18yrs Championships - Results

  • NSW State Age 10-12yrs Championships - Team

  • NSW State Open Championships - Team

  • NSW State Open Championships - Results

  • Metro South West Championships Open & Age Championships - Team

  • Metro South West Championships Open & Age Championships - Results

  • Speedo Sprint Series Finals - Team

  • NSW State Masters Short Course Championships - Team

  • NSW State Masters Short Course Championships - Results

  • NSW State Open Short Course Championships - Team

  • NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships - Team

  • NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships - Results

  • Metro South West Open & Age Short Course Championships - Team

  • Metro South West Open & Age Short Course Championships - Results

  • NSW State Age Short Course Championships - Team

  • Metro South West Development Squads

  • Swim Centres Review
  • GO Club PB Bronze Award

    • Swimsuits - A Call to Action

    08 February 2010 Peter-Johnston Features
    The following is an open letter from Forbes Carlile, M.B.E, concerning the continuing debate over performance enhancing swimsuits.

    Dear Friend of Swimming,

    I am writing to a large number of Australia’s swimming clubs on a matter that is of great concern to me, and, I believe, should be of great concern to all clubs, parents and swimmers. These concerns relate to the future integrity of swimming, and the unnecessary expenditure by parents and swimmers on swimwear. I ask that this letter be brought to the attention of your club’s committee; and perhaps be emailed to your members and other interested parties, and displayed at your pool.


    Background
    You would all be aware of the turmoil that has existed in the swimming world over the last two years due to the introduction of performance-enhancing suits. These suits resulted in an unprecedented number of devalued world, continental and national records being set, and had a disastrous impact on the image and credibility of our sport; which had always been seen as purely technique and training-based.

    Swimming’s governing body, FINA, through the Congress of its member federations, was finally forced to act on this during the World Championships in Rome in July 2009. The Congress voted overwhelmingly to include swimsuits in an existing rule (SW10.7) that prohibited swimmers using devices that “may aid speed, buoyancy or endurance”. The result is that any suit that has a reasonable possibility of aiding performance is illegal, as it should be.

    In addition, FINA set parameters for the material (e.g. type, thickness, porosity, buoyancy) and body coverage of suits and stipulated that the new FINA Swimwear Approval Commission must assess all suits.

    It may appear that the problem has been effectively dealt with, but the reality is a very different story.


    Knee-Length Suits
    Despite the fact that many in the swimming community were in favour of a return to brief suits for men and suits to the hips for women, a compromise of knee-length suits was put to the Congress. It was likely this was done to appease the swimsuit manufacturers, who for obvious reasons lobbied hard for no change.

    Coverage of the arms, lower leg and back was prohibited for the obvious reason that the greater the coverage, the greater the likelihood that a suit may aid performance. Logically then, any suit should only cover what modesty requires, which makes knee-length suits completely unnecessary.

    Far more importantly, the potential for knee-length suits to enhance performance demands their prohibition.

    It has only been since the performance-enhancing suits appeared that the degree to which the extensive thigh area is an attractive target for performance enhancement has been fully appreciated. This area plays a vital role in contributing to the angle of buoyancy and therefore the reduction of resistance. The thigh muscles are the body’s largest and hence provide the best opportunity for the benefits that compression may provide.

    Without thigh coverage the swimsuit manufacturers will be far less motivated to find loopholes by investigating new material technology that appears to be within the current rules but subsequently proves to be performance enhancing.

    Indisputably, brief suits for men and suits to the hips for women would greatly reduce the likelihood of performance enhancement, and simplify the approval and monitoring process.


    FINA’S Role
    FINA deserves no credit for its response to the suit debacle. Action should have been taken much sooner, and was only taken when elite-level swimming had become a laughing-stock.

    One only has to know that FINA has commercial relationships with swimsuit manufacturers to conclude that conflicts of interest may well be affecting its views and actions, with seemingly scant regard for what is best for the well-being of the sport.

    In addition there is no transparency regarding the approval and monitoring process, resulting in great confusion as to how suits are approved and how compliance is being checked.


    Swimsuit Manufacturers
    With their exorbitant price tags and limited life span, the performance-enhancing suits of the last two years were no doubt a good investment for the manufacturers, especially from a promotional perspective. For the same reasons, it is in their interests that suits are now permitted as much coverage and as many technological advances as possible.

    Even before 2008 swimsuit manufacturers claimed that knee-length suits aided performance, and current promotional material for a number of manufacturers’ FINA-approved 2010 swimsuit ranges claim what is clearly performance enhancement. Either this is false advertising or it renders these suits illegal.

    Understandably, possible performance enhancement would seem to be the only reason why a swimmer or parent would buy a suit that covers more than modesty requires, and pay significantly more to do so.

    It is causing great frustration amongst swimmers and parents that it is currently difficult to purchase men’s brief suits and women’s suits to the hips for competition, thereby forcing parents and swimmers to pay significantly more for knee-length suits.


    How This Affects Your Swimmers and Parents
    Below is a summary of why you should be concerned about this situation:
    • Knee-length suits clearly may aid performance, making them illegal under FINA rules.
    • The lack of transparency and widespread confusion about the approval and monitoring process has justifiably resulted in a lack of confidence that performance-enhancing suits have been eliminated and will not reappear.
    • FINA cannot be relied upon to control this situation due to a gross lack of resolve that is likely to be motivated by conflicts of interest.
    • The suit manufacturers are selling knee-length suits accompanied by claims that are either completely untrue or render their products illegal. In addition there is limited availability of cheaper men’s brief suits and women’s suits to the hips, forcing competitive swimmers to buy the more expensive knee-length suits.
    What Can You and Your Members Do?
    It seems the only way that change can be brought about is for there to be a groundswell of pressure from the ‘grass roots’ up such that FINA feels it has no alternative other than to act, as was the case with the decision in Rome. You can help return integrity to our sport by doing any or all of the following:
    • Given that it is the National Federations that have most influence with FINA, the most powerful thing you can do is contact Swimming Australia and let them know your views.
    • Contact your State association, make your feelings known, and suggest that the association makes representations to Swimming Australia.
    • Raise the matter at district level, make your feelings known, and suggest that your district makes representations to your State association and/or Swimming Australia.
    • Let your coach know your views and suggest that he/she raises it through the Australian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association.
    • Email this to others in the swimming community and/or discuss this matter with them to alert them to the situation.
    • Contact the suit manufacturers and/or your local distributor and query them about promotional material that advertises performance enhancement, and the availability of brief competition suits.
    • Contact FINA (office@fina.org) and make your feelings known.
    It could greatly assist the sport of swimming if you act as suggested, as I firmly believe that unless knee-length suits are prohibited and unless there is complete transparency and certainty in the approval and monitoring process, swimming could once again head down the disastrous path it took over the last two years.

    Yours sincerely,

    Forbes Carlile, M.B.E

    Co-Principal Carlile Swimming
    Life Member Swimming Australia
    Life Member Australian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association


    See Also
  • Swimsuit Update

  • SwimNews - Whither The Racing Brief?

  • SwimNews - Stop The Runaway Train

  • SwimNews - Suit Wars: Issues Of Science And Progress II

    • 2008/2009 Season Review

    01 October 2009 Peter-Johnston Features
    2008/2009 was another historic year for our club as the club celebrated it's 40th Anniversary and 40 years since the opening of Merrylands Swimming Centre.

    As the 2008/2009 season began, Merrylands Swimming Centre had unusually already been open for 3 months - the centre having opened on June 30th due to extended maintenance at both the Guildford and Wentworthville centres - allowing our training squads to return to the centre much earlier than usual.

    The earlier opening date also enabled the club to attract more swimmers with 114 registered swimmers, the highest number in over 6 years, and a total membership of 159. The club's Learn to Swim program also continued be popular, however with slightly less numbers than previous years due to less instructors being available to teach the program. A new award, the Learn to Swim Volunteer of the Year Award was intriduced to recognise the contribution of members to the Learn to Swim Program, with Steven Nguyen being presented with the award at the Presentation Evening.

    The club's Anniversary Celebrations kicked off on Saturday 9th November with a Pool Party from 7am. The party included a BBQ breakfast and various pool games and activities for both the swimmers and Learn to Swim Participants. The celebration activities included the 40th Anniversary SwimFest Meet on March 1st 2009 and culminated with the 40th Anniversary Dinner at the Crown on McCredie Hotel Motel on March 28th. Over 100 guests attended the dinner to celebrate the club's rich history, renew old friendships and re-live their memories from their time at the club.

    In the club competitions, a number of new champions were crowned. Steven Nguyen won the Senior Handicap in his first season in the competition while "The Grumpy Old Men" crankily swam their way to the top of the Relay Pointscore, also winning the competition at their first attempt.

    Brittany Johnson won the Champion of Champions Award for a record breaking 5th time. Brittany won the Senior and Open Womens Championships, breaking 12 club championship records along the way and also represented the club at the Area and Metropolitan Championships.
    From the ranks of our novice swimmers, Fady Farid was presented with the Jack Smart Encouragement Award after steadily improving over the season.

    In the Graded Pointscore the long standing Michael Rossek and Ronald Exley trophies which are now full were retired and replace with two new pointscore shields, both trophies were presented to first time winners. Lachlan Stewart was awarded the Michael Rossek Trophy for the highest placed Junior Boy in the Graded Races Pointscore while Charlotte Neill received the Ronald Exley Trophy for the highest placed Junior Girl. The Michael Rossek and Ronald Exley trophies are now on permanent display in the club room.

    The club's representative teams had one of their most successful years ever with members competing at all levels up to and including State Open Championships. Our teams again consisted of a mixture of new and experienced swimmers.
    Amber Johnson qualified for the State Open Championships for the first time and was our club's first representative at the meet since 2004. The club was also represented by a relay team at the State Age Championships for the first time since 2006 with Simon Johnston, Steven Nguyen, David Johnston, Todd Jenkin, Reece Tulloch, Jonathan Tuivawa, Anthony Ventra, Peter Johnston, David Wang and Mitchell Burt competing in the 10x50m Freestyle Relay.
    The club was represented by its biggest team since 2003 at the Metropolitan Championships with 6 swimmers competing at the meet while at the Metropolitan Short Course Championships, Anthony Ventra won the club's first finalist ribbon at the meet since 2006.
    At the Metro South West Championships, the club finished the meet with two new Area Champions (the club's first since 2002) and 9 medals with Anthony Ventra, Mitchell Burt, David Wang, Steven Nguyen, Brittany Johnson, Peter Johnston taking home medals. Our swimmers were also finalists in 12 events. The results made this year's meet the club's best team performance at the championships in over 15 years, finishing in 13th place.
    At the short course championships our team won 7 medals and with finalists in 35 events and over 80% of our results in the top 10 making the meet the club's most successful Short Course Area Championships ever.
    Ten of our swimmer's performances over the season were recognised with selection in the 2009 Metro South West Area Development Squads.

    In the Club Championships, 23 Championship records were broken over the season.



    Our annual swimming meet, the Merrylands SwimFest, was held in excellent conditions with 27 clubs in attendance. Our swimmers won 33 medals and our club won the won the club pointscore, just ahead of Windsor.

    Our Winter Competition was held for the sixth time with increased numbers and those attending enjoying some new events. Jacob Killick won the male competition for the first time and Belinda Sloane the female competition for the third year in a row.

    As the summer ended, doubt was cast over the future of Merrylands Swimming Centre and the Club, as Holroyd Council commissioned consultants to carry out operational review of its three (3) swim centres. The review which was to recommend works required to maintain each swim centre over the next 10-15 years and advise on the economic viability and sustainability of the swim centres was due to be completed by June 2009, but as yet has not been completed.

    See Also
  • 2008/2009 Rankings

  • 2008/2009 Presentation Evening

  • 40th Anniversary Pool Party

  • 40th Anniversary Dinner
  • NSW Metropolitan Championships - Team

  • NSW State Age Championships - Team

  • NSW State Open Championships - Team

  • Metro South West Championships Open & Age Championships - Team

  • Metro South West Championships Open & Age Championships - Results

  • NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships - Team

  • NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships - Results

  • Metro South West Open & Age Short Course Championships - Team

  • Metro South West Open & Age Short Course Championships - Results

  • NSW State Age Short Course Championships - Team

  • Metro South West Development Squads

  • Merrylands Pool Re-opens June 30

    • Succession of Coaches

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


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


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

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

  • Mr Harry Vella, Life Member

  • Mrs Glad Pye, Life Member

  • Mr Peter Johnston, Life Member

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

  • Merrylands at the Nationals

  • A Mixed Bag for Troy at the Nationals

  • 2001 NSW State Age Short Course Championships

  • Club Coach Resigns

  • Farewell Kristen

  • Kristen Sunner - Head Coach, 1994-2005

  • New Coach Appointed

    • 2007/2008 Season Review

    30 September 2008 Peter-Johnston Features
    2007/2008 was a historic year for swimming in NSW and for our club with some major changes to District/Area level competition in NSW, excellent representative results for the club and Merrylands Swimming Centre opening for the new season at the unusual time of the end of June.

    The 2007/2008 season again began with some hot October weather and stronger attendance at both the weekly Saturday morning races and weekday training sessions.

    The club's Learn to Swim program continued to increase in popularity and numbers, with 95 children enrolled in the program for the summer.

    In the club competitions, a number of new champions were crowned. Only the Senior Handicap and Relay Competition were defended successfully. Peter Johnston won the Senior Handicap for a record 7th time, while "The Swimmers" won their third straight Relay Competition.

    Anthony Ventra won the Champion of Champions Award for the first time. Anthony set 3 club records and also represented the club at the Cumberland, Metropolitan and State Championships.
    From the ranks of our novice swimmers, Jessica Grubba was presented with the Jack Smart Encouragement Award after steadily improving over the season.

    In the Graded Pointscore, both trophies were presented to first time winners. Timothy Tunks was awarded the Michael Rossek Trophy for the highest placed Junior Boy in the Graded Races Pointscore while Chantel Teakle-Jones received the Ronald Exley Trophy for the highest placed Junior Girl.

    During the season, Swimming NSW continued with their project of District/Area rationalisation. This involved re-organising the 8 Metropolitan Districts into 4 Areas and as part of this, the Cumberland District ceased to exist at the beginning of May. The Metro South West Area was formed in it's place.

    During the season we had swimmers competing at all levels up to and including State Open Championships with our teams consisting of a mixture of new and experienced swimmers. Some swimmers returned to teams after not competing in previous years, some were rookies, qualifying for their first representative team while others added new events to their roster or qualified for new teams.
    Amber Johnson qualified for the State Age Championships for the first time since 2004 while the club was also represented by a relay team at the State Open Short Course Championships for the first time with Steven Nguyen, Anthony Ventra, David Wang and Peter Johnston competing in the 4x100m Freestyle Relay.
    At the Metro South West Short Course Championships, the club had finalists in over 74% of the events we contested with Belinda Sloane and Ethan Burton qualifying for their first Area Championships. The club also won 7 medals with Peter Johnston, David Wang, Brittany Johnson and Rebecca Tuivawa taking home medals. The results made this year's meet the club's best team performance at the championships ever, finishing in 14th place.
    Nine of our swimmer's performances over the summer were recognised with selection in the 2008 Metro South West Area Development Squads.

    2007/2008 was also the first season that we had swimmers competing in Masters Swimming competitions. Two members registered as Masters Competitors with Peter Johnston winning 4 medals at the NSW State Masters Championships.

    Part of the club's winter success can be attributed to the fact that Merrylands Swimming Centre opened at the unusually early date of June 30th, allowing our swimmers to return to training at the centre nearly 3 months earlier than usual. The one off change was due to extended maintenance at both Guildford and Wentworthville swimming centres.

    In the Club Championships, 13 Championship records were broken over the season.

    Todd Jenkin
    Senior Mens 50m Breaststroke (Todd Jenkin, 2005/2006)
    Leanne Grubba
    Senior Womens 50m Freestyle (Merren Lee, 1975/1976)
    Senior Womens 200m Freestyle (Nicole Smith, 1997/1998)
    Senior Womens 50m Breaststroke (Meaghan Legge, 2004/2005)
    Senior Womens 50m Butterfly (Michelle Hayes, 1992/1993)
    Anthony Ventra
    14yrs Boys 50m Freestyle (Robert Griffey, 1998/1999)
    14yrs Boys 50m Breaststroke (Todd Jenkin, 2002/2003)
    14yrs Boys 50m Butterfly (Steven Nguyen, 2004/2005)
    Ethan Burton
    8yrs Boys 50m Backstroke (Darren Turner, 1974/1975)
    Ian Wilson
    Veterans Mens 50m Backstroke (Ian Wilson, 2006/2007)
    Veterans Mens 50m Breaststroke (Stephen McFarlane, 2004/2005)
    Veterans Mens 50m Butterfly (Ronald Griffey, 2001/2002)


    2007/2008 saw the running of our annual swimming meet, the Merrylands SwimFest, at Merrylands for the sixth time. The weather was outstanding with the meet held in excellent conditions and a record 1,580 entries. 21 of our swimmers competed at the meet, winning 11 medals. The Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre Swim Team won the club pointscore.

    Our Winter Competition was held for the fifth time with increased numbers and those attending enjoying some new events. Peter Johnston won the male competition and Belinda Sloane the female competition.

    Four new committee members were appointed at the AGM in May with Janet Sloane (Social Secretary), Peta Tunks, Darren Sloane and Ian Wilson all joining the committee.

    See Also
  • 2007/2008 Rankings

  • 2007/2008 Presentation Evening

  • NSW Metropolitan Championships - Team

  • NSW Metropolitan Championships - Results

  • NSW State Age Championships - Team

  • NSW State Age Championships - Results

  • Cumberland Open & Age Championships - Team

  • Cumberland Open & Age Championships - Results

  • NSW State Masters Championships - Results

  • NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships - Team

  • NSW Metropolitan Short Course Championships - Results

  • NSW State Age Short Course Championships - Team

  • NSW State Age Short Course Championships - Results

  • NSW State Open Short Course Championships - Team

  • NSW State Open Short Course Championships - Results

  • Metro South West Open & Age Short Course Championships - Team

  • Metro South West Open & Age Short Course Championships - Results

  • Metro South West Development Squads

  • Record Number of Entries for 2008 SwimFest

  • The End of Cumberland

  • Swimming Metro South West

  • Merrylands Pool Re-opens June 30