And Another Season Ends

Well, here we are on the last Saturday of a season again.

Thank you to everyone who has helped during the season. Running club races every week requires the help of everyone and your participation is greatly appreciated.

Thank you to our Committee who again worked hard preparing for the season and running the club throughout the season.

Thank you to our Learn to Swim Co-ordinator, instructors and helpers who allowed us to again offer a Learn to Swim program.

Thank you to our club Coaches who work hard preparing, encouraging & teaching our swimmers to improve their skills. The results achieved during the season are a testament to your dedication and hard work.

Thank you to Darla Assi and Matthew Vicic for your work throughout the season as Club Captains.

Thank you to everyone who competed in club races and represented our club in meets. We hope you have enjoyed your season.

Thank you to our sponsors who provide great support for our club.

We will be back in October to start it all again 😊

Squad Training Change

Training moves to Guildford Pool from next Monday (27^th March). Training will continue through the first week of the Easter School Holidays (with the exception of Public Holidays). There will be no training from 17^th to 25^th April. If you are going to be away, please complete the Training Break Form to advise when you will be away.

The training times for each group will be published on the Training Schedule page.

SNSW Junior State Age Championships

Good luck to Joseph Assi who will represent our club at the Junior State Age Championships at SOPAC this weekend. Joseph has qualified for the 50m, 100m & 200m Breaststroke events. May the whale be with you Joseph for your swims

5 to 8 Year Meet

We have 6 swimmers representing our club at the Metro South West 5 to 8yrs Development Meet being held at Guildford Swimming Centre next Saturday (1^st April). Good luck to Damien Chan, Anna Johnston, Jude Johnston, William Johnston, Anastasia Krga & Lily Palise who have entered this meet. May the whale be with you all

Masters Meets – State & Nationals

The Masters State & National Championships are being held during April. We have 9 swimmers competing at State and 6 swimmers competing at Nationals. Good luck to all of our swimmers and may the whale be with you all

Annual Presentation

Date: Sunday 28^th May, 2023

Time: 4.00pm – 6.30pm

Venue: Club Merrylands Function room

We look forward to welcoming members and family to the presentation and encourage you to stay after the presentation to support the club by having a meal in any of the dining venues the club has.

Emails will be sent to club members who have a choice of a trophy or alternative award. If you receive an email please ensure you respond in a timely manner to assist the trophy committee in finalising the awards ready for the presentation.

Club AGM

Our club AGM will be held on Monday 22^nd May 2023. We invite every club member to attend the meeting. Keep an eye on the club website and social pages for more information about the meeting.

Junior Swimmers Results

Congratulations to the following swimmers on breaking the times last week in the 15m, 25m & 33m races:

33m Breaststroke

18/3/2023 – William Johnston

33m Freestyle

18/3/2023 – Eevi Opano

Lucky Door Prize

Last week’s Lucky Door Prize winner: Gabriella Assi

P-Plate Award

Your last chance to nominate someone for the P-Plate Award, recognising (or perhaps highlights) the “Silly Mistake of the Year”. Nominations here.

Lions Club Award

Each month the Committee votes for the Lions Club Award – the club’s Volunteer of the Year. This is your last chance to nominate a club member to recognise their service online here.

Rule Changes

Swimming NSW has published updated rules (again) as of 20^th March. The key change is to Backstroke finishes (rule SW6.3).

The new rules are now operational for all Swimming NSW meets and meets run under Swimming NSW rules.

Please note that these changes do not yet apply to Masters Meets run under the rules of Masters Swimming Australia.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

Wylas Timing System Trial

Thank you to everyone who assisted as we trialled the Wylas timing system last Saturday morning. We appreciate your help in allowing us to see how this system works and whether it may provide a viable alternative to other systems available.

Whales Challenge #3

The 3^rd and final Whales Challenge for the season was swum and won last Saturday. It was great to see some younger embers swimming in their first Whales Challenge relay.

In a tight finish, the Maroon team did just enough to win with 1,030 points to White’s 1,011. This means that the Maroon team also won the series 2-1 this season. Well done to everyone who competed for their teams!

Squad Training Change

Training moves to Guildford Pool from Monday 27^th March – more details to come.

Trophy Return

With only a couple of weeks left of club races, we ask that you return any perpetual trophies from last season and bring them back to the club room.

5 to 8 Year Meet

The Metro South West 5 to 8yrs Development meet will be held at Guildford Swimming Centre on Saturday, 1^st April. Entries close on Tuesday 21^st March. Follow this link and enter today.

Masters Meets – State & Nationals

Calling all Masters swimmers. State & National Championships will be held in April.

The NSW State Long Course Championships will be held on Saturday 1^st April & Sunday 2^nd April at SOPAC. Entries close on Friday 24^th March.

National Championships will be held from Tuesday 18^th April to Sunday 23^rd April in Hobart. Entries close on Thursday 23^rd March.

Annual Presentation

Date: Sunday 28^th May, 2023
Time: 4.00pm – 6.30pm
Venue: Club Merrylands Function room

We look forward to welcoming members and family to the presentation and encourage you to stay after the presentation to support the club by having a meal in any of the dining venues the club has.

Annual General Meeting

With the end of our season coming we will be holding our AGM soon. Keep tuned for the date to be advised (generally it is held around a week before the Annual Presentation).

We encourage all members to attend the AGM and consider nominating for a Committee position. To ensure the continued growth of the club we need members who can take the club forward in the coming years, so please consider taking on a role in the management of the club.

Junior Swimmers Results

The fantastic swimming and results continue. Congratulations to the following swimmers on breaking the times recently in the 15m, 25m & 33m races:

25m Backstroke

4/3/23 – Leah Johnston

33m Backstroke

11/3/23 - Leah Johnston* (broke on first attempt)

33m Freestyle

4/3/23 – Jude Johnston

25m Butterfly

11/3/23 – William Johnston

P-Plate Award

The P-Plate Award recognises (or perhaps highlights) the “Silly Mistake of the Year”. Nominations here.

Lions Club Award

Each month the Committee votes for the Lions Club Award – the club’s Volunteer of the Year. You can nominate a club member to recognise their service online here.

A large number of nominations were received for February for both members and non-members (family members) who have helped during the month (some received multiple nominations). Thank you to the following:

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

Wylas Timing System Trial

We are trialling the Wylas Timing system this morning. This is another timing system available and has some added benefits, including the ability to connect touch pads to the system.

We expect a bit of a learning curve on the morning and we will hold a briefing before races commence.

Key points for timekeepers to note are:

• At the start of the race do NOT press any button, the watch will start automatically
• Take split times at the start end of the pool as we normally do
• To take a split time and at the end of the race press the VOLUME button (either up or down) to stop the watch when your swimmer touches the wall
• Do not take a time if you do not have a swimmer in your lane. The watch will automatically reset for the next race

We will also be trialling the marshalling, scoreboard and touchpad modules during the morning so we can test all facets of the system.

Whales Challenge #3

The 3^rd and final Whales Challenge for the season will see the White & Maroon teams go head to head to claim the overall win for the season today. Having both won one Challenge each so far this season the overall winning team rests on today’s swims. Remember to wear your team colour cap and help your team come out on top.

Trophy Return

With only a couple of weeks left of club races we ask that you return any perpetual trophies from last season and bring them back to the club room.

P-Plate Award

The P-Plate Award recognises (or perhaps highlights) the “Silly Mistake of the Year”. Nominations here.

5 to 8 Year Meet

The Metro South West 5 to 8yrs Development meet will be held at Guildford Swimming Centre on Saturday, 1^st April. This is a great little meet which is usually over in a couple of hours. Entry is open to club only and full swimmer registered members, so we encourage all of our swimmers in the age group to enter the meet. Follow this link and enter today.

Masters Meets – State & Nationals

Calling all Masters swimmers. State & National Championships will be held in April.

The NSW State Long Course Championships will be held on Saturday 1^st April & Sunday 2^nd April at SOPAC. Entries close on Friday 24^th March.

National Championships will be held from Tuesday 18^th April to Sunday 23^rd April in Hobart. Entries close on Thursday 23^rd March.

Entries for both meets can be submitted through Swim Central.

Lions Club Award

Each month the Committee votes for the Lions Club Award – the club’s Volunteer of the Year. You can nominate a club member to recognise their service online here.

Annual Presentation

With the function room at Club Merrylands unavailable for Saturday nights we are moving our Annual Presentation to a Sunday afternoon.

Presentation details are:

Date: Sunday 28^th May, 2023

Time: 4.00pm – 6.30pm

Venue: Club Merrylands Function room

We look forward to welcoming members and family to the presentation and encourage you to stay after the presentation to support the club by having a meal in any of the dining venues the club has.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

Saturday 11^th March

Next Saturday we have a couple of events occurring:

Whales Challenge #3

The 3^rd and final Whales Challenge for the season will see the White & Maroon teams go head-to-head to claim the overall win for the season, having both won one Challenge each so far this season. Remember to wear your team colour cap and help your team come out on top.

Timing System trial

Whilst we use the Dolphin timing system for club races we are going to trail another wireless timing system next Saturday during club races. This system, Wylas, is similar to the Dolphin system however has an added benefit where touch pads can be linked to the system. We are trialling the Wylas system to see if it could be an alternative to the current Swimming NSW timing system used when we hire the touchpads for SwimFest.

We expect a bit of a learning curve on the morning, but from a timekeeper’s point of view it works the same way – press the button when your swimmer touches the wall.

Trophy Return

Do you have perpetual trophies from last season to return? Time to dust them off and bring them back to the club room to prepare for the presentation.

Lions Club Award

Each month the Committee votes for the Lions Club Award – the club’s Volunteer of the Year. You can nominate a club member to recognise their service online here.

P-Plate Award

The P-Plate Award recognises (or perhaps highlights) the “Silly Mistake of the Year”.Have you seen a swimmer, spectator or official 17 years or over do something silly? Nominate the person here.

Club Uniforms

Order your club uniforms online here.

5 to 8 Year Meet – 1^st April

The Metro South West 5 to 8yrs Development meet is on at Guildford Swimming Centre on Saturday, 1^st April. This is a great little meet, usually over in a couple of hours, so don’t be an April Fool and enter today!

Masters Meets – State & Nationals

All Masters swimmers are encouraged to represent our club at the upcoming NSW State & Nationals Masters meets.

The NSW State Long Course Championships will be held on Saturday 1^st April & Sunday 2^nd April at SOPAC. Entries close on Friday 24^th March.

National Championships will be held from Tuesday 18^th April to Sunday 23^rd April in Hobart. Entries close on Thursday 23^rd March.

Entries for both meets can be submitted through Swim Central.

Lucky Door Prize

The Lucky Door prize is drawn again this morning. You could win your choice of a Speedo kickboard, flipper bag or pair of Opal Mirror goggles. How do you win? You must be in attendance at the Championship presentation when your name is called to win.

NSW Senior Metropolitan Results

Matthew Vicic swam two new personal best times at the NSW Senior Metropolitan Championships last weekend. Matt took 3.61 seconds off his 200m Butterfly, finishing in 2:34.06. He also took 0.35 seconds off his 100m Backstroke, with a new PB of 1:13.49. In Matt's other events, he was just 0.22 outside his 100m Butterfly PB and 0.30 outside his 100m Freestyle PB. Congratulations Matt on your swims.

Junior Swimmers Results

The fantastic swimming and results in the 15m, 25m & 33m races continue. Congratulations to the following swimmers on breaking the times for these events:

33m Freestyle

Caleb Mackie

33m Backstroke

Conner Mackie

Changes to Swimming Rules

Swimming NSW has made changes to its GENERAL RULES, SWIMMING RULES, OPEN WATER & MULTI CLASS SWIMMING RULES to align with the recent World Aquatics rule changes that came into effect on 1 January 2023.

Some rule changes relate to technical official duties and responsibilities, e.g. Starter, Inspector of Turns & Judges of Stroke. However, there are some changes to the start and stroke rules that affect swimmers. These changes are:

The Start

Any swimmer initiating a start before the starting signal may be disqualified.

Previously the rule read Any swimmer starting before the starting signal has been given, shall be disqualified.

Backstroke

When using a ledge at the start, at least one toe of each foot must be in contact with the end wall or face of the touchpad. Bending the toes over the top of touchpad is prohibited.

Previously the rule read the toes of both feet must be in contact.

Other wording changes for backstroke have removed the wording ”in his respective lane” from the rules. However, it is still a requirement for a swimmer to finish in their respective lane.

Breaststroke

All movements of the arms shall be simultaneous without alternating movement.

All movements of the legs shall be simultaneous without alternating movement.

Previously the rules required the arms and legs respectively to be on the same horizontal plane.

Medley

Leaving the wall on the back during the freestyle portion is permissible but no kicking action is permitted until the swimmer has returned past the vertical to the breast at which point kicking, including a butterfly kick(s) may commence.

The existing rule was deleted and a change in wording to clarify what is permissible.

The Race

A swimmer swimming over the course alone shall cover the whole distance to qualify. A swimmer who does not complete the whole distance in accordance with the relevant FINA rules shall be disqualified.

Previously a swimmer not completing the course would be treated as Did Not Finish, however, will now be Disqualified.

We recommend that you take time to review all other changes to Swimming NSW Rules. The new rules can be found on the Swimming NSW website.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

SwimFest Wrap

Wow! What a day it was last Saturday! Hot at the start, some timing issues, lots of great racing, excellent times, a bag of medals, with an explosive finish.

Thank you so much to everyone who helped last Saturday. We had some members turn up just to help with the setup, members who were there to help run the meet, members who helped with the pack up, the clean up on Sunday morning, and all of the above.

Thank you to everyone who helped setup before the meet. It was great to have so many helpers and we had everything done before the warm-up at 1:30pm.

During the meet – thank you to the timekeepers, BBQ and caterers, marshals, check starters, medals, announcer, recorders, runners and other officials for your contribution. Everything we could control went flawlessly, and when things went wrong that we couldn’t control (i.e. the timing system and weather) you all reacted quickly to keep the show on the road.

Unfortunately, Swimming NSW had an issue with the timing system at the 100m end of the pool, which meant we had to switch to using our Dolphin system for the 100m & 200m events which delayed the meet, as did the first storm.

When the second storm front hit, the way everyone sprung into action was just fantastic. We have never seen weather like that at the pool before and yet everything got packed up and most importantly, everyone got home safely. Thank you to everyone for your help!

Finally, a big thank you to Ian Wilson, Domenic Vicic, Danielle Vicic, Alison Johnston and Peter Johnston who were back at the pool for 3 hours on Sunday morning to finish the pack up.

In the pool, our team swam very well with 47 new personal best times and a massive 32 medals.

If you didn’t collect your medals, they will be available for collection after the races this morning.

Thank you to everyone for your help and well done to our swimmers on their results. 2023 is certainly a SwimFest to remember!

Senior Metropolitan Championships

Good luck to Matthew Vicic who is representing the club at the Senior Metropolitan Championships this weekend. Matt is swimming in 4 events over the two days.

Congratulations to Matt for qualifying and we wish him and his coach Alison the best of luck at the meet.

Photos

Have you got photos from the SwimFest, Inter-Club Cup, other meets or a Saturday morning you can share? Please use the share button in the weekly Whales Tales email to upload them.

Calling all 5 to 8 year olds

The Metro South West 5 to 8yrs Development meet is on at Guildford Swimming Centre on Saturday, 1^st April. This is a great little meet, usually over in a couple of hours, so don’t be an April Fool and enter today!

Starr Partners Community Series Video

Have you seen the Starr Partners Community Video promoting the club yet? If not, it is available on the Starr Partners YouTube page. Thank you to Starr Partners for their ongoing support.

Lions Club Award

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

You can nominate a club member online here.

Trophies

Do you have perpetual trophies from last season to return? Time to dust them off and bring them back to the club room to prepare for the presentation.

SwimFest Saturday is here!

The Merrylands SwimFest is on today. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered for a role – especially those members who are just coming along to help.

If you haven’t nominated to help, please see Ian Wilson to do so.

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

There is lots of setup work to do including:

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

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

Warm-up starts at 1:30pm with the meet starting at 2:30pm. All the information you need including the timeline and meet program is here. Swimmers need to be ready for the land warm-up at 1:15pm.

Alison and the Club Captains will be organising the swimmers to ensure they get to their races on time. We have 26 swimmers competing in 120 individual events and 4 relays. Relay teams are listed in the Meet Program.

Lastly, don’t forget your club uniforms, hats, sunscreen, healthy snacks and drink bottles and good luck to all our swimmers!

No Club Races - Saturday, 18^th February

If you are at the pool reading this at 7am and wondering where everyone is, it is because there are no club races this week.

Club Races will be back on 25^th February.

Starr Partners Community Series Video

The video that Starr Partners conducted filming and interviews for a couple of weeks ago was published this week. Have you seen it yet? If not, it is available below.

Thank you to Starr Partners for their ongoing support.

Speedo Sprint Series Heats Results

Well done to our team at the Speedo Sprint Series Heats last weekend. Our team achieved 30 new personal best times, with a number of top 10 finishes. Well done everyone!

A full report is available here.

Lions Club Award

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

Members nominated for January:

Congratulation to these members on being nominated and thank you for your service to the club. Nominations are open for any member to recognise the service of other members. You can nominate a club member online here.

Thank You

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

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

Thank you to Starr Partners for their ongoing support.

Merrylands SwimFest – Helpers Required

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

We need to fill the following positions:

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

No Club Races - Saturday, 18^th February

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

This should shorten the day for everyone involved.

Club Races will be back on 25^th February.

Club Uniforms

Order your club uniforms before the Merrylands SwimFest online here.

Merrylands SwimFest - Setup

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

There is lots of setup work to do including:

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

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

Speedo Sprint Series Heats

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

Championship Records

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

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

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

Well done to Kylee and Matt on their swims!

Welcome Starr Partners

It is our pleasure to welcome Darren Starr and Starr Partners to club races this morning.

Starr Partners have been a long-term sponsor & supporter of our club. This support has helped our club grow and provide equipment and activities over many years. Local sports clubs like ours find it difficult to operate without the support of local businesses like Starr Partners and we greatly appreciate this support.

This morning Starr Partners will be taking some video footage of our club races and also interviewing some members of our club as part of their Community Video Series.

Please make everyone from Starr Partners welcome today and we will be hosting a BBQ after club races to thank Starr Partners for their support.

Remember if you are looking to sell, buy or rent property contact Starr Partners and support their business.

Merrylands SwimFest entries – close today

SwimFest entries close today at 5.00pm. Remember to take advantage of the discounted entry fee for your swims.

See the website for details and get your entries in today!

Merrylands SwimFest jobs

Planning for the hosting of the SwimFest meet is well underway and we need everyone helping on the day.

There are no club races on the morning of Saturday 18^th February so we ask that everyone arrives by 12.30pm to assist with the setup for the meet.

To nominate for roles at the SwimFest here.

Club Uniforms

Order your club uniforms before the Merrylands SwimFest online here.

Relay Competition – new times

If your team has been struggling to match their entry time in the relay competition, you are in luck. This week is Round 7, which means teams can nominate a new time before today’s swim. So, if unlike the Grumpy Old Men, your team is finding it hard to get near your nominated time, see the Race Secretary to submit a new one.

Remember to nominate your 4 swimmers before the event here.

Learn to Swim

Our Learn to Swim program resumes again this morning. These lessons commence at 9.15am.

Bring a Friend

Do you have a friend who needs practice for their school swimming carnival? Did you know that if they are new to swimming, they can try our Club Races for up to 4 weeks before joining the club? All they have to do is enter online here.

Do your kids know what is going on?

Keep your kids informed about what is happening. Print them a copy of the newsletter to read each week or sign them up to receive a copy via email.

Lions Club Award

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

You can nominate a club member to recognise their service online here.

Free Membership for kids 8 & Under

Did you know that thanks to Club Merrylands, we provide Free Membership for swimmers 8yrs & Under who regularly swim in our club races? Swimmers who meet the criteria can request a reimbursement of their membership fee. Details are here if you haven’t claimed your reimbursement yet.

Lucky Door Prize

The Lucky Door prize is drawn again this morning. You could win your choice of a Speedo kickboard, flipper bag or pair of Opal Mirror goggles. How do you win? You must be in attendance at the Championship presentation when your name is called to win.

Junior Swimmers Results

More fantastic swimming and results in the 15m, 25m & 33m races over the last few weeks. Congratulations to the following swimmers on breaking the times for these events:

25m Freestyle
21/01/2023 – Eevi Opano*

25m Backstroke

11/12/2022 – Lily Palise
21/01/2023 – Eevi Opano*

25m Breaststroke

28/01/2023 – William Johnston

33m Freestyle

11/12/2022 – Connor Mackie*
11/12/2022 – Caleb Mackie*

15m Freestyle

7/01/2023 – Talia Jambazian

* broke the time at their first attempt 

Championship Records

Last week saw the first of our Club Championship races for the second half of the season. There must have been plenty of training over the break as we saw fantastic swims and 3 club records broken in the 50m Breaststroke Championships.

Lillian set a new record in the 9yrs 50m Breaststroke in a new personal best time of 50.84. Lillian took 1.27 seconds off the record set by Lisa Shrestha in 2020.

Joseph swam a new record time of 40.83 in the 12yrs 50m Breaststroke, breaking the record held by Mitchell Emery since 2002. Joseph took 0.76 off the old record.

Lastly, Leo took 1.31 seconds off the 13yrs 50m Breaststroke record, finishing in 37.48. This record had been held by Anthony Ventra since 2006.

Congratulations Leo, Lillian and Joseph on your record swims last week.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

Merrylands SwimFest entries

Only 1 week to go before entries close (4^th February) for the Merrylands SwimFest.

See the website for details, get your entries in and think about how you will help on the day.

Merrylands SwimFest jobs

We need lots of people to help run the meet and now is the time to volunteer.

Put your name down to do one of these jobs online today.

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

We will also need help setting up and packing up on the day.

Relay Competition

The Relay Competition resumes this week. Remember to nominate your 4 swimmers before the event here.

Teams can nominate a new time to swim against from the 4^th February. If you want to nominate a new time to swim against, email the Race Secretary with your team name and new time before the race on 4^th February.

Speedo Sprint Series Heats

Entries close on 31^st January – see the website for details. Speak to your coach if you are unsure whether you should enter.

Club Uniforms

Order your club uniforms before the Merrylands SwimFest online here.

Video Promotion

A videographer will be attending Club Races next Saturday (4^th February) to film some of our club activities and conduct some interviews with members to promote the club and one of our sponsors, Starr Partners.

Please make sure you are wearing your club uniform on the day.

Do your kids know what is going on?

Keep your kids informed about what is happening. Print them a copy of the newsletter to read each week or sign them up to receive a copy via email.

Lions Club Award

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

You can nominate a club member to recognise their service online here.

Speedo Sprint Series Heats

Entries close on 31^st January – see the website for details. Speak to your coach if you are unsure whether you should enter.

Free Membership for kids 8 & Under

Did you know that thanks to Club Merrylands, we provide Free Membership for swimmers 8yrs & Under who regularly swim in our club races? Swimmers who meet the criteria can request a reimbursement of their membership fee. Details are here if you haven’t claimed your reimbursement yet.

Lucky Door Prize

The Lucky Door prize is back this week. You could win your choice of a Speedo kickboard, flipper bag or pair of Opal Mirror goggles. How do you win? You must be in attendance at the Championship presentation when your name is called to win.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

Boardshort Relay

Our annual Australia Day Boardshort Relay will be held today. Get your boardshorts on and we will put you in a team.

Championships resume next week

Club Championships resume next week. Don’t forget you need to have swum an event previously this season to qualify, plus, you need to get your entries in on time!

50m, 25m & 200m Breaststroke are up next week.

Video Promotion

A videographer will be attending Club Races on Saturday 4^th February to film some of our club activities and conduct some interviews with members to promote the club and one of our sponsors, Starr Partners.

Please make sure you are wearing your club uniform on the day

No Training – Australia Day

There is no training on Thursday 26^th January due to the Australia Day Public Holiday. Enjoy a day off to celebrate our great country.

Merrylands SwimFest – closing soon

The clock is ticking on entries for the Merrylands SwimFest with now only 14 days until the entries close.

See the website for details, get your entries in and think about how you will help on the day.

Club Uniforms

Order your club uniforms before the Merrylands SwimFest online here.

Do your kids know what is going on?

Keep your kids informed about what is happening. Print them a copy of the newsletter to read each week or sign them up to receive a copy via email.

Merrylands SwimFest Jobs

We need lots of people to help run the meet. There are many niche jobs we need to fill.

Announcer: Do you like the sound of your own voice? Then the job of announcer at the meet could be for you!

Medal Table: Fancy a bit of bling? Then maybe a spot on the medal table distributing medals is your thing.

Marshal & Check Starter: Swimmers need help getting to the correct lane at the correct time. These positions are critical to the meet running smoothly.

Recorder: Can you handle numbers? The recorders process the results and relay entries for the meet.

Do any of these sound like you? If so, please volunteer when asked later this month.

Lions Club Award

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

You can nominate a club member to recognise their service online here.

Speedo Sprint Series Heats

Time is running out to enter the Speedo Sprint Series. Speak to your coach if you are unsure whether you should enter. Entries close on 31^st January – see the website for details.

P-Plate Award

The P-Plate Award recognises (or perhaps highlights) the “Silly Mistake of the Year”.

This award is hotly contested and we have even had a couple of visiting officials trying to get in on the act recently.

So, have you seen a swimmer, spectator or official 17 years or over do something silly? Nominate the person here.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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