Merrylands Swimming Centre

The storm on Friday 8th February 2019 caused damage to infrastructure at Merrylands Swimming Centre, dumping mud and debris from the storm overflow through the swimming centre into the 50 metre pool. Unfortunately this caused the swimming centre to close and as you know we had to cancel races planned for last Saturday morning. Repairs and cleaning of the pool have continued this week and we hope to see the pool open early next week. This has meant the need to transfer this week’s squad training and club races to Wentworthville Swimming Centre. Thank you for everyone’s patience during this period and thank you to Cumberland Council for their flexibility in providing us with an alternative venue during the closure of Merrylands Swimming Centre.

50 metre & 200 metre Freestyle Championship re-schedule

The cancellation of club races last week has meant the need to re-schedule the 50 metre Freestyle Age & 200 metre Freestyle Open Championships. With a packed end to the season the re-scheduling has been a tough task which the Race Secretary (thanks Alison) has worked on and we have agreed to hold the postponed Championships on Saturday 9th March, 2019. This means the 50 metre Backstroke and 50 metre Freestyle, as well as the 200 metre Open Championships for these strokes will be swum on the same day.

Entries submitted for the Freestyle Championships will be carried over to the 9th March, 2019. No late entries for the Freestyle Championships will be accepted.

Swimmers will be able to enter two other events on the morning in addition to the Championship races. Keep an eye on the club website for further details of the program and order of events for the morning.

Merrylands SwimFest & Masters BPS Meets – Saturday 23rd February, 2019

Entries have closed for both of these meets. We will need to set up during the morning and undertake our usual range of jobs throughout both meets, so everyone’s help is important and appreciated.

Metro South West Junior Area Championships

We have 13 swimmers competing in the MSW Area Junior Championships at SOPAC today. We wish all of our swimmers the best of luck. May the Whale be with you all. We look forward to celebrating your efforts at presentation next week.

Swimming NSW Membership System Change

Swimming NSW will be switching to a new membership system (Swim Central) on 25th February, 2019. As part of the change all members aged 18 & over will require a unique email address. Please log in to https://mylane.swimming.org.au/ to update your contact details.

Please remember to keep your contact details on your membership records up to date. We can't contact you about pool closures, changes to club or training if your contact details aren't correct. Log in to https://mylane.swimming.org.au to check yours are correct today. Your login details are the same as the ones used for online entries.

Relay Nominated Time Changes

If your relay team would like to change their nominated time, you need to provide the new time to the Race Secretary BEFORE the relay event is swum on Saturday 9th March, 2019.

50th Anniversary Celebrations

The 50th Anniversary Dinner will be held on Saturday 6th April, 2019 at the Holroyd Centre. For more details & online booking visit the 50th Anniversary page.

Learn to Swim

With the temporary closure of Merrylands Swimming Centre we have had to cancel Learn to Swim lessons planned for Saturday 9th and 16th February, 2019. As the SwimFest and Masters BPS meets are being held next Saturday, the next Learn to Swim lessons will be held on Saturday 2nd March, 2019. We apologise to all of our Learn to Swim participants for the cancellations, however limited pool space this week means we are not able to hold the planned lessons.

Club Uniform

For all club uniform orders visit the online shop https://shop.merrylandsasc.asn.au/club-uniforms.
If you have any questions about club uniform items please see the Property Officer (Margaret Edwards).

Technical Officials

Would you like to obtain a technical accreditation? Most roles are now available with an online module. Details can be found at https://nsw.swimming.org.au/technical-officials-nsw. Age is from secondary school student up. Best of all these modules are free to members of Swimming NSW. Please see Graham for more information.

Upcoming Events

Thank you to our sponsors for their support of our club

Whales Tales Online

Do you want the weekly Whales Tales delivered straight to your inbox? Simply sign-up online, and never miss the latest news.

Merrylands SwimFest & Masters BPS Meets – Saturday 23rd February, 2019

SwimFest entries close at 5.00pm TODAY. To receive your club members discount, make sure you enter using the "Entries for Merrylands Members" button on the Online Entries page.

Masters BPS entries close at 12.00pm this coming Friday (15th February, 2019). This meet is also open to swimmers who are not members of Masters and would like to compete. So if you are 18 or older and can swim 50 metres we encourage you to enter the meet online.

Please advise Graham of your availability for the day to help with the various jobs.

Speedo Sprint Series Heats

16 of our junior swimmers represented the club at the Speedo Sprint Series Heats at SOPAC last Saturday. And wow did they represent the club in superb fashion. A total of 51 PB’s were achieved (14 in Freestyle, 15 in Breaststroke, 13 in Backstroke & 9 in Butterfly). The majority of our swimmers were backing up from the 50m Breaststroke Championships held at Club only a few hours earlier and some swimmers swum two Breaststroke PB’s in the one day!

State qualifying times were achieved by Matthew Vicic (50 metres Freestyle & Butterfly) & Summer Shrestha (50 metres freestyle). Helen Macpherson, Niushka Shrestha & Summer Shrestha achieved Metropolitan qualifying times in the 50 metres Butterfly. Unish Shrestha was a finalist and qualified for the Speedo Sprint Series Finals in the 50 metres Breaststroke. An outstanding effort by all of our swimmers and we congratulate every one of you on your achievements. A big thank you to our coaches who have worked with our swimmers to prepare them for these achievements and the parent support crew who were vocal in the stands throughout the entire session.

Relay Nominated Time Changes

If your relay team would like to change their nominated time, you need to provide the new time to the Race Secretary BEFORE the relay event is swum TODAY.

50th Anniversary Celebrations

The 50th Anniversary Dinner will be held on Saturday 6th April, 2019 at the Holroyd Centre. For more details & online booking visit the 50th Anniversary page.

Club Uniform

For all club uniform orders visit the online shop https://shop.merrylandsasc.asn.au/club-uniforms.
If you have any questions about club uniform items please see the Property Officer (Margaret Edwards).

Member Profile

See Graham to provide your profile information for inclusion in future editions of the Whales Tales.

Technical Officials

Would you like to obtain a technical accreditation? Most roles are now available with an online module. Details can be found at https://nsw.swimming.org.au/technical-officials-nsw. Age is from secondary school student up. Best of all these modules are free to members of Swimming NSW. Please see Graham for more information.

Upcoming Events

Thank you to our sponsors for their support of our club

Whales Tales Online

Do you want the weekly Whales Tales delivered straight to your inbox? Simply sign-up online, and never miss the latest news.

50th Anniversary Celebrations

Our final major event for these celebrations will be the Anniversary Dinner, to be held on Saturday 6th April, 2019 at the Holroyd Centre. We will soon have booking details available for the dinner online, see the 50th Anniversary section for more details.

Merrylands SwimFest & Masters BPS Meet– Saturday 23rd February, 2019

Entries for the 2019 Merrylands SwimFest & Masters BPS meets are open but close over the next 2 weeks. The program of events for each meet are available online and are also attached to today’s Whales Tales.

SwimFest entries close 5.00pm Saturday 9th February, 2019. Members of our club will receive a discount on their SwimFest event entries. To receive your discount, make sure you enter using the "Entries for Merrylands Members" button on the Online Entries page.

Masters BPS entries close at 12.00pm Friday 15th February, 2019. Entries to the Masters BPS are also open. This meet is also open to swimmers who are not members of Masters and would like to compete. So if you are 18 or older and can swim 50 metres we encourage you to enter the meet online.

Please advise Graham of your availability for the day to help with the various jobs.

Masters Swimming Renewal

If you are a Masters swimmer it is time to renew your Masters membership if you haven’t already done so. Masters membership runs over the calendar year and you will need to be a current member for upcoming Masters events such as the National (March) & State (April) Championships.

Speedo Sprint Series Heats

This afternoon we have 16 of our junior swimmers competing in the Speedo Sprint Series Heats at SOPAC. We wish all of our swimmers good luck and for those experiencing a swim meet at SOPAC for the first time, we know you will enjoy your experience. May the Whale be with you all.  

Club Uniform

For all club uniform orders visit the online shop https://shop.merrylandsasc.asn.au/club-uniforms.
If you have any questions about club uniform items please see the Property Officer (Margaret Edwards).

Member Profile

We have run out of Member profiles to publish, so please see Graham to provide your profile information for inclusion in future editions of the Whales Tales.

Technical Officials

Would you like to obtain a technical accreditation? Most roles are now available with an online module. Details can be found at https://nsw.swimming.org.au/technical-officials-nsw. Age is from secondary school student up. Best of all these modules are free to members of Swimming NSW. Please see Graham for more information.

Upcoming Events

Thank you to our sponsors for their support of our club

Whales Tales Online

Do you want the weekly Whales Tales delivered straight to your inbox? Simply sign-up online, and never miss the latest news.

50th Anniversary Celebrations - Dive In Movie

Last Saturday night saw the Dive In Movie held at Merrylands Swimming Centre. This was one of our major events celebrating our 50th Anniversary.

Thank you to our Committee and members who worked very hard behind the scenes to plan and organise this event, as well as all of the work on the night. We received very positive feedback about the event and we were pleased to see it was a great family event enjoyed by everyone attending.

Our final major event for these celebrations will be the Anniversary Dinner, to be held on Saturday 6th April, 2019 at the Holroyd Centre. See the 50th Anniversary page for more details.

Whales Challenge

The 2nd Whales Challenge was held last Saturday. A very close event throughout the morning, with the Maroon “Turner” team finishing victorious, just 2 points ahead of the White “Emery” team. This evens the score at 1 all, with the deciding 3rd Whales Challenge to be held on Saturday 16th March, 2019.

Club Uniform

For all club uniform orders visit the online shop https://shop.merrylandsasc.asn.au/club-uniforms.
If you have any questions about club uniform items please see the Property Officer (Margaret Edwards).

Merrylands SwimFest & Masters BPS Meet– Saturday 23rd February, 2019

Entries for the 2019 Merrylands SwimFest & Masters BPS meets are open. The program of events for each meet are available online.

Members of our club will receive a discount on their SwimFest event entries. To receive your discount, make sure you enter using the "Entries for Merrylands Members" button on the Online Entries page. Entries close 5.00pm Saturday 9th February, 2019.

Entries to the Masters BPS are also open. This meet is also open to swimmers who are not members of Masters and would like to compete. So if you are 18 or older and can swim 50 metres we encourage you to enter the meet. Entries close at 12.00pm Friday 15th February, 2019.

Please advise Graham of your availability for the day to help with the various jobs.

Masters Swimming Renewal

If you are a Masters swimmer it is time to renew your Masters membership if you haven’t already done so. Masters membership runs over the calendar year and you will need to be a current member for upcoming Masters events such as the National (March) & State (April) Championships.

Member Profile

We have run out of Member profiles to publish, so please see Graham to provide your profile information for inclusion in future editions of the Whales Tales.

Technical Officials

Would you like to obtain a technical accreditation? Most roles are now available with an online module. Details can be found at https://nsw.swimming.org.au/technical-officials-nsw. Age is from secondary school student up. Best of all these modules are free to members of Swimming NSW. Please see Graham for more information.

Upcoming Events

Thank you to our sponsors for their support of our club

Whales Tales Online

Do you want the weekly Whales Tales delivered straight to your inbox? Simply sign-up online, and never miss the latest news.

50th Anniversary Celebrations - Dive In Movie – Tonight

The next major event of our 50th Anniversary celebrations is the Dive In Movie being held tonight. The event has been sold out. Gates will open at 7.30pm and the movie will commence at 8.15pm. The canteen will be open and we will also be running a bbq (sausage sandwiches, chicken rissole or steak & salad sandwiches). Don’t forget to bring your ticket, appetite and floats etc so you can enjoy watching the movie in the pool or bring a blanket and watch from the comfort of the hill.

Thankyou to our Committee and members who have been working very hard behind the scenes to plan and organise this event. For more information visit the 50th Anniversary page.

Holiday Photos?

There is still time to share a photo with your 50th Anniversary Cap if you are going away or have been on holidays. Tag Merrylands Amateur Swimming Club in your photo and add the hashtag #masc50 to get involved. We have seen a number already posted from around the country, any from overseas?

Speedo Sprint Series

Entries for the Speedo Sprint Series close this coming Tuesday (22nd January, 2019). Enter online today.

January Skills & Drills Sessions

The squad have been running Skills & Drills sessions for swimmers in the Junior and Development Squads on Thursday mornings during January. There is one remaining session, to be held on the 24th January, 2019 from 7am to 8:15am. The session includes filming of technique and race skills. Swimmers can register online at https://squadshop.merrylandsasc.asn.au/drills-skills-session

Whales Challenge

The 2nd Whales Challenge for the season is being held today. Don’t forget to wear your Maroon or White cap during each of your races so that you can score points for your team. This is a chance for the Maroon team to even the score with those rascals from the White team!

Boardshort Relay

A Boardshort Relay will be held next Saturday 26th January, 2019. Don’t forget to pack your boardshorts for club races on the day and join in the celebrations for Australia Day.

Club Uniform

For all club uniform orders visit the online shop https://shop.merrylandsasc.asn.au/club-uniforms.
If you have any questions about club uniform items please see the Property Officer (Margaret Edwards).

Merrylands SwimFest & Masters BPS Meet– Saturday 23rd February, 2019

Entries for the 2019 Merrylands SwimFest & Masters BPS meets are open. The program of events for each meet are available online.

Members of our club will receive a discount on their SwimFest event entries. To receive your discount, make sure you enter using the "Entries for Merrylands Members" button on the Online Entries page. Entries close 5.00pm Saturday 9th February, 2019.

Entries to the Masters BPS are also open. This meet is also open to swimmers who are not members of Masters and would like to compete. So if you are 18 or older and can swim 50 metres we encourage you to enter the meet. Entries close at 12.00pm Friday 15th February, 2019.

Please advise Graham of your availability for the day to help with the various jobs.

Masters Swimming Renewal

If you are a Masters swimmer it is time to renew your Masters membership if you haven’t already done so. Masters membership runs over the calendar year and you will need to be a current member for upcoming Masters events such as the National (March) & State (April) Championships.

Member Profile

See Graham to provide your profile information for inclusion in future editions of the Whales Tales.

Upcoming Events

Thank you to our sponsors for their support of our club

50th Anniversary Celebrations

The Merrylands 50s were a great success last Saturday, with 3 heats to determine the semi-finalists. A full heat in the final saw Lisa Shrestha triumph over the boys to take the first place prize. Congratulations Lisa, you have bragging rights over all the boys in the club.

Dive In Movie – Saturday 19th January, 2019

The Dive In Movie is being held next Saturday night. The event is sold out, so we expect around 500 people to attend the movie. Gates will open at 7.30pm and the movie will commence at 8.15pm. Don’t forget to bring your ticket and floats etc so you can enjoy watching the movie from in the pool. The canteen will be open and we will also be running a bbq (sausage sandwiches, chicken rissole or steak & salad sandwiches). For more information visit the 50th Anniversary page.

Holiday Photos?

There is still time to share a photo with your 50th Anniversary Cap if you are going away on holidays. Tag Merrylands Amateur Swimming Club in your photo and add the hashtag #masc50 to get involved.

Speedo Sprint Series

Don’t forget entries for the Speedo Sprint Series close on 22nd January, 2019. Enter online today.

January Skills & Drills Sessions

The squad will be running Skills & Drills sessions for the swimmers in the Junior and Development Squads on Thursday mornings during the rest of January. Remaining sessions will be held on the 17th & 24th January, 2019 from 7am to 8:15am. Swimmers can book in for which ever sessions they want. Sessions will include filming of technique and race skills. Register online.

1500m Championship, 200m Mystery Medley & Junior Handicap – Friday 18th January, 2019

Don’t forget entry to these events being held next Friday night (18th January, 2019). Warm-up & marshalling prior to races commencing at 6.45pm. We will need help with timekeeping, so even if you are not swimming we would appreciate your help on the night. A BBQ will also be held at the end of the events.

Whales Challenge

The 2nd Whales Challenge for the season will be held next Saturday (19th January, 2019). A chance for the Maroon team to even the score with the White team!

Boardshort Relay

A Boardshort Relay will be held on Saturday 26th January, 2019. So don’t forget to pack your boardshorts for club races on the day and join in the celebrations for Australia Day.

Merrylands SwimFest & Masters BPS Meet– Saturday 23rd February, 2019

Entries for the 2019 Merrylands SwimFest remain open. The program of events is available online.

Members of our club will receive a discount on their event entries. To receive your discount, make sure you enter using the "Entries for Merrylands Members" button on the Online Entries page on our website at https://www.merrylandsasc.asn.au/swimfest/.

Please advise Graham of your availability for the day to help with the various jobs on the day.

Recent Swim Meets

Congratulations to our club members who competed last weekend at the Blacktown City Games Sprint meet, MSW Qualifying meet and Newport Ocean Swim.

Masters Swimming Renewal

If you are a Masters swimmer it is time to renew your Masters membership if you haven’t already done so. Masters membership runs over the calendar year and you will need to be a current member for upcoming Masters events such as the National (March) & State (April) Championships.

Club Uniform

For all club uniform orders visit the online shop https://shop.merrylandsasc.asn.au/club-uniforms.
If you have any questions about club uniform items please see the Property Officer (Margaret Edwards).

Member Profile

See Graham to provide your profile information for inclusion in future editions of the Whales Tales.

Upcoming Events

Welcome to 2019

We hope you have enjoyed a very merry Christmas with your family & friends. We wish you a safe and prosperous 2019, as we continue to celebrate our club’s 50th anniversary.

50th Anniversary Celebrations

The Merrylands 50s will be run throughout the club races today. A knockout handicap event consisting of 3 rounds (Heats, Semis and Finals), with each round held at different points within the morning’s program. The top placed swimmers in each round progress onto the next round. As the event is handicapped, every swimmer has the chance to win, with the overall winner taking home a prize.

Dive In Movie – Saturday 19th January, 2019

It is only 2 weeks to the Dive In Movie. Entry to the movie is free and there are a limited number of tickets still available. To find out more information & order your tickets go the 50th Anniversary page

Holiday Photos?

There is still time to share a photo with your 50th Anniversary Cap if you are going away on holidays. Tag Merrylands Amateur Swimming Club in your photo and add the hashtag #masc50 to get involved.

Speedo Sprint Series

Don’t forget entries for the Speedo Sprint Series close on 22nd January, 2019. Enter online today.

Club Uniform

For all club uniform orders visit the online shop https://shop.merrylandsasc.asn.au/club-uniforms.
If you have any questions about club uniform items please see the Property Officer (Margaret Edwards).

January Skills & Drills Sessions

The squad will be running Skills & Drills sessions for the swimmers in the Junior and Development Squads on Thursday mornings during the rest of January. Remaining sessions will be held on the 10th, 17th & 24th January, 2019 from 7am to 8:15am. Swimmers can book in for which ever sessions they want. Sessions will include filming of technique and race skills. Register online at https://squadshop.merrylandsasc.asn.au/drills-skills-session

1500m Championship, 200m Mystery Medley & Junior Handicap – Friday 18th January, 2019

Don’t forget entry to these events on Friday night, 19th January, 2019. Warm-up & marshalling prior to races at 6.45pm. We will need help with timekeeping, so even if you are not swimming we would appreciate your help on the night. A BBQ will also be held at the end of the events.

Whales Challenge

The 2nd Whales Challenge for the season will be held on Saturday 19th January, 2019. A chance for the Maroon team to even the score with the White team!

Merrylands SwimFest & Masters BPS Meet– Saturday 23rd February, 2019

Entries for the 2019 Merrylands SwimFest remain open. The program of events is available online.

Members of our club will receive a discount on their event entries. To receive your discount, make sure you enter using the "Entries for Merrylands Members" button on the Online Entries page on our website at https://www.merrylandsasc.asn.au/swimfest/.

We are hosting the Masters BPS Sprint Meet and SwimFest on the same day Jobs on the day will include set up & pack up, timekeeping, marshalling, check starting, starting, bbq & refreshments. Please advise Graham of your availability for the day.

Swim Meets This Weekend

Good luck to our club members who are competing at the Blacktown City Games Sprint Meet (today) and MSW Qualifying Meet (tomorrow). May the Whale be with you all.

Masters Swimming Renewal

If you are a Masters swimmer it is time to renew your Masters membership if you haven’t already done so. Masters membership runs over the calendar year and you will need to be a current member for upcoming Masters events such as the National (March) & State (April) Championships.

Member Profile

See Graham to provide your profile information for inclusion in future editions of the Whales Tales.

Upcoming Events

Christmas Wishes

Today is our last day for club races in 2018. After club races we will have a BBQ breakfast & Christmas Hamper raffle draw. Thank you to everyone who has donated prizes for the hampers. Tickets are $1 and a book of 10 tickets is $10, which you can still purchase this morning.

On behalf of the Committee I would like to wish every one of our members and their family’s a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year.

We look forward to seeing you back at training from Wednesday 2nd January, 2019 and club races on Saturday 5th January, 2019.

SNSW Senior State Age Championships

Congratulations to Alison Sakurovs who competed at the Senior State Age Championships last Saturday. Alison swam just outside her time from the Metropolitan Championships, finishing ahead of many competitors half her age. Well done Alison, time to relax and celebrate your efforts!

50th Anniversary Celebrations

The Merrylands 50s will be held on our return on Saturday 5th January, 2019. A new event, the Merrylands 50s, will be held as part of our Club Races. This Knockout Handicap event consists of 3 rounds (Heats, Semis and Finals), with each round held at different points within the morning’s program. The top placed swimmers in each round progress onto the next round. As the event is handicapped, every swimmer has the chance to win, with the overall winner taking home a prize. Enter online.

Information about the Dive In Movie is available on the club website and Facebook page.
Entry to the movie is free but numbers are limited and entry into the event will be by ticket only. To find out more information or to order your tickets go to the Dive In Movie page.

Going on Holidays?

Share a photo with your 50th Anniversary Cap and let’s see how many places it can visit before the end of the summer 📷. Tag Merrylands Amateur Swimming Club in your photo and add the hashtag #masc50 to get involved.

Speedo Sprint Series

Going away in January? Don’t forget entries for the Speedo Sprint Series close on 22nd January, 2019. Enter online today.

Club Uniform

For all club uniform orders visit the online shop https://shop.merrylandsasc.asn.au/club-uniforms.
If you have any questions about club uniform items please see the Property Officer (Margaret Edwards).

January Skills & Drills Sessions

The squad will be running Skills & Drills sessions for the swimmers in the Junior and Development Squads on Thursday mornings during January. Sessions will be held on the 3rd, 10th, 17th & 24th January, 2019 from 7am to 8:15am. Swimmers can book in for which ever sessions they want. Sessions will include filming of technique and race skills. Register online.

Merrylands SwimFest & Masters BPS Meet– Saturday 23rd February, 2019

Entries for the 2019 Merrylands SwimFest remain open. The program of events is available online.

Members of our club will receive a discount on their event entries. To receive your discount, make sure you enter using the "Entries for Merrylands Members" button on the Online Entries page.

We are hosting the Masters BPS Sprint Meet and SwimFest on the same day Jobs on the day will include set up & pack up, timekeeping, marshalling, check starting, starting, bbq & refreshments. Please advise Graham of your availability for the day.

Member Profile

Upcoming Events

SNSW Senior State Age Championships

Alison Sakurovs is competing today at Day 2 of the Senior State Age Championships, swimming in the 50 metre Freestyle (Event 30) later this morning. There are 155 entries for this event. We wish you all the best Alison for your swim. Remember all the chocolate rewards awaiting you!

Christmas Raffle & BBQ Breakfast – Saturday 22nd December, 2018

The Christmas Raffle is on sale and will be drawn next Saturday 22nd December, 2018. Prizes will include gift vouchers and hampers. Please donate non-perishable items as these will help us fill the hamper prizes. Tickets are $1 and a book of 10 tickets is $10.

We will also be holding a breakfast bbq, so make sure you also bring your appetite with you next Saturday.

50th Anniversary Celebrations

• Merrylands 50s - Saturday, 5th January, 2019
• Dive In Movie - Saturday, 19th January, 2019
• 50th Anniversary Dinner - Saturday, 6th April, 2019

Information about the Dive In Movie is available on the club website and Facebook page. Entry to the movie is free but numbers are limited and entry into the event will be by ticket only. To find out more information or to order your tickets go to the 50th Anniversary section.

Merrylands SwimFest – Saturday 23rd February, 2019

Entries for the 2019 Merrylands SwimFest remain open. The program of events is available online.

This year, members of our club will receive a discount on their event entries. To receive your discount, make sure you enter using the "Entries for Merrylands Members" button on the Online Entries page in the SwimFest section.

We are hosting the Masters BPS Sprint Meet and SwimFest on the same day, so we really need help throughout the day. Jobs on the day will include set up & pack up, timekeeping, marshalling, check starting, starting, bbq & refreshments. Please advise Graham of your availability for the day.

Learn To Swim

Today sees the first block of our Learn to Swim program for this season come to a close. A very big thank you to all of our volunteer instructors, helpers & organisers who have worked with our participants over this period. We look forward to seeing more of our learn to swim participants joining in club races, why not start with the 15 metre races each Saturday. These are held at the end of club races and entries can be submitted online.

The next block of Learn to Swim will run over February & March 2019. Keep an eye on the club website for information about registrations for this block.

Squad Training

The last training session for 2018 will be held on Saturday 22nd December, 2018 and sessions resume on Wednesday 2nd January, 2019 (time to work off the Christmas joy). If you are going to be away over January please advise the coach of your changes to your normal training session attendance.

Going on Holidays?

Share a photo with your 50th Anniversary Cap and let’s see how many places it can visit before the end of the summer 📷

Tag Merrylands Amateur Swimming Club in your photo and add the hashtag #masc50 to get involved 🐳

Club Uniform

As we mentioned last week we are placing an order for a long sleeve shirt which can be used for activities at meets such as staying warm after your warm-up swim, going to the marshalling area etc.

The short sleeve polo shirt remains the official club uniform item and is the shirt that is to be worn to meets and other activities when representing the club.

For a short introductory period we are offering the long sleeve shirt at a club subsidised cost of $15.00 if you already own a short sleeve club polo shirt. To place an order and take advantage of the subsidised cost see the Property Officer today. This shirt cannot be ordered through the online shop.

All other club uniform items can be ordered on the online shop. If you have any questions about club uniform items please see the Property Officer (Margaret Edwards).

Hilltop Road Public School – Year 3 PBL Exhibition

Recently our club was represented by Ian & Tricia Johnston at the Hilltop Road Public School Year 3 PBL Exhibition. This was a photographic exhibition titled Faces In our Community. Our club was selected as one of the local community groups to participate and explain how our club connects with the local community. Thank you to Ian & Tricia for giving up their time to be interviewed and to also attend the presentation of the exhibition on Monday 3rd December, 2018.

Great information about swimming and our club’s involvement in the local community. Looks like another journey the 50th Anniversary cap has made!

Are you a member of Club Merrylands?

Club Merrylands are developing a program to reward local community clubs such as our club. To do this Club Merrylands would like to identify memberships held by our club members and group them together. If you would like to participate in this program and help our club obtain additional support from Club Merrylands let Graham know you are a member. We will provide more details of this program as Club Merrylands implement the reward program.

Cole Classic Charity Swim – Sunday 3rd February, 2019

Timothy Hayes, a past member who attended the recent Back to Merrylands Day will be participating in the Cole Classic Charity Swim to raise funds for The Kids Cancer Project. Tim is swimming and raising funds to honour his eldest daughter, Stephanie, who passed way in June this year.

You can support Tim in his fundraising efforts by donating to help raise funds for this great cause at
https://coleclassic2019.everydayhero.com/au/swim-for-stephanie. Tim’s target is to raise $5,000.

Or if you would like to play a more active role you and enjoy an ocean swim, you could join Team Swim for Stephanie. The event is being held at Manly Beach on Sunday 3rd February, 2019 and distances to choose from are 1km, 2km or 5km. Registering for this event can be done by following this link (early bird rate available up to 4th December, 2018): https://secure.tiktok.biz/register/default.aspx?EventID=sunrun&Edition=2019&Team=SwimforStephanie

Why not join the Club

If you are not already a member, why not join the club as a Non-Swimmer? The Non-Swimmer membership fee is $22. This small fee provides you with the benefits of being a club member including access to the club member discounted pool entry fees. To apply for membership visit https://www.merrylandsasc.asn.au/membership/registration.aspx

7 Things Swimmers and Parents need to know about Age Group Swimming Plateaus

Did you know that Michael Phelps did not swim a single best time between 2009 & 2016?

An article published in the December 2018 Journal of The Australian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association & Swim Australia provides an article on things swimmers and parents need to know about swimming plateaus. They happen to everyone.

The 7 things are:

1. Not every meet is a championship meet
2. You can’t always predict the big breakthroughs
3. Improvement doesn’t happen all at once
4. Improving sometimes means getting worse first
5. The better you get, the harder it will become to improve
6. You improve at your own rate
7. Improving means making things harder on yourself at training

The article was written by Olivier Poirier-Leroy, a former national level swimmer for Canada. A full copy of the article can be found on the club noticeboard and makes interesting reading.

Member Profile

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Thank you to our sponsors for their support of our club

SNSW Senior Metropolitan Championships

Congratulations to Alison Sakurovs who swam a season best time in the Women’s Open 50 metre Freestyle at the Senior Metropolitan Championships held last weekend. Great work Alison, good reward for all those hard training sessions and NO chocolates!

50th Anniversary Celebrations

• Merrylands 50s - Saturday, 5th January, 2019
• Dive In Movie - Saturday, 19th January, 2019
• 50th Anniversary Dinner - Saturday, 6th April, 2019

More details for these and other events can be found in the 50th Anniversary section.

Merrylands SwimFest – Saturday 23rd February, 2019

Entries for the 2019 Merrylands SwimFest are now open. The program of events is available online.

This year, members of our club will receive a discount on their event entries. To receive your discount, make sure you enter using the "Entries for Merrylands Members" button on the Online Entries page in the SwimFest section.

We are hosting the Masters BPS Sprint Meet and SwimFest on the same day, so we really need help throughout the day. Jobs on the day will include set up & pack up, timekeeping, marshalling, check starting, starting, bbq & refreshments.

Graham is preparing a roster of jobs, so please advise of your availability for the day.

Club Uniform

Club uniform items can be ordered on the online shop.
If you have any questions about club uniform items please see the Property Officer (Margaret Edwards).

Squad Training

The last training session for 2018 will be held on Saturday 22nd December, 2018 and sessions resume on Wednesday 2nd January, 2019 (time to work off the Christmas joy). If you are going to be away over January please advise the coach of your changes to your normal training session attendance.

Cole Classic Charity Swim – Sunday 3rd February, 2019

Timothy Hayes, a past member who attended the recent Back to Merrylands Day will be participating in the Cole Classic Charity Swim to raise funds for The Kids Cancer Project. Tim is swimming and raising funds to honour his eldest daughter, Stephanie, who passed way in June this year.

You can support Tim in his fundraising efforts by donating to help raise funds for this great cause at
https://coleclassic2019.everydayhero.com/au/swim-for-stephanie. Tim’s target is to raise $5,000.

Or if you would like to play a more active role you and enjoy an ocean swim, you could join Team Swim for Stephanie. The event is being held at Manly Beach on Sunday 3rd February, 2019 and distances to choose from are 1km, 2km or 5km. Registering for this event can be done by following this link (early bird rate available up to 4th December, 2018): https://secure.tiktok.biz/register/default.aspx?EventID=sunrun&Edition=2019&Team=SwimforStephanie

Are you a member of Club Merrylands?

Club Merrylands are developing a program to reward local community clubs such as our club. To do this Club Merrylands would like to identify memberships held by our club members and group them together. If you would like to participate in this program and help our club obtain additional support from Club Merrylands let Graham know you are a member. We will provide more details of this program as Club Merrylands implement the reward program.

Swimming NSW Website

SNSW have implemented a new website (Swim Central). If you haven’t yet, take the time to visit the website to check out the information available at https://nsw.swimming.org.au/

Going on Holidays?

Share a photo with your 50th Anniversary Cap and let’s see how many places it can visit before the end of the summer 📷

Tag Merrylands Amateur Swimming Club in your photo and add the hashtag #masc50 to get involved 🐳

Pool Entry Cards

To assist in reducing any issues with pool entry card payments and usage we recommend:

• When you top up your card ask the attendant at that point how many entries you now have on your card;
• When you top up your card ask for your receipt as proof of payment if there are future issues. If you are paying by credit card, you can use that as proof of payment if required;
• When you scan your card on entry, ask how many entries you now have left so you know the correct number are being deducted.

Pool Entry Information

• wait to be served at the front entrance before entering the centre;
• have your current 2018/19 club membership card with you - you may be asked to produce your card for proof of club membership;
• have completed your details on your membership card - Name, Club & Membership Number.

1. When attending Club Races:
   • Children 4yrs & Under
     • No Charge - must be advised to pool staff on entry;
   • Club Members must either
     • pay the Club Member entry fee of $4.20, or
     • use a Club 20 Entry Pass ($46 for 20 entries - equivalent of $2.30 per entry - 1 pass can be used by multiple people), or
     • use a Centre Member Pass (1, 3, 6 and 12 month passes are available for a single named Club Member - each member requires their own pass)
   • Non-Club Member Spectators must either
     • pay the Spectator Fee of $3.80, or
     • use a Spectator 20 Entry Pass ($72 for 20 entries - equivalent of $3.60 per entry - 1 pass can be used by multiple people)
   • Non-Club Member Swimmers
     • must pay the normal pool entry fees
   • Officials (Timekeepers etc.)
     • No Charge - must sign the book at the entrance and assist with the running of the races.
2. When attending Training & Learn to Swim:
   • Children 4yrs & Under
     • No Charge - must be advised to pool staff on entry;
   • Club Members must either
     • pay the Club Member entry fee: $4.20, or
     • use a Club 20 Entry Pass ($46 for 20 entries - equivalent of $2.30 per entry - 1 pass can be used by multiple people), or
     • use a Centre Member Pass (1, 3, 6 and 12 month passes are available for a single named Club Member - each member requires their own pass)
   • Spectators
     • No Charge - must be advised to pool staff on entry
   • Swimmers not in the Squad or Learn to Swim
     • must pay the normal pool entry fees

Member Profile

See Graham to provide your profile information for inclusion in future editions of the Whales Tales.

Thank you to our sponsors for their support of our club

Upcoming Events

Whales Tales Online

Do you want the weekly Whales Tales delivered straight to your inbox? Simply sign-up online, and never miss the latest news.