Issue 4, 2023/2024

Club Captains

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

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

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

Relay Competition

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

Parramatta Inter-Club Cup

Entries are open for the Parramatta Inter-Club.

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

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

Enter online here.

MSW Area LC Championships

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

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

Whales Challenge # 1

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

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

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

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

Championship races

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

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

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

Club Uniforms

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

Learn to Swim

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

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

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

Lesson times are:

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

More information can be found on the club website.

Pool Entry for Squad Training

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

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

Lions Club Award

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

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

MEET NAME

MEET DATE

ENTRY CLOSING

Parramatta Inter-Club Cup

Saturday 11th November

Tuesday 9th November

MSW Open Water Championships

Sunday 12th November

Wednesday 8th November

NSW Junior Metrop Championships

Saturday 25th November & Sunday 26th November

Tuesday 14th November

NSW Senior State Age Championships

Sunday 10th December to Saturday 16th December

Tuesday 28th November

NSW Open Water Championships

Sunday 17th December & Monday 18th December

Wednesday 8th November

Speedo Sprint Heats

TBA

TBA

Merrylands SwimFest

Saturday 17th February

TBA

NSW Senior Metrop Championships

Saturday 24th February &

Sunday 25th February

TBA

Speedo Sprint Finals

Saturday 2nd March

Heat qualification

NSW State Open Championships

Friday 15th March to Sunday 17th March

TBA

NSW Junior State Age Championships

Saturday 23rd March to Sunday 24th March

TBA

 

Issue 3, 2023/2024

Club Captains

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

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

Nominate a member online here.

Relay Competition

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

Parramatta Inter-Club Cup

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

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

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

Masters NSW SC Championships

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

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

Check our website and Facebook page for full details

SNSW Qualifying Meet

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

MSW Area LC Championships

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

Whales Challenge # 1

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

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

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

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

First Championship races next Saturday

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

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

Learn to Swim

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

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

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

Lesson times are:

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

More information can be found on the club website.

Pool Entry for Squad Training

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

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

Club Uniforms

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

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

Planning your Championship races

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

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

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

Lions Club Award

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

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

MEET NAME

MEET DATE

ENTRY CLOSING

MSW Long Course Championships

Saturday 21st October &

Sunday 22nd October

Closed

Parramatta Inter-Club Cup

Saturday 11th November

Wednesday 8th November

MSW Open Water Championships

Sunday 12th November

Wednesday 8th November

NSW Junior Metrop Championships

Saturday 25th November & Sunday 26th November

Tuesday 14th November

NSW Senior State Age Championships

Sunday 10th December to Saturday 16th December

Tuesday 28th November

NSW Open Water Championships

Sunday 17th December & Monday 18th December

Wednesday 8th November

Speedo Sprint Heats

TBA

TBA

Merrylands SwimFest

Saturday 17th February

TBA

NSW Senior Metrop Championships

Saturday 24th February &

Sunday 25th February

TBA

Speedo Sprint Finals

Saturday 2nd March

Heat qualification

NSW State Open Championships

Friday 15th March to Sunday 17th March

TBA

NSW Junior State Age Championships

Saturday 23rd March to Sunday 24th March

TBA

 

Issue 2, 2023/2024

Club Captains

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

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

Relay Competition

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

Parramatta Inter-Club Cup

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

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

Club Uniforms

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

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

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

Planning your Championship races

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

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

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

Masters NSW SC Championships

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

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

SNSW Qualifying Meet

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

Pool Entry for Squad Training

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

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

Learn to Swim

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

Lessons will run in two blocks:

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

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

Lesson times are:

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

More information can be found on the club website.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

MEET NAME

MEET DATE

ENTRY CLOSING

NSW State Masters SC Championships

Saturday 14th October &

Sunday 15th October

Closed

MSW Long Course Championships

Saturday 21st October &

Sunday 22nd October

Closed

Parramatta Inter-Club Cup

Saturday 11th November

TBA

MSW Open Water Championships

Sunday 12th November

Wednesday 8th November

NSW Junior Metrop Championships

Saturday 25th November & Sunday 26th November

Tuesday 14th November

NSW Senior State Age Championships

Sunday 10th December to Saturday 16th December

Tuesday 28th November

NSW Open Water Championships

Sunday 17th December & Monday 18th December

TBA

Speedo Sprint Heats

TBA

TBA

Merrylands SwimFest

Saturday 17th February

TBA

NSW Senior Metrop Championships

Saturday 24th February &

Sunday 25th February

TBA

Speedo Sprint Finals

Saturday 2nd March

Heat qualification

NSW State Open Championships

Friday 15th March to Sunday 17th March

TBA

NSW Junior State Age Championships

Saturday 23rd March to Sunday 24th March

TBA

 

Issue 1, 2023/2024

Welcome

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

Since we were last together………….

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

April

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

May

  • Presentation Evening and AGM held with the new Committee elected

June

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

July

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

August

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

September

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

Club Captains

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

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

Committee 2023/2024

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

Executive Members

President

Graham Edwards

Vice President

Peter Johnston

Secretary

Leanne Tovkach

Treasurer

Ian Johnston

Race Secretary

Alison Johnston

Social Secretary

Denise Assi

Committee Members

Tricia Johnston

Margaret Edwards

Ian Wilson

Danielle Vicic

Kylee Murray

 

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

Swimming NSW Meet Levy

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

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

Parramatta Inter-Club Cup

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

Merrylands Swimming Centre refurbishment

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

Planning your Championship races

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

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

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

Club Uniforms

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

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

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

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

Technical Officials

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

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

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

For more information about becoming a Technical Official please see Graham

Metro South West LC Championships

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

Relay Competition

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

Sponsors

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

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

If you know of a business or organisation that may be interested in providing sponsorship or support to our club please speak to Graham Edwards

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

MEET NAME

MEET DATE

ENTRY CLOSING

NSW State Masters SC Championships

Saturday 14th October &

Sunday 15th October

Closed

MSW Long Course Championships

Saturday 21st October &

Sunday 22nd October

Wednesday 11th October

Parramatta Inter-Club Cup

Saturday 11th November

TBA

MSW Open Water Championships

Sunday 12th November

Wednesday 8th November

NSW Junior Metrop Championships

Saturday 25th November & Sunday 26th November

Tuesday 14th November

NSW Senior State Age Championships

Sunday 10th December to Saturday 16th December

Tuesday 28th November

NSW Open Water Championships

Sunday 17th December & Monday 18th December

TBA

Merrylands SwimFest

Saturday 17th February

TBA

Issue 24, 2022/2023

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 (27th 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 17th to 25th 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 (1st 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 28th 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 22nd 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 20th 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.

MEET NAME

MEET DATE

ENTRY CLOSING

NSW Junior State Age Championships

25th March & 26th March

Closed

MSW 5 – 8 Meet

1st April

Closed

NSW State Masters Championships

1st & 2nd April

Closed

Australian Masters Championships

18th – 22nd April

Closed

 

Issue 23, 2022/2023

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 3rd 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 27th 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, 1st April. Entries close on Tuesday 21st 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 1st April & Sunday 2nd April at SOPAC. Entries close on Friday 24th March.

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

Annual Presentation

Date: Sunday 28th 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:

Sally Lee

Ian Wilson

Glenda Wood

Danielle Vicic

Dominic Vicic

Alison Johnston

John Bligh

Varant Jambazian

Trevor Ryan

Mandy Smart

Kylee Murray

Sophia Vicic

Leanne Tovkach

 

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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

MEET NAME

MEET DATE

ENTRY CLOSING

NSW Junior State Age Championships

25th March & 26th March

Closed

MSW 5 – 8 Meet

1st April

21st March

NSW State Masters Championships

1st & 2nd April

24th March

Australian Masters Championships

18th – 22nd April

23rd March

 

Issue 22, 2022/2023

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 3rd 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, 1st 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 1st April & Sunday 2nd April at SOPAC. Entries close on Friday 24th March.

National Championships will be held from Tuesday 18th April to Sunday 23rd April in Hobart. Entries close on Thursday 23rd 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 28th 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.

MEET NAME

MEET DATE

ENTRY CLOSING

NSW State Open Championships

10th March to 12th March

Closed

NSW Junior State Age Championships

25th March & 26th March

14th March

Metro South West 5 to 8yrs Meet

1st April

21st March

NSW State Masters Championships

1st & 2nd April

24th March

Australian Masters Championships

18th – 22nd April

23rd March

 

Issue 21, 2022/2023

Saturday 11th March

Next Saturday we have a couple of events occurring:

Whales Challenge #3

The 3rd 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 – 1st April

The Metro South West 5 to 8yrs Development meet is on at Guildford Swimming Centre on Saturday, 1st 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 1st April & Sunday 2nd April at SOPAC. Entries close on Friday 24th March.

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

MEET NAME

MEET DATE

ENTRY CLOSING

NSW State Open Championships

10th March to 12th March

Closed

NSW Junior State Age Championships

25th March & 26th March

14th March

NSW State Masters Championships

1st & 2nd April

24th March

Metro South West 5-8yrs Meet

1st April

21st March

Australian Masters Championships

18th – 22nd April

23rd March

 

Issue 20, 2022/2023

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, 1st 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.

Issue 19, 2022/2023

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, 18th 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 25th 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:

Christine Liepins

Lu Zhu

Varant Jambazian

Prafulla Shrestha

Rachel Palise

Matthew Vicic

Ian Wilson

Sally Lee

Leanne Tovkach

Glenda Wood

Mandy Smart

Ian Johnston

Danielle Vicic

Graham Edwards

Carlos Vergara

Timothy Oliver

William Johnston

 

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.