Merrylands 50s

Wow: There was some fast racing in the Merrylands 50s last week! A number of our younger swimmers smashed their 50m Freestyle PBs on the way to the final, with Lily Palise taking out the event and a proud owner of a new Speedo Flipper Bag. Well done Lily. The top 3 in the final were:

1. Lily Palise
2. Alison Sakurovs
3. Leah Johnston

Well done ladies!

Merrylands SwimFest

There are only 3 weeks left until entries close – have you entered yet?

The Merrylands SwimFest will be held on Saturday 17^th February and is not only great competition practice for our swimmers but is the club’s main fundraiser of the year, with proceeds going towards our annual presentation evening.

Needless to say, we need everyone’s support in running the meet, and our swimmers to compete.

Our members get a 25% discount off their entries, with both Full Swimmers and Club Only Swimmers eligible to compete, so make sure you enter today and remember to click the correct button to get your club member rate. Entries close on 3^rd February, 2024.

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

Merrylands SwimFest – Timekeeping

One of the most important and best jobs at the SwimFest is timekeeping, and it couldn’t be any easier – push a button when the swimmers hit the wall at the end of the race. No pencil, no clipboard, no splits, no writing times. All you need is eyes, a thumb and a connection between the two. The rest of the time you have a front-row seat to all the action with food served to you on a platter.

We need 16 timekeepers to run the meet, so please nominate to assist with this role or any other role you are interested in here.

Ian Wilson is the Meet Director for the meet and will be coming to see what you have signed up for.

Championships Resume

Club Championships resume on Saturday 27^th January. Remember to check the program and make sure you have qualified for the remaining events.

Speedo Sprint Series Heats

The Speedo Sprint Series Heats will be held at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on Saturday, 10th February from 12 noon.

Swimmers aged 8-13 years who can swim 50m are encouraged to swim at this meet - speak to your coach if you are unsure whether you should enter. Entries close on 31st January – see the website for details.

Learn to Swim Teachers Needed

We are always looking for people to help teach our learn to swim program – many of our current members learnt to swim in this program, so it is vitally important to the future of our club

No experience is necessary, we can help to organise training for you, and even cover the cost of the training*. So, if you are 15 or over and interested, please speak to Kylee Murray for more information – you may even be able to get a paid job out of it.

*Conditions apply

Special Events

There are a few special events being held during club races throughout January.

Last week we had the Merrylands 50s. This week is the Handicap Relay. Next week is the Random Relay (no it is not a bunch of randoms swimming) and it all culminates with the Boardshort Relay on the Australia Day long weekend.

Check the season program and online entries for details on how to get involved in each event.

Seen a problem? Get it fixed

Seen something at the pool that needs fixing? Let Council know of any issues by using the Snap Send Solve mobile app which can be found at: www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/snapsendsolve

Joke of the week

Q: What do you call a group of whale musicians?

A: An orca-stra.

Technical Officials

Saturday mornings don’t just happen – we need a team of officials to run things.

Did you know that we require certain positions to be filled by qualified officials for times swum at club races to be “Official”?

Only official times can be submitted to Swimming NSW for approval and then used as entry times for external Swimming NSW and Masters meets, as qualifying times for championship meets, and for awards in the Swimming Australia Junior Excellence program.

To give our swimmers the best opportunity we want all our club races to be official, but we can’t do that without your help.

Technical Official positions include Timekeeper, Chief Timekeeper, Starter, Marshall, Check Starter, Inspector of Turns, Judge of Strokes, Recorder, Computer Operator and Referee.

If you see a job you would be interested in learning, please ask one of the Committee.

Courses for many of these positions are also available online.

Diving Clinic @ SOPAC

Looking for a fun activity during the holidays? Some of the kids from the Junior and Novice squads are attending a fun Diving Clinic at SOPAC on Friday, 19^th January at 10:30am.

Are you interested in attending? If so, book a place on the Aquatic Centre website here. Any questions, speak to Denise Assi.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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