Issue 4, 2024/2025

Club Captains – nominations closing

Nominations for the positions of Male and Female Club Captains close today at 9.30am. Financial first claim members aged 14 years and over as at 1 October can be elected to the position of male and female captain. This morning is your last chance to nominate. Nominations can be made here.

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

Over the next week we will seek acceptance of the nominations and provide an opportunity for candidates’ bios and photos to be added to the online voting system.

Voting for the positions of Club Captains will occur next week (week 6 of the season) and a link to the online voting system will be provided so all financial first claim members have the opportunity to submit their vote.

Championship races commence today

The first of our season’s Championship events (200m Individual Medley 10 years – Senior, Veterans and Open) is being swum this morning. Good luck to everyone competing in these races.

Remember to qualify to swim in a Championship event you must have successfully swum in the same stroke and distance this season.

Whales Challenge # 1 today

Today we also see the first of the three Whales Challenges for the season being contested.

Good luck to both teams as they vie for a first up win.

Keep an eye out for the IM Skins event during the morning. This will see 4 swimmers from each team compete to determine the Skins winner.

MSW Area LC Championships

The MSW Long Course Championships were held at SOPAC last weekend.

Congratulations to our 11 swimmers who qualified and swam at the meet. As a team Merrylands achieved 18 new personal best times, 1 Gold Medal (Leo Zhu), 3 Silver Medals (Damien Chan), 6 top-10 Finishes and had a 100% PB rate in the 100m Freestyle. What a great result by every swimmer and their coaches

See the club website and Facebook page for full details of all of the swimmer’s achievements.

Cumberland Inter-Club Cup

The Cumberland Inter-Club Cup between Merrylands, Parramatta City and McCredie Park will be held next Saturday (9th November) at Wentworthville Swimming Centre. Races commence at 3.30pm.

Entries are open (they close this Wednesday) and we need every swimmer entering the meet so that we have a full team striving to win the cup back.

We also ask our parents not swimming to assist with timekeeping at the meet (our club will be assigned some lanes for the meet).

Club Uniforms

We have a great range of club uniforms in stock available for sale, see the club’s online shop club shop.

We are taking special orders for a long sleeve shirt option. These cost $33 and orders can be placed with Margaret Edwards over the next 2 weeks. An order will then be placed for the supply of these.

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

Seen a Problem? Get it Fixed

If you see something that needs fixing you can elevate this directly with Council by logging the issue here.

Lions Club Award

Seen someone that deserves recognition for their efforts in helping out? Nominate them for the Lions Club Award, our peak award to recognise our volunteers over the season.

Nominate a volunteer

P-Plate Award

As the season rolls along keep an eye out for someone making a silly mistake. We like to recognise and reward all efforts during the season and the P-Plate award is the perfect way to do this.

Nominate a silly mistake

Make a Donation

We have partnered with the Australian Sports Foundation to allow supporters to make tax-deductible donations to the club.

Funds raised will go towards upgrading and maintaining our timing equipment and results systems, providing better facilities for you, our members.

Make a donation

November is National Integrity Month

Swimming Australia is promoting Integrity this November with a focus on raising awareness and recognition of our volunteers and participants who embody the FISH values of Fairness, Integrity, Safety and Happiness.

Everyone has a role to play in safeguarding children and young people and protecting all members from harmful behaviours. Be a leader and support your team, club, friends and sport by committing to safe sport values by living them, speaking up and creating an environment where the welfare, safety and rights of children and young people are paramount.

Scan the QR codes below if you would like more information:

   

Swimming Australia Resources

Sport Integrity Australia Resources

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

Whales Challenge #1

Saturday 2nd November

Closed

Cumberland Inter-Club Cup

Saturday, 9th November

Wednesday 6th November

MSW Open Water C/Ships

Sunday 17th November

Wednesday 13th November

NSW Junior Metropolitan C/Ships

Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th November

Tuesday 12th November

NSW Masters LD Championships

Sunday 24th November

Friday 15th November

NSW Senior State Age C/Ships

Friday 6th December to Thursday 12th December

Tuesday 26th November

NSW Open Water Championships

Saturday 14th December & Sunday 15th December

TBA

Area Speedo Sprint Heats

Saturday 8th February

TBA

Merrylands SwimFest

Saturday 15th February

TBA

NSW Senior Metropolitan C/Ships

Friday 21st February to Sunday 23rd February

Tuesday 11th February

NSW Junior State Age Championships

Saturday 15th March to Sunday 16th March

Tuesday 4th March

NSW State Open Championships

Friday 21st March to Sunday 23rd March

Tuesday 11th March

Set Up & Pack Up on Saturday Mornings

There is a lot to do in set up and pack up on Saturday mornings – thank you to the members who have been arriving early and/or staying back to help.

These are some of the things that need to be done, with an emphasis commencing on time: -

Priority Items

  • Shelter and side shade for the recorders on the lane 1 start side of the pool – lives in the clubroom near the side door.
  • Plastic table and 4 (grey) chairs for the recorders. Table lives in the shed. Grey chairs from the club room.
  • Wireless Router to be fitted to the time clock pole at the start end, plugged in and switched on.
  • Starter podium and witches’ hats (to remind people not to walk in front of the Starter and Referee) – lives in the shed, front left corner.
  • Power cables for computers to be connected to same power point as Router on pole.
  • Speaker etc for starting device – lives in plastic box on Starter's podium. Place speaker on lane 8 side securely next to pole of backstroke flags and roll cable along pool deck coping to lane 1 side. Cover exposed cable with cable guards (see below).
  • Starting device tripod – lives in the clubroom near the side door (same place as shelter and side shade)
  • Starting device – will be on charge in the clubroom on kitchen bench
  • Cable guards (6 yellow) for the Recorders & speaker for the Starter – these live in the shed.

Important Items

  • Stopwatches and clipboards – black case lives in the locker in the clubroom and needs to be set up on a folding table from the shed. Turn them on.
  • 15m (false start) rope (in box with Starter’s podium) and poles (in ‘old club room’). You will need someone to show you how this works and you will be so proud of yourself when you master it!
  • 25m rope (for 25m, 33m & 15m races). Lives in the shed in a wire trolley and needs to be rolled out along the end (preferably 50m end) of the pool.

Final items

  • Block covers removed and put out of the way under the blue shelter.
  • Chairs setup for Timekeepers at both ends of the pool. Chairs live in the shed and there is a trolley to move them.
  • Presentation dais (only for Championship days) – lives in the clubroom under the trophy cabinet right side as you enter.
  • Umbrellas if it is raining – found in a black plastic drum trolly in the Shed – good luck wheeling this one 😊 Including the beach umbrella for the Starter.

Pack up; return everything to the location it is stored and please be careful in handling cables and ropes so as not to tangle. Sometimes the blocks get a wash if we can find a working hose.

On rainy days, placement of the recording table and all associated equipment including router will be on the veranda of the Clubhouse.  No need for shelter and tables.

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