Merrylands successfully reclaimed the Inter-Club Cup for 2022, after last winning it in 2016. It was exciting to be able to win the meet with some very tight racing between the clubs. It was also so pleasing to see the friendly rivalry and support the clubs gave each other. There were so many highlights throughout the day and all teams were always going to be winners.
Our team achieved 90 new personal best times and won the point score by 68 points but there were countless achievements throughout the day. Our swimmers aged from 6 to 70 supported each other throughout the meet with lots of cheering for each race. Thirteen swimmers competed at their first carnival for the club - congratulations Cameron, Aiden, Patrick, Pavla, Coralie, Anna, Emma, Hannah, Jude, Leah, Anastasia, Nikolai and Samantha. Some of these swimmers had never raced in events longer than 25m before but were willing to give the 50m a crack to earn points for the club. Some had their first attempt at 50m Butterfly and were even rewarded with a re-swim for their efforts, taking it in their stride and sharing a warm dry towel while waiting for their re-swim.
All age groups contributed to the point score and there was a great feeling of team spirit as everyone worked together. Some of our older swimmers who "don't do breaststroke" or "don't like backstroke" stepped up, (with some light prompting), to ensure we were represented in every event. Some of these swimmers even surprised themselves with their results!
Thank you to our Club Captains Matthew and Darla for organising our swimmers and looking after our younger members. Our captains also gave many their first experience of a carnival "tattoo" of event numbers, worn like a badge of honour. Some may still have remnants on their arm at training on Monday.
With the arrival of the ice cream van, our swimmers fought the temptation until the end of the meet and celebrated the sweet taste of victory at the end of the meet with a well-deserved choc-top.
Congratulations to all our swimmers on their amazing results, and thank you to everyone who helped organise and run the meet. Go Whales!
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