Welcome to the 2018/2019 Season
Welcome to the club’s 50th anniversary swimming season. This is a milestone anniversary and one we will celebrate with numerous events during the season. Please join us in these celebrations throughout the season. One of our first events will be Back To Merrylands Day on Saturday 10th November, 2018.
Our club is a successful family oriented club and we welcome swimmers of all capabilities and ages. It is my pleasure to welcome back our existing members and I would also like to extend a warm welcome to our new members joining us. We have an eye catching club uniform and I encourage everyone to wear the club uniform each Saturday morning to club races. If you would like to purchase club uniform items please see the club Property Officer (Margaret Edwards) & the
club website to place an order.
The range of our program stretches from the Optus Junior Dolphin program, 15 metre races for our youngest swimmers, a Learn to Swim program (for juniors & adults) and events for swimmers of all ages, with juniors and adults swimming in Pointscore and Championship races.
Our club website is a key information source, so save this to your favourites and keep up-to-date with the latest news and information throughout the season. The 2018/2019 Program is available on the club website. Please review this to plan your swims, especially to ensure that you qualify for upcoming championships, as these commence on 20th October, 2018.
We will be hosting two swimming meets at Merrylands Pool this season and for the first time these will be held on the same day. Whilst it will be a big day, it will help reduce the overall workload on us all. So keep Saturday 23rd February, 2019 free as both the Masters and annual Merrylands SwimFest will be held back-to-back. We will need your assistance at both of these meets, as hosting meets is the major fund raising activity for our club.
Members of all ages from our club will also compete in various meets and championships throughout the season and I wish all of our swimmers success over the season and in these meets. The InterClub Cup will be held at Granville Pool on Saturday 24th November, 2018 and this is a short meet where every swimmer (young and not so young) from our club competes. We will strive to win the cup for the 3rd time.
Nominations for the positions of Male and Female Club Captains are open and close at 9.30am on week 4 (27th October, 2018). All financial first claim members can vote for these positions on week 6 (10th November, 2018). Details of the responsibilities and activities of the Club Captains can be found in the By-Laws (copy available on the club website). I encourage all of our eligible members to nominate for these positions.
I also encourage all of our members (swimmers and non-swimmers) to actively participate in the running of the club, be it involvement on the committee, as a technical official or helping out on a Saturday morning. It is vital for the smooth running of our club races that everyone is involved in activities such as setting up, timekeeping, selling raffle tickets, cooking the bbq or packing up to name just a few of the things we need to do each week. The success of the club and the enjoyment you receive being involved is priceless.
Graham
Important Information for Club Age Championships this season
With changes this season to the Swimming NSW calendar some of our club Age Championships will be held on different dates, depending on the age group. The season program details the date for all championships, so check this carefully to ensure you know which dates your events are being held on.
In particular Boys aged 13 years and Girls aged 12 years on 1st October, 2018 and who age up (have a birthday) before the MSW Area Championships on 17th November, 2018 may be affected with a clash in dates for the Age 200 metres Individual Medley championship (being held on 17th November, 2018). If this is the case you may apply to have your Age Championship race moved to another date. This must be done before the closing date (Tuesday 6th November, 2018) of the MSW Area Championships.
Important Information about Race Entries
Entries for races can be lodged either on manual race cards or online. There are cut-off dates for all race entries and these deadlines will be adhered to. So to make sure you have entries for races on the following Saturday please ensure:
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Manual Card Entries
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These must be placed in the maroon entry box by 6pm Wednesday. Cards (including from a family) should be bound together with an elastic band.
To ensure that you have entries in we suggest you purchase the cards on the Saturday prior and place them in the maroon box before you leave on that day.
Manual race cards will not be sold during the week at training etc
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Online Entries
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These can be submitted on the club website and need to be entered by 8pm Thursday
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If you need to change a race entry already lodged please email race.secretary@merrylandsasc.asn.au
To be eligible to enter championships the swimmer must be financial in this season. The swimmer must have swum the same stroke and same distance during the current season (check the program and plan your swims carefully).
Pool Entry and Volunteers Sign-On Book
Council kindly provides limited free pool entry to parents who are working in a volunteer role at Saturday club races. To qualify for this free entry you must sign the book on entry and undertake the volunteer role you have signed on to perform. Swimmers need to pay the appropriate pool entry fee.
If you have any questions about this please see Graham.
Technical Officials Information
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/page.php?id=217. 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.
Swimming Metro South West are holding a Technical Official Forum on Sunday 21st October 2018 at Revesby Workers Club. This forum is free and open to any technical official, as well as anyone interested in becoming a technical official, or anyone interested in learning more about what technical officials do. So if you are interested in attending this forum please see Graham for more details.