Season Program Changes
A reminder that some changes have been made to our season program for the remainder of this season (due to changes to state & area championships and the Speed Sprint meet heats). The amended season program can be found here.
Please ensure you check the amended season program and plan your swims and championship qualification based on the amended program.
Whales Challenge
The second Whales Challenge was contested last Saturday. This was another hotly contested challenge, with only 38 points separating the teams. The Maroon “Turner” team triumphed scoring 1,234 points, with the White “Emery” team scoring 1,196 points. After a tie in the first Whales Challenge, we have the Maroon team leading 2 – 1, with the final Whales Challenge to be held on 20th March, 2021.
Merrylands SwimFest
Stay tuned as the program and online entries for the Merrylands SwimFest (Saturday 20th February, 2021) will be available soon.
To make the meet a success we ask that everyone (parents etc) help on the day, so please keep the date free. Graham will be arranging the helper list for the day.
Member Profile
So did you guess the coach in the Member Profile last week? The editor left the name of the coach off (ooops), so you needed your powers of deduction and knowledge of the coaches to know who it was.
We know it wasn’t Alison (purple is NOT my favourite colour!) and I’m not sure Peter is such a BIG Harry Styles fan 😊). It was of course Katie Hope.
Today we learn some interesting information about one of our faster Whales, Brendan Kirkpatrick:
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Favourite Colour
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Red
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Favourite Food
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Anything served in large portions although I stay away from meat & dairy
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Favourite Sport (apart from swimming)
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There are sports other than swimming?!?!?!?
to play - waterpolo,
to watch - cricket
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Favourite Team
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Rugby league: Broncos, Rugby union: Brumbies, Soccer: West Brom, International Swimming League: Undecided but probably London Roar or DC Trident
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Favourite Holiday Place
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Anywhere with nice views, nice swimming spots, heat, humidity, Culture and good food
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Favourite Memory
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Swimming memory
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Favourite Song
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Old Pine by Ben Howard, Freeze Up Operation Ivy, New Noise by refused, Samson by Regina Spektor, Let’s call the whole thing off by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
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Favourite Movie/TV Shop
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Honestly the movie I have watched the most would be Book of Life
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Career after school
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Too many to name but I finally settled on Swim Coach
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I like Merrylands Swimming Club because
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The community is welcoming, the swimming is fast, the races are fun, and there is a strong representation across all ages
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COVID-19 Safety Plan & Protocols
Please ensure you regularly check the club website for health updates as changes occur. Updates that affect our club members can be found here.
Remember:
- Do not come to club activities if you are not feeling well;
- Maintain social distancing by spreading out in areas to sit (do not congregate in areas);
- Only timekeepers, officials & swimmers for the event to be swum should be in the marshalling area;
- Practice good hygiene by washing hands & using hand sanitiser regularly.
COVID-19 Contact Tracing
Spectators entering the centre must check-in and out using the Service NSW app which is located at the pool entry. Please ensure you sign-in and sign-out every time you attend the swimming centre.
Download the Service NSW app here.
Squad Training Changes
Please note there is NO squad training on Monday 25th January or Tuesday 26th January due to the Australia Day break. Normal squad sessions resume on Wednesday 27th January.
Club Championship Results
Congratulations to all swimmers who competed in the 400m Individual Medley Open Championships. The results are available here.
Upcoming Meet Dates
With dates confirmed for upcoming meets please ensure you check the programs and submit your entries by the closing dates. Key meets coming up are:
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SNSW Open Water Championships (5km)
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Saturday 30th January
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Speedo Sprint Heats
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Saturday 6th February
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MSW Junior Championships (Distance Session Events)
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Saturday 6th February
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SNSW Metropolitan Championships (Senior)
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Saturday 27th February to
Sunday 28th February
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Speedo Sprint Finals
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Saturday 6th March
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MSW Junior Championships
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Saturday 13th March
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SNSW State Open Championships
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Thursday 18th March to
Sunday 21st March
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SNSW State Age Junior Championships
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Saturday 27th March to
Sunday 28th March
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If you have any questions about swimming in these meets, please discuss these with your coach.
Fun facts about Australia
- Both kangaroos and emus lack the ability to walk backwards. For this reason, the Australian army features the animals on their uniforms
- The only two mammals in the world that lay eggs are found in Australia, the platypus and echidna
- Canberra was selected Australia’s capital for the sole reason of resolving disputes between Sydney and Melbourne which had both wanted to be the country’s administrative centre
- Australia is the only continent in the world without an active volcano
- Australia is the birthplace of the word selfie. While it was American photography enthusiast Robert Cornelius who took a picture of himself in 1839, the term selfie was first used in 2002 to describe a self-portrait photograph on an Australian internet forum (ABC Online)
- There are ten times more camels than koalas in Australia
- Australia has more than 10,000 beaches overall, meaning that it would take more than 27 years to visit a new one every day
- Inhabiting the continent for more than 50,000 years, the Australian Aboriginals are the world’s oldest culture
- Australia is the most culturally diverse nation on earth and collectively we speak more than 300 languages
- The longest fence in the world is in Australia, and it runs for over 5,530 kilometres
- Australia is home to 10 of the world’s 15 most poisonous snakes as well as a disproportionate number of venomous spiders
Club Uniforms
Items can be purchased through the club’s online shop.
If you have any questions about club uniforms please talk to the Property Officer (Margaret Edwards).
Learn to Swim
The new block of the learn to swim program commences next Saturday (30th January, 2021) and concludes on Saturday 20th March, 2021 (no lessons on Saturday 20th February, 2021). Thankyou to our instructors, helpers & coordinators who make the program a success.
Sponsors
Thank you to our major sponsors who provide fantastic support to our club. If you know of a business or organisation who may be interested in providing sponsorship or support to our club please let us know.