Issue 2, 2020/2021 by Graham Edwards - 17th October, 2020

Download

Season Is Underway

It was great to welcome so many swimmers to our first week of club races last week (we had over 40 swimmers entered) and the weather was kind to us, although the wind did make it a bit cool during the morning.

Thank you for your help in complying with the range of COVID-19 protocols we have in place. It is important that we abide by our safety plan to ensure the health of everyone and the ability to continue our club events.

Whales Tales is an important way to keep up-to-date with information and events. I encourage you to sign up to automatically receive the electronic version on a Saturday morning. Current & past editions are also available.

Remember the season program can be found here. Please take time to review the season program and plan your swims early.

Sign Up for Whales Tales

Annual Presentation

Looking for some riveting online content? Well you are in luck as the recent annual presentation can still be viewed here.

Learn to Swim

The club Learn to Swim program is commencing. Lessons will start next week.

Club Race Entries

Entries for club races are only accepted online and they close at 8.00pm Thursday. So plan your swims and ensure your entries are completed in time.
The Time Record Sheet is a handy reference to record your swims during the season and a quick reference point to check if you have completed swims to qualify for championship races. You can download the sheet at here.

Membership

All the information you need on club membership for this year is available here. We are happy to advise that membership fees have not changed this year, and free membership is again available for swimmers 8 & Under, thanks to Club Merrylands.

Technical Officials

Remember if you are a qualified technical official (and a non-swimmer) to renew your non-swimmer membership to ensure your technical accreditation remains current.

Club Captains

Nominations for the positions of Male and Female Club Captains are open and close at 9.30am on week 4 (31st October, 2020). Information about the duties and responsibilities of Club Captains can be found on the club website in the By-Laws.

All financial first claim members can vote for these positions on week 6 (14th November, 2020).

COVID-19 Safety Plan & Protocols

Sign-In for Spectators & Volunteers

The club operates under a COVID-19 Safety Plan and it is continually updated as health guidelines change. Health guidelines play an important role in setting the protocols the club is required to comply with.

We ask for your assistance in complying with the protocols & plan in place. We will communicate changes as they occur and these updates can be found here.

Please remember:

• Anyone (coach/athlete/parent/official/spectator) who is unwell for any reason should not attend any training, competition or club activity;
• If you become unwell whilst at the pool please advise us and leave immediately;
• Protect yourself and others from getting sick by following good personal hygiene practices and maintaining physical distancing. We have hand sanitiser available for your use;
• Swimmers should not share any equipment including googles, drink bottles or towels;
• Maintain social distancing when at the swimming centre. We have designated areas around the pool and ask for your assistance in complying with these;
• If you wish to wear a mask whilst at the pool we recommend that you bring this with you;
• Download the COVID-19 app to assist with contact tracing if it is required.

As health guidelines can change rapidly we need to be able to contact all of our members electronically. Your contact details are important to us and we need them to be up-to-date at all times.

A reminder of important changes this season are:

• No manual card entries will be accepted. Club Race entries can only be done through Swim Central;
• No cash payments will be accepted. Purchases need to be made online through the online shop;
• No raffles or bbq breakfasts at present. Changes to these may be made as health guidelines are updated;
• We must keep a record of all people attending club events (club races and training sessions) for contact tracing purposes.
• Competitors are recorded automatically through their online race entry so they do not need to sign in on a Saturday morning;
• Officials, Volunteers & Spectators (who aren’t competing in races) must sign in at the pool entry (Council has an app option or paper form to complete). In addition, the club is required to also record attendees, so we ask that you sign in using the QR code (see the QR code in the Whales Tales) to complete an online form each time you attend a club event. We will have a sign-in area for this;
• Normal pool entry applies and you will need to scan your Council pool card for entry;
• No club room access. Access is limited for only obtaining equipment required to be used. This means that no-one should enter the club room and equipment should not be stored along the front verandah area;
• We recommend you leave the swimming centre after completing club races. Council is allowing recreational swimming, subject to maximum numbers allowed at any one time, however we believe it is in your health interests to leave the centre after club races.

Your Contact Information

As health guidelines can change rapidly we need to be able to contact all of our members electronically. Your contact details are important to us and we need them to be up-to-date at all times.

Please check your swim central profile and ensure your contact details (parents & children) are up-to-date.

Relay Competition

The team relay has commenced with the first time trials last week. There are two more time trials and the first point score races commence on Saturday 31st October.

It’s time to organise your team with a maximum of 6 team members only (thanks Merry Ladies 😊).

Relay team nominations are to be submitted online each week (naming the 4 swimmers for that week).

Nominate your Swimmers

Club Uniforms

We have a great range of club uniforms available for sale. These 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).

Squad Enrolment

It’s time to complete your squad enrolment if you haven’t already done so. See the details here.

Championship Eligibility

The Club By-Laws set out the Eligibility to Compete in Championships (By-Law 21). Some key points to remember are:

• Only Financial First Claim Members are eligible to compete in Championships;
• Entrants must have swum that stroke and that distance in the current season.

It is therefore important to plan your swims so that you have swim the stroke and distance if you plan to compete in the Championship for that stroke and distance. The season program sets out the Championship dates to allow appropriate planning of your swims.

There are many situations that may arise which impact on swimmers plans. These situations may mean for example that the pool is closed for club races or the individual swimmer may have circumstances which preclude them from swimming at a particular time (for example COVID-19 health guidelines constantly being changed and updated). All members must continue to comply with health guidelines that are in place and there may be circumstances arise which impact on your ability to swim the stroke and distance in eligibility preparation.

As such the Committee strongly recommends that swimmers plan and undertake their eligibility swims as early in the season as possible, rather than leaving these swims to the last week available before the Championship event is to be swum.

A failure by a swimmer to swim an eligibility swim will preclude their participation in that Championship.

Committee 2020/2021

You can find our 2020/2021 Committee Members here.

We do have some Vacant Committee Member positions and we would welcome members volunteering to join the Committee and participate in the ongoing management of the club.

Upcoming Events

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.

Club Merrylands Charity Raffle

Tickets can be purchased online.