State Age Championships
The NSW Senior State Age Championships are on as this week’s newsletter goes to print. Leo Zhu is representing the club at these championships. He swam the 100m Breaststroke on Sunday in his second fastest time ever and will swim the 50m Breaststroke today.
We wish Leo the best of luck for his swim later today!
Whales Challenge #2
Whales Challenge #2 is today! Can White stage a comeback and tie the series? Or will Maroon have the competition all wrapped up like a Christmas present by 9am?
The Captain's Freestyle Skins could be the deciding event. If you are one of your team’s fastest 50m Freestylers, you could get a call-up from your Team Captain to represent your team. And if you don’t get the call, make sure you cheer your team on.
Don’t forget to wear your team cap!
800m Freestyle Championships Results
Well done to the competitors in the 800m Freestyle Championships last week.
Open Mens
- Matthew Vicic
- Joseph Assi
- Ian Wilson
Open Womens
- Alison Sakurovs
- Niushka Shrestha
- Kylee Murray
Christmas Raffle
Our giant Christmas Raffle is back! Have you got your tickets yet? We have a stack of prizes this year including a $100 Rebel Sport Gift Card and swimming equipment by Dual-Olympic Gold Medallist Bronte Campbell. We also have a bunch of minor prizes up for grabs.
Get your tickets through Swim Central (see last week’s newsletter for instructions) or you can buy them in person with payment via Credit/Debit Card.
Prices are 1 Ticket for $2 or 3 Tickets for $5. There is a limit of one prize per family, so every family that purchases tickets is in with a great shot of winning a prize. The raffle will be drawn at the Christmas Party on 23rd December.
Christmas Party & Christmas/New Year Break
Our Christmas Party and last club morning of the year will be held on Saturday, 23rd of December. This morning will consist of Club Races, followed by Novelty Events and a BBQ.
So, make sure you hang around to celebrate the first half of the season and a great year.
Races will resume on Saturday, 6th January, 2024.
Merrylands SwimFest
Have you entered yet? Entries for the 2024 Merrylands SwimFest are open and are filling fast. Our members get a 25% discount off their entries, so make sure you click the correct button to get your club member rate. Entries close on 3rd February, 2024.
See the SwimFest section of our website for all the details.
Oh, and as always, we need helpers too! Nominate for a position here.
This is not the Baby-Sitters Club
Please remember: Parents of swimmers under the age of 18 years of age are required to attend club races with their children and help to run the races. It is not a babysitting service.
Helping on Saturday Mornings
Thank you to the people who helped set up and pack up last Saturday. Keep it up!
As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, the club committee is considering several options to ensure we have enough officials to run the races each week, that the races start on time, and have help setting up and packing up (see last week’s newsletter for details).
So please:
- Arrive before 6:50am to help setup
- Pickup a stopwatch to time keep – we need 16 timekeepers to provide accurate timing – please don’t make us come and ask.
- Help pack up before you leave
If everyone pitches in and helps each week, we won’t have to consider implementing the changes outlined in last week’s newsletter.
Don’t know what needs to be done? Ask a member of the Committee and they can point you in the right direction.
Lions Club Award
Recognise the contribution one of your fellow members has made. Nominate them for the Lions Club Award online here.
Swimming Joke of the Week
What do you call a fish that wears a bowtie?
Sofishticated. 🐟
Swimming Australia National Integrity Framework
Swimming Australia’s new National Integrity Framework comes into force on 1st January 2024.
Further details can be found on the Swimming Australia website.
Timekeeping Tip
Most swimmers want to know the time they have achieved as soon as they finish the race. You can tell them the lane time recorded but you must inform the swimmer that the time is unofficial until there is an official announcement of results.
Swimming NSW has a free online Timekeeping Course that we encourage all our timekeepers to complete. It takes less than 1 hour to complete. Even if you are a qualified Timekeeper, it is a great refresher.
Timekeeping is just one of the positions required to run club races. Are you interested in Starting, Judging Strokes or even becoming a Referee? If so, speak to one of the Committee members about how you can get involved.
You can also find more information about officiating on the Swimming NSW website here.
Bring a Friend
Do you have a friend that is looking for something to do during the school holidays? Setting a New Year’s resolution? Wants to get ready for School Swimming Carnivals?
Why not invite them to club races during January? They can get a free 4-week trial membership and just have to pay for their race entries and pool entry. All the details are here.
The Merrylands 50s is back!
The Merrylands 50s is back on Saturday, 7th January!
“What is the Merrylands 50s?”, I hear you ask.
The Merrylands 50s is a knockout handicap competition with 3 rounds: Preliminaries and Semi-Finals, all leading to a Final with a winner-takes-all prize at the end. The top swimmers from each round progress to the next round. Each swimmer is given a time handicap, so everyone has a chance of winning.
“Sounds cool! So how do I enter?”
Just enter Club Races as usual for the 6th January and select the Merrylands 50s Prelims as one of your events (entries will be available in the next few weeks).
P-Plate Award
Hotdogs – some people love them; some people hate them. But what about drinking the hotdog water?
Many years ago, the club ran a Swim-a-thon as a fundraising activity once per season. Swimmers would get sponsors, usually an amount per lap, then turn up on a designated Sunday morning to do their laps. The reward at the end of the morning was a club-supplied breakfast of hotdogs, tea, coffee and cordial. The hotdogs were cooked in bulk in a large hot water urn, that was only used once a year for this purpose.
The hotdogs floating around in the urn weren’t enough of a clue for one member though, as they proceeded to use the tap on the side of the urn to make their morning cup of tea. Anyone for a Frankfurter Fusion?
Have you seen something similar that will go down in club folklore? If so, nominate the person here.
Squad Absences
Are you going away in December or January and will miss training? Have you completed your Squad Absence form?
If you are, please complete the form as soon as possible to let our coaches know.
The form can be completed online here.
Photo of the Week
The photo below was taken of the 33m Butterfly last week. Thanks for sharing Sylvia!
Do you have photos to share for the newsletter or our Presentation Evening? Use the link in the Whales Tales email to upload your photos.
William and Damien leaving the blocks at the start of the 33m Butterfly last week
Upcoming Meet Calendar
Check the website for the full list of upcoming meets, closing dates, programs and qualifying times.
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MEET NAME
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MEET DATE
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ENTRY CLOSING
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Speedo Sprint Heats
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TBA
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TBA
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Merrylands SwimFest
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Saturday 17th February
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Saturday, 3rd February
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NSW Senior Metrop Championships
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Saturday 24th February &
Sunday 25th February
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TBA
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Speedo Sprint Finals
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Saturday 2nd March
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Heat qualification
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NSW State Open Championships
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Friday 15th March to Sunday 17th March
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TBA
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NSW Junior State Age Championships
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Saturday 23rd March to Sunday 24th March
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TBA
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