Issue 2, 2024/2025 by Graham Edwards - 18th October, 2024

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First Week of Club Races

It was great to see everyone back at club races for the start of the season last week.

Our Social Committee did a great job providing a breakfast BBQ and it was an opportunity to catch up with everyone.

Thank you to everyone there for your patience as we had some technical issues. It turned out to be an opportunity to use our manual stopwatches 😊

A reminder for everyone using a Wylas system device during the races to ensure that settings are not changed (the device needs to be in Airplane mode and Bluetooth is not activated).

Club Captains

Nominations for the positions of Male and Female Club Captains remain open and close at 9.30am on week 4 (2^nd November). Financial first claim members aged 14 years and over as at 1 October can be elected to the position of male and female captain.

Information about the duties and responsibilities of Club Captains can be found on the club website in the By-Laws.

Sylvia Chan is talking to all potential nominees and nominations can be made here.

Once nominations close, we will seek acceptance of the nominations and provide an opportunity for candidates’ bios and photos to be added to the online voting system.

All financial first claim members can vote for these positions on week 6 (9^th November) and a link to the online voting system will be provided.

Nominate a member

NSW Masters SC State Championships

The NSW Masters Short Course State Championships were held last weekend in Canberra.

Alison Sakurovs & Varant Jambazian represented the club at these Championships.

Congratulations to Alison (won Gold medals in the sprint events) and Varant (took 13 seconds off his 200 Breaststroke PB and won a Bronze medal)

Learn to Swim – Club offer

Our Learn to Swim program starts today at 9.15am.

Lessons run in two blocks:

• Saturday, 19^th October to Saturday, 14^th December, 2024
• Saturday, 1^st February to Saturday, 22^nd March, 2025*

* no lessons on 15^th February, (SwimFest meet day).

Lesson times are:

• Child Lessons start at 9:15am and finish at 9:45am.
• Adult Lessons start at 9:30am and finish at 10:15am.

More information can be found on the club website. Normal Pool Entry applies to participants and spectators when attending lessons.

Learn to Swim – Council offer

Council is offering learn to swim lessons at Merrylands Swimming Centre this season. To find out more visit the Council website at https://www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/learn-swim-school or ask the pool staff.

Cumberland Inter-Club Cup

Only 3 more weeks before we take on Parramatta City and McCredie Park at Wentworthville Swimming Centre on Saturday, 9^th November in this year’s Inter-Club Cup. It’s time to get your entries in so you don’t miss the opportunity to represent our club at this great sprint meet. Events are from 7yrs & Under through to 50yrs & Over, and we need everyone’s help to win the cup back.

Planning your Championship races

As you will see in the Season Program we have club championship races commencing on Saturday 2^nd November 2024. It is important to plan your swims well ahead to ensure you qualify for the Championship events you wish to compete in.

How do you do this? Follow these quick tips to plan your qualifying swims:

• Review the Season Program to see the date Championship swims are held;
• Plan your qualifying swim for a Championship at least 2 weeks before the Championship is held as this provides you with leeway in case you miss a week, are disqualified in the race etc;

Relay Competition – new format

We are running a new Relay event format this year to replace the previous Relay Competition format.

To get involved, enter the Relay event via Swim Central when you do your individual event entries for the coming week’s races.

The Competition Committee will create teams of 2 and teams will be given a time handicap. The first team to the wall wins.

Club Uniforms

We have a great range of club uniforms in stock available for sale. These can be purchased through the club’s online shop club shop . Some items may require a special order to be placed with our suppliers, so planning orders ahead of time will allow for the items to be delivered.

If you have any questions about club uniforms please talk to the Property Officer, Margaret Edwards.

Seen a Problem? Get it Fixed

If you see something that needs fixing you can elevate this directly with Council by logging the issue here.

Lions Club Award

Seen someone that deserves recognition for their efforts in helping out? Nominate them for the Lions Club Award, our peak award to recognise our volunteers over the season.

Nominate a volunteer

P-Plate Award

As the season rolls along keep an eye out for someone making a silly mistake. We like to recognise and reward all efforts during the season and the P-Plate award is the perfect way to do this.

Nominate a silly mistake

Make a Donation

We have partnered with the Australian Sports Foundation to allow supporters to make tax-deductible donations to the club.

Funds raised will go towards upgrading and maintaining our timing equipment and results systems, providing better facilities for you, our members.

Make a donation

Upcoming Meet Calendar

Check the website for the full list of upcoming meets, closing dates, programs and qualifying times.

Set Up & Pack Up on Saturday Mornings

There is a lot to do in set up and pack up on Saturday mornings – thank you to the members who have been arriving early and/or staying back to help.

These are some of the things that need to be done, with an emphasis commencing on time: -

Priority Items

• Shelter and side shade for the recorders on the lane 1 start side of the pool – lives in the clubroom near the side door.

• Plastic table and 4 (grey) chairs for the recorders. Table lives in the shed. Grey chairs from the club room.

• Wireless Router to be fitted to the time clock pole at the start end, plugged in and switched on.

• Starter podium and witches’ hats (to remind people not to walk in front of the Starter and Referee) – lives in the shed, front left corner.

• Power cables for computers to be connected to same power point as Router on pole.

• Speaker etc for starting device – lives in plastic box on Starter's podium. Place speaker on lane 8 side securely next to pole of backstroke flags and roll cable along pool deck coping to lane 1 side. Cover exposed cable with cable guards (see below).

• Starting device tripod – lives in the clubroom near the side door (same place as shelter and side shade)

• Starting device – will be on charge in the clubroom on kitchen bench

• Cable guards (6 yellow) for the Recorders & speaker for the Starter – these live in the shed.

Important Items

• Stopwatches and clipboards – black case lives in the locker in the clubroom and needs to be set up on a folding table from the shed. Turn them on.

• 15m (false start) rope (in box with Starter’s podium) and poles (in ‘old club room’). You will need someone to show you how this works and you will be so proud of yourself when you master it!

• 25m rope (for 25m, 33m & 15m races). Lives in the shed in a wire trolley and needs to be rolled out along the end (preferably 50m end) of the pool.

Final items

• Block covers removed and put out of the way under the blue shelter.

• Chairs setup for Timekeepers at both ends of the pool. Chairs live in the shed and there is a trolley to move them.

• Presentation dais (only for Championship days) – lives in the clubroom under the trophy cabinet right side as you enter.

• Umbrellas if it is raining – found in a black plastic drum trolly in the Shed – good luck wheeling this one 😊 Including the beach umbrella for the Starter.

Pack up; return everything to the location it is stored and please be careful in handling cables and ropes so as not to tangle. Sometimes the blocks get a wash if we can find a working hose.

On rainy days, placement of the recording table and all associated equipment including router will be on the veranda of the Clubhouse.  No need for shelter and tables.