Issue 10, 2023/2024 by Peter Johnston - 8th December, 2023

Download

State Age Championships

Good luck to Leo Zhu who will be representing the club at the NSW Senior State Age Championships next week.

Leo is swimming in the 50m Freestyle, 50m Breaststroke and 100m Breaststroke.

We wish Leo the best of luck at the meet!

Christmas Raffle

Our giant Christmas Raffle is back! We have a stack of prizes this year including a $100 Rebel Sport Gift Card and swimming equipment with noted PBs from Dual-Olympic Gold Medallist Bronte Campbell. We also have a bunch of minor prizes up for grabs.

Tickets are on sale through each Saturday’s meet entries in Swim Central, and will also be sold on Saturday mornings 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 23^rd December.

To purchase tickets through Swim Central, on the Event page, open the Products tab, and select which tickets you wish to buy:

Where is your Parent?

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

At the December Committee Meeting the club committee considered a number of 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.

The committee considered the following:

• Implementing a roster for setup and pack up each week
• Implementing a timekeeping roster
• Not awarding points for swimmers who do not have a parent helping
• Not recording times for swimmers who do not have a parent helping
• Not allowing swimmers to race if they do not have a parent in attendance.

To be clear, the Committee doesn’t want to implement any of these measures. However, we can’t run events for your children without timekeepers and people to help setup and pack up.

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

Don’t know what needs to be done? Ask a member of the Committee and they can point you in the right direction.

Many hands make light work.

Christmas/New Year Break

Our last club morning for 2023 is the 23^rd December. Races will resume on 6^th January, 2024.

Merrylands SwimFest

Have you entered yet? Entries for the 2024 Merrylands SwimFest are open and we have already reached 30% capacity. 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 3^rd 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.

400m Individual Medley Results

Congratulations to the competitors in the 400m Individual Medley Championships last week.

Open Mens

1. Joseph Assi
2. Ian Wilson
3. Daniel Vicic

Open Womens

1. Alison Sakurovs

Lions Club Award

Each month the Committee votes for the Lions Club Award – the club’s Volunteer of the Year.

Nominations for November:

Congratulations to these members on being nominated and thank you for your contribution over the past month – it hasn’t gone unnoticed!

Nominations are open for any member to recognise the service of other members. You can nominate a club member online here.

800m Freestyle Championships

The 800m Freestyle Championships are on this week. Good luck to all the swimmers entered, and don’t forget to count your laps!

Whales Challenge #2

Whales Challenge #2 is next week! Are Maroon set to celebrate Christmas by putting the series out of reach? Or will White force a decider in the new year?

A new event – the Captains 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.

Get your entries in so that you don’t let your team down!

Timekeeping Tip

Immediately after the race starts, you should check that your stopwatch is running and functioning properly. Report any malfunction to the Chief Timekeeper. Do this check regularly throughout the race.

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.

Christmas Party

Our Christmas Party will be held on Saturday, 23^rd 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.

Swimming Australia National Integrity Framework

Swimming Australia’s new National Integrity Framework comes into force on 1^st January 2024.

This is a set of rules that all members of our sport need to follow when it comes to their behaviour and conduct in swimming including obligations to report misconduct. Those rules are contained in the following policies:

1. Safeguarding Children & Young People Policy
2. Member Protection Policy
3. Improper Use of Drugs and Medicine Policy
4. Competition Manipulation & Sports Gambling Policy
5. Complaints, Disputes & Discipline Policy (CDDP)
6. Code of Conduct

Further details can be found on the Swimming Australia website.

Swimming Joke of the Week

A new study shows sharks only bite those who swim in the ocean…

Researchers advise not swimming there.

P-Plate Award

It isn’t just our members that are in with a chance of winning the coveted P-Plate award. Last year we had two outstanding efforts from two visiting officials.

The first was a Referee forgetting to blow his whistle to signal the final 100m in the 800m Freestyle. The confused swimmers continued on, first one and then another, like a group of lemmings walking towards a cliff and their impending doom. All swimmers got value for money at least, with all completing at least one extra 100m.

The next effort was from the Starter in the handicap. As he rattled off the numbers, first one number was missed, then another, then a whole sequence. The bewildered swimmers were trapped on the blocks, laughing and confused and waiting in some cases for a number that never arrived. Now that’s a Handicap!

Have you seen something similar that will go down in club folklore? If so, nominate the person here.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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