Issue 18, 2023/2024 by Peter Johnston - 9th February, 2024

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Merrylands SwimFest

Unless you have been living under a rock, you would know the Merrylands SwimFest is on next Saturday.

The timeline and program are available on our website. A printable version of the program will be available for download in the next few days.

See the SwimFest section of our website for all the details.

Relay teams will be finalised following the Speedo Sprint Series Heats this weekend, and don’t forget, there are no Club Races next weekend, so enjoy the sleep-in.

Merrylands SwimFest Jobs

Apparently, last week’s limerick didn’t quite do it for some people, so let’s try a haiku instead:

Merrylands SwimFest
Volunteers make it happen
Thank you for your work

If you haven’t volunteered yet, please do so today. You can nominate to assist with any role here.

Ian Wilson is the Meet Director for the meet and will be looking for you if you haven’t signed up for something.

Please arrive early to help with the setup. More details on this will be provided in next week’s newsletter.

Relay Competition

The Relay Competition hits Round 7 this week which means teams have the opportunity to change their nominated time.

So, if your team has improved through the season, or is just getting slower with age, nominate a new time by emailing the Race Secretary your new time before this week’s swim.

Remember to also nominate your 4 swimmers for this week before the event here.

Speedo Sprint Series Heats

We have a team of 7 swimmers representing the club at the Speedo Sprint Series Heats at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre this afternoon.

Good luck to Gabriella Assi, Joseph Assi, Damien Chan, Patrick Hannan, William Johnston, Samantha Terry and Daniel Vicic.

May the whale be with you, or as the team mascot, Mr Whaley Walter might say “Maooy theoo whaooleoo beoo wiooth yooouoow!”

Can we fix it? Yes we can!

Blocked drain? Broken tap? Seen something dangerous? If you don’t report it, it won’t get fixed. Let Council know of any issues by using the Snap Send Solve mobile app which can be found at: www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/snapsendsolve

Award Eligibility

Did you know you have to have participated in at least 50% of club mornings during the season to be eligible to receive an award in the Point Score at the annual presentation evening?

There are also participation requirements for the Championship competitions. These depend on your age and are detailed in the By-Law 21.3(c).

Make sure you participate enough so you don’t miss out.

Lions Club Award

Thank you to the following members who were nominated for the Lions Club Award for their efforts during the past month:

If you have seen someone that should be recognised, nominate them here.

Championship Results

Wow! There was some great racing in the Freestyle Championships last week, and to top it off 2 new records were set.

Congratulations to Matthew Vicic who set a new record in the Open Mens 200m Freestyle Championship, breaking the previous record set by Robert Griffey in the 2000/2001 season.

The second record was broken by Joseph Assi in the 13yrs Boys 200m Freestyle Championship, breaking the record held by Matthew Vicic since the 2020/2021 season.

Well done boys!

50m Freestyle Results

25m Freestyle Results

200m Freestyle Results

Club Uniforms

This is your last chance to order new uniforms before the SwimFest. Order them online here.

Joke of the Week

Q: What do dentists and swim coaches have in common?

A: They both love drills!

Photo of the Week

This week’s photo is from training on Tuesday morning. Just a bit of proof for those who chickened out that the water wasn’t too wet to swim in.

If you have a photo to share, you should know the drill by now – find the link to upload your photo in the weekly Whales Tales email.

Feedback

Got something you would like to see in the newsletter, or just a comment? Just reply to the weekly Whales Tales email and we will see what we can do, as one reader did this week:

“Can I please request the next newsletter outline what needs to be set up/packed up so we can help when we can, especially for those new to the club that are unaware.”

We sure can, see the next section for details.

It seems you can’t please everyone though and as mentioned earlier, last week’s limerick was the tipping point for another reader. All I can say is, you get what you pay for.

Set Up & Pack Up on Saturday Mornings

There is lots to be set up and packed 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:

• 25m Rope (for 25m, 33m & 15m races). Lives in the shed and needs to be rolled out along the end of the pool.
• 15m Rope + Poles (or False Start rope). Rope lives in the shed, 1.5m poles live in the old club room. You will need someone to show you how this one works.
• Block covers removed and put out of the way under the blue shelter.
• Chairs set up for timekeepers at both ends of the pool. Chairs live in the shed and there is a trolley to move them.
• Shelter for the recorders on the lane 1 start side of the pool – lives in the clubroom near the side door.
• Plastic table and 4 chairs for the recorders. Table lives in the shed. Grey chairs from the club room.
• Cable guards for the recorders & speaker for the starter – these live in the shed.
• Starter podium and witches’ hats – live in the shed
• Starting device tripod – lives in the clubroom near the side door
• Starting device – lives in the clubroom
• Speaker etc for starting device – lives in the shed near the podium
• Presentation dais – lives in the clubroom under the trophy cabinet
• Stopwatches and clipboards – live in the locker in the clubroom and need to be set up on a folding table from the shed.

Pack-up is basically the same in reverse, although sometimes the blocks get a wash if we can find a working hose.

Upcoming Meet Calendar

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