Last week we started a new series on getting to know our awesome club volunteers because, as you know, our Club is entirely dependant on the selfless help of its volunteers to keep things running smoothly every week. This week the spotlight is being shone on one of our Junior Squad Coaches and Life Member, Lynette Brown.
Q: Lynette – how
many years have you been a club member?
A: On and off for
50 years!
Q: What motivates
you to volunteer each week?
A: The club relies on volunteers to function every Saturday. I help where I can with timekeeping, help set up and any ad hoc week-to-week duties that need completing. I also thoroughly enjoy seeing the children progress with their swimming and hence this is why I am a swim trainer for the junior members. Junior squads are run every Tuesday and Thursday at 6am at the pool. All junior members (and their parents) are welcome to join!
Q: What is your
favourite memory?
A: Watching the children progress with their swimming technique and improving their swimming times are my favourite memories. I have two examples to share; Last year Sienna was the Tom Williams 50m Freestyle winner. I can vividly remember Tom Williams being the marshall (same role as Matt) many years ago. This moment was very special for me. And also last week I felt so proud seeing some of our junior squads members attempt the 100m Butterfly event – you know who you are! This is why I love being a coach.
Q: What’s the best
thing about Swim Club?
A: Everyone gets together for fun and exercise and everyone is treated equally.
Q: What is your
favourite stroke?
A: Backstroke
Q: Who is your
favourite swimmer?
A: Shane Gould
Q: What is the next
PB (Personal Best time) you are aiming for?
A: To swim 50m
freestyle and backstroke in 60 seconds. I’m so close – only two seconds away!
Q: Do you have any
tips for other swimmers?
A: You can always swim no matter how old, young or injured. Swimming is great!
This Saturday we will be racing for the first points in our Club Championship series, starting with the 50m Freestyle sprint.
For
Championship races there are no handicaps – everyone starts on “Go” and the
fastest swimmer wins!
Championship
events are raced against swimmers in the same age group and gender, with points
awarded to the fastest three swimmers in each group.
Race
distances are fixed by age group for each stroke, with younger swimmers racing
shorter distances. This week the Under 8’s will race 30m Freestyle and
Under 6’s 20m Freestyle.
Championship
events are always raced first on Saturday mornings, followed by Handicap races
for the other two events of the day.
You can read more about the Club Championship rules, event structure and points on our Racing page.
So now is
the time to sharpen up your speed and fitness with squad training every weekday
morning down at the pool!
Our Club is entirely dependant on the selfless help of its volunteers to keep things running smoothly every week. So it’s time shine the spotlight on some of our key contributors, who are there through rain and shine, starting with our Head Timekeeper, Maria Kirkpatrick-Jones.
Q: Maria – how many years have you been a club member?
A; Since 2013. My seventh season!
Q: What motivates you to volunteer each week?
A: The club relies on volunteers to function every Saturday. My kids get so much out of attending Drummoyne Swimming Club and this is my way of contributing. Great way to make new friends and feel like part of the club.
Q: What is your favourite memory?
A: Lots of great memories – it is always special to see your child win a trophy race – especially when they are not the fastest swimmer. It’s very encouraging for them to have a chance at winning through the handicaps and it really builds their confidence and inspires them to do their best.
Q: What’s the best thing about Swim Club?
A: It’s a great way to start your Saturday morning! It’s a fantastic location, with a great community atmosphere and I get to spend time with my kids.
Q: What is your favourite stroke?
A: Is there a stroke for pressing the timers? Have I told you I am not a swimmer? (Although one day I will work up to doing a 50m freestyle time-trial – now I’ve said I’ll have to follow though!)
Q: Who is your favourite swimmer?
A: Hard to choose just one – I love seeing the young ones come up from doing the 20m swims to the 50m+ races against the adults.
Q: What is the next PB (Personal Best time) you are aiming for?
A: My PB is to get the times on both timers exactly the same for the majority of races – I have long way to go!
Q: Do you have any tips for other swimmers?
A: Are non-swimmers qualified to give tips to swimmers? How about a tip for timekeepers? Always remember to note if you don’t have a swimmer for a race otherwise you’ll be recording the times against the incorrect race numbers.
Some of the ladies (members, parents and volunteers) let their hair down on Saturday night at The Watershed Kitchen for their yearly dinner. It was a fun evening for all, connecting with new and existing members over a drink and a meal.
Some very brave and committed swimmers even plunged into the freezing water at Bondi Beach early the next morning! Great effort girls!
To ensure our swimming races run smoothly and we finish before 10.30am, it would be greatly appreciated if parents or members (junior members too) could please assist with timekeeping duties.
It’s very easy to do – just pick a lane and press the buttons on the blue stopwatches when your swimmer touches the wall. Then write down the times on the stopwatches onto the time sheet.
To make the races flow even more smoothly, we are trialling a new procedure for timekeepers. After you have written the stopwatch times down onto the time sheet, place your hand up in the air, to let the Starter know they can start the next race.
We welcome any further feedback or suggestions for keeping races moving along.
It was another beautiful morning at Swim Club last week. To ensure that we finish all of our races by 10.30am it’s important that we start our races on time at 7.30am, which means being signed in by 7.15am.
To encourage everyone to arrive on time, tardy swimmers will be put into
a ‘late comers’ race and will miss out on valuable race points!
‘Late comer’ races are similar to time trials, with all swimmers
starting off ‘Go’ and swimmers earning a solitary point for their effort.
We look forward to seeing you all early on Saturday morning!
Please polish up any trophies that you won last season and bring
them along to Swim Club this Saturday, for display in the trophy cabinets in
our Club Room.
To share
your win with your friends, please take some photos of your gleaming trophies,
together with names of previous winners, for us to publish on our website.
To ensure our swimming races run as smoothly as possibly on Saturday mornings it would be greatly appreciated if parents or suitable members could please assist with timekeeping duties. Even for a few races would be so helpful. More hands mean light work!
It’s very easy to do – just pick a lane and press the buttons on the blue stopwatches when your swimmer touches the wall. Then write down the times on the stopwatches onto the time sheet, in case we need to refer to them as a backup.
To make the races flow even smoother, we will be trialling a new procedure for timekeepers this Saturday. After you have written the watch times down onto the time sheet, place your hand up in the air, to let the Starter know they can start the next race.
We welcome any feedback or other suggestions for keeping races moving along.
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