Category: News

It was yet another beautiful day at Drummoyne Pool — with a few refreshing showers to keep us honest.

What a ripper of a Saturday. The usual mix of toddlers with turbo drive, grown-ups pretending they’re still 23, and our stalwart veterans turning up to remind the youngsters how it used to be done. Big cheers to everyone who rocked up, raced hard and left the pool looking like a soggy but proud bunch.

Highlights & on-deck gossip

• Tom Brown 50m Backstroke (heats): The heats produced two delightfully competitive winners — young Arthur Pacey (heat 1) and our wily old Dutch fox Gerry Tibbertsma (heat 2). Both heat winners qualify for the Tom Brown final — looks like we’ll have a proper family / generational dust-up when the final rolls around.
• Five Dock Rotary 200m Individual Medley (heats): Qualifiers for the final include Max Thompson, Yunos Yaqub, Edward Pacey, Lyndal Rapisarda and Daniel Oliver. They’ll be back to slug it out in the medley final in coming weeks (keep an eye on the programme for the scheduled final — it’s going to be spicy).
• New blood alert: Welcome to Runjeet Khara — who made a belting impression in a 100m time trial (1:02.18) and flashed an unofficial 50m of 27.81s while Mitch Falvey (watching fondly from the stands) looked on. Watch out Christian, Joseph and the speedsters — Runjeet’s here to stir the pot.
• Celebrity warm-up: The pool’s feeling fast after a midweek visit from 50m world-record holder Cameron McEvoy. Shay Donnellan may have the only victory of the week — beating Cam to the pop-up Esky (we salute your priorities, Shay).
• Birthday vibes: Happy birthday Arthur Pacey! Ellis Buchanan gave a heart-warming rendition of “Happy Birthday” and Arthur spent the morning making sure timing records were up to snuff. Cake next week? Please say yes.

On the mechanics (aka glorious chaos)

Our PA mic went from “subwoofer at the footy” to “mole under a blanket” before settling on “just right”. Lane ropes remain a drama — temporary string rope between lanes 3 and 4 held the fort like a DIY champion. Also, big thanks to whoever fixed the barcode reader — the “Crummy Drummy” pool can collect actual money again. Progress!

Spotlight on rivalries & battles

Here’s where the season-long stories are developing — the kind of head-to-heads that make you shout from the stands and groan into your coffee.

• Under 8 Boys — Arthur Pacey vs Max Thompson: This one’s a thriller. Arthur leads the Under 8s 40–39 — one point separates the pair. Arthur was on fire today (heat wins across the board) and Max kept him honest with big swims of his own. With both kids racking up points, every sprint and medley counts — expect fireworks next meet.
• Under 8 Girls — Anna Rapisarda vs Georgina Aitken: Anna keeps piling on the points (leading 44 to 32) — absolute dominance from the Rapisardas so far, but Georgina’s consistency means she’s still very much in the hunt. Anna’s little winning streak is impressive; Georgina’s fightback is just around the corner.
• Under 10 Boys — Edward Pacey vs Oscar Sullivan: Edward is sitting pretty at the top with 53 points to Oscar’s 47. Edward had a quieter meet today but still showed the depth that’s earned him the lead; Oscar’s been consistent all season and will be waiting to snatch any slip-up.
• Seniors — Adam Christodoulou vs Christian Taylor: Adam leads the Seniors 31–27 but Christian reminded everyone he hasn’t hung up elite speed yet (fastest finish in his 100m heat today). Adam’s consistency versus Christian’s raw pace — the storyline we love. Expect close finishes and theatrical lane-turning.
• The Gerry–Duncan–Phil saga: Gerry’s “survive” personal goal is a laughable understatement — he’s been doing more than surviving, he’s qualifying. Gerry won his Tom Brown heat (so he’s straight through to the final). Duncan Lyon, our Race Secretary/rival-extraordinaire, was after Tom Brown and Five Dock spots but came up short today — he’s still in the mix for finals with a few points banked. Phil Hayward, veteran referee and life member, emphatically chose whistle over goggles this week (no swim for him) and kept the show fair — he remains the target Rose Tunstall cheekily wants to beat when he’s in the water.

Personal goals & PBs — the good stuff

• Christian Taylor dug up a sharp 100m handicap finish (56.12) — faster than his recent best of 57.53. If he’s “putting elite career behind him” then he’s doing a spectacular job at the retirement tour.
• Max Thompson smashed his 50m recent best (56.93 vs 59.65) — ticking off his own goals and landing a huge win in the medley heat too.
• Runjeet’s first-time trial was a proper introduction — 1:02.18 for 100m and that cheeky 27.81 50m unofficial split have us rubbing our eyes. Welcome to the chaos, mate.
• So many kids improving starts, touches and PBs — from the tiny pocket rockets to our seasoned seniors — you lot make Saturday mornings worth it.

Trophies & what’s next

• Tom Brown 50m Backstroke: heat winners Arthur Pacey and Gerry Tibbertsma qualify for the final. The final will be worth watching — Gerry’s experience vs Arthur’s youthful speed will be the headline.
• Five Dock Rotary 200m IM: heat winners (Max Thompson, Yunos Yaqub, Edward Pacey, Lyndal Rapisarda and Daniel Oliver) have made the final list — the final is coming up and should be a cracker. If there are more winners to come from other heats later this season we’ll have semis/finals to sort out but for now, congrats to the qualifiers.
• Handicap point score series: with many meets still to come the leaderboards are lively. Arthur–Max, Edward–Oscar, Adam–Christian and Anna–Georgina are all races to watch. Small margins today mean big drama later in the season.

Odds & sods

Special mentions: Arthur’s birthday (singing courtesy of Ellis), the barcode reader fix (revenue streams secured), the lane rope MacGyvering (we survived), and the mic madness (we won this one too). Also — we briefly felt famous after Cam’s visit; Shay will forever claim the funniest victory of the week for ousting a pop-up Esky faster than a world champ could swim a lap.

Thanks & see you next week

Massive thanks to our timing crew, referees (Phil — you absolute legend), starters, parents, siblings, friends and everyone who fed the chaos with good humour. If you scored a PB — chest-bump accepted. If you didn’t — come back next week and we’ll egg you on until you do. Next meet is Saturday morning — same time, same soggy delights; see you poolside (towels optional, enthusiasm mandatory).

— Race Secretary (with respect, sarcasm and a whistle)

Righto team — another ripper Saturday at the old pool. The lane rope came down in record time (Halle and Connor — legends), Paul Martin tried wearing three hats at once (referee, timekeeper and swimmer) and ended up disqualifying himself for a cheeky early dive — classic club chaos. There were a few timing gremlins (a handful of DNS/VOID results where the stopwatch decided to sulk), but plenty of great swimming and a stack of personal bests to celebrate.

On the day — highlights & PBs

• Lily Tolliday (50m heat winner) smashed her recent best — from 59.78 down to a 56.93 finish. Huge effort for a young gun.
• Ellis Buchanan lit up Heat 2 of the 50m with a big PB (finish 46.77 vs RB 51.38) — nice and tidy sprinting.
• Holly Sharkey took Heat 3 and knocked a chunk off her best (43.96 from 47.41) — you could see the extra kick on the second 25.
• Sharon Baldacchino’s 50m (41.98) was a solid PB — steady as she goes.
• Edward Pacey continues to boss the U/10s — 50m in 37.87 (PB) and another strong result in the 400m time trial.
• Lyndal Rapisarda, Adam Christodoulou, Paul Martin and William Taylor all posted little improvements on their recent bests — every second counts.
• Long distance warriors: Kathleen Cowmey and Jenny Gaskin both turned in faster-than-recent swims in the 400m — steady endurance work being rewarded.

Handicap chaos & those lovable close finishes

Handicap racing does what it always does — levels the playing field and produces edge-of-seat finishes. A few shout-outs:

• Under 6 girls — Willow McLean is just holding off Heidi Chalker by a single point (9 to 8). That’s one cheeky tumble-turn away from a swap — both making big strides.
• Under 8 boys — Max Thompson (30) and Arthur Pacey (28) remain neck-and-neck. Arthur keeps nibbling at Max’s lead; anyone want to bet on who forgets their goggles first?
• Under 8 girls — Anna Rapisarda is crushing it at the top with 36 points. Georgina Aitken’s second (25) isn’t giving up though — expect more titanic Anna/Georgie clashes in the near future.
• Under 10 boys — Edward Pacey has stretched to a handy lead (47) but Oscar Sullivan (39) and Ellis Buchanan (34) are right in the hunt. This trio’s rivalry is excellent viewing — consistency will win the series, but form on any given Saturday can flip the leaderboard.
• Seniors men — Adam Christodoulou leads the charge on 24 points with Christian Taylor and Paul Martin breathing down his neck on 21 each. That’s a classic three-way tussle; a couple of big point weeks and the table could topple.
• Seniors women — Kathleen Cowmey (31) and Jenny Gaskin (28) are fighting it out. Meg Farrington and Elizabeth Allan are close enough to make things spicy over the next few weeks.

George Wheaton 50m BBB (Heats) & upcoming finals

We ran heats for the George Wheaton 50m BBB this week and saw some entertaining nominations — Elizabeth Allan almost stole hers by deciding to glide to the wall (classic Elizabeth finesse). With Gerry and Phil absent the usual BBB rivalry got a week off, which left Duncan Lyon very keen to qualify and finally beat Gerry and Phil next time around. The finals for the George Wheaton trophy are on the calendar — earmark 28 November — and the heat winners and strong performers today are in the mix. Keep an eye on Duncan, Elizabeth and any of the mid‑field chargers who found form today.

Relays & medleys

We had a couple of 4×30/4×20 handicapped team swims and the youngsters were fierce. Anna Rapisarda’s team work stood out in the 4×30, and Georgie Chalker’s crew showed excellent relay cohesion. The relay format continues to be a brilliant way to build confidence for our newer swimmers.

Timing gremlins & admin

A polite reminder: a few heats suffered missing / odd times (some negative or VOID finish artefacts where the timekeeper or timing system didn’t record a time). Thanks to David Parker for fixing gear on the fly and to Adam Christodoulou and Tom Pacey for stepping in as starters. If you did a DNS/VOID and did actually swim (we know who you are), don’t stress — we’ll sort placings from the referee’s notes next week.

Families, rivals & club yarns

• The Rapisardas were everywhere — Patricia, Lyndal, Alessandro and Anna all making a showing and collecting points. Grandparent‑grandchild combos for the win.
• The Pacey clan continues to dominate the family scoreboard — Arthur and Edward making big waves while the rest cheer (and time) from poolside.
• Taylor siblings (Christian, William and Lukas) all putting in solid work — sibling rivalry remains an ace motivator.
• Duncan vs Gerry vs Phil — still the rivalry to watch in the BBB and point score. Gerry and Phil were AWOL this week, giving Duncan a window; expect the veterans back in full cry soon.
• Special mention to Luke Sellars who just had a birthday (1 Nov) — happy belated Luke, hope you celebrated with a cake that isn’t made of lane rope.

New joiners & veterans

Lovely to see new faces holding their own and our stalwarts keeping standards high. Newer swimmers like Georgie Chalker and the Chalker family are settling in beautifully, and Life Members/committee types (David Parker, Paul Martin, Adrian Bell and co.) keep everything humming — thanks legends.

Looking ahead

• Next Saturday (14 Nov) we’ve got Tom Brown 50m Backstroke heats and the Five Dock Rotary 200m Medley heats on the agenda — great chance for backstrokers and medley swimmers to score points.
• Keep training for the George Wheaton finals (late Nov) and other trophy finals coming up; if you qualified in heats today, sharpen those starts and practise the sprint finish.
• Series leaders: several age categories have tight margins — don’t be complacent, a single 4‑point win can change the leaderboard quickly. Bring your A‑game (and your whistle if you’re volunteering!).

Final word: brilliant effort from everyone — PBs, big swims, kids having a scream and parents refereeing while trying to read a stopwatch upside down. See you next Saturday for more mayhem, medals and mildly competitive banter. Don’t forget to bring a timekeeper, your sense of humour, and maybe an umbrella just in case — the pool’s open and the club’s buzzing.