Category: News

It was yet another beautiful day at Drummoyne Pool, and the shower or two just kept the place refreshingly cool.

Great turnout, great chaos, and plenty of personal victories to celebrate. Big cheers to Christian Taylor and Emilie Krog — those two absolutely flew in the 100m Butterfly championships and hauled in new club records for the Senior and Open events. Proper stellar swims, and a reminder to the rest of us that sometimes you just turn up and surprise everyone (mostly yourself).

Personal goals and brave little missions:

• Thomas Pacey — Goal: “finish the 100m Fly and not vomit at the end.” Mission mostly accomplished: Tom grabbed 3rd in the Senior men’s 100m fly (1:26.43). If he didn’t retch, we salute him. Also worth a tip of the goggles for finishing in the Open final (DNS noted later) — tough day for some after their age races.
• Jasper Melville — recent birthday shout-out (30 Jan) and a lovely first-day time-trial splash. Happy belated, Jasper — cake in the clubhouse if you can swim to it.
• Arthur, Jessica and Edward Pacey — the Pacey clan kept the family rep alive: Arthur had his first 50/30/20m outings, Jessica chased PBs, and Edward’s diving and finish work are looking sharp.
• Newbies and littlies: big warm welcome to Alessia Ippolito, Atlas Carroll, Charlotte Baidjurak, Jasper Melville and the other first-timers who got wet today — great to have you aboard.
• David Parker — back from his Japanese ski trip and back on pool deck duties sorting timing gear. Gold star for travelling and fixing stuff.

Club Championship notes & rivalries (the good kind):

• Open/Senior 100m Butterfly — Christian Taylor ran away with the Open Men’s and also holds the Senior Men title for the meet (and a club record in the Open). Emilie Krog did the same on the women’s side — Open and Senior Women’s champ, and a club record to boot. Both are ones to beat for the rest of the season.
• Under‑16 & Under‑14 dominance — Luke Sellars is stacking wins in the Under‑16s (another 1st in the U16 boys 100m fly), and Skye Lewis keeps piling up maximum points in the Under‑14 girls (four wins now in this championship series — she’s on a heater).
• Under‑14 boys — Jude Wilson and Tony Van Schaik are neck-and-neck in the Club Championship standings (each with strong points showing); Jude took the meet win in the age race and Tony’s consistency keeps him right up there. Expect a proper duel over the next few weeks.
• Some swimmers “pulled the pin” from Open finals after exhausting aged-based swims — nothing to be ashamed of, just means someone raced hard earlier. Rest up and come back for the next round.

Handicap point‑score battles — who’s nipping at who’s heels:

• Seniors men: Ian Allan (75) and Thomas Pacey (73) — a two‑point scrap. One good handicap heat and that leaderboard could flip. Keep an eye on those starts and turns.
• Under‑8 boys: Ellis Buchanan (62) vs Max Thompson (61) — literally a one‑point margin. Expect tactical swims and big cheer squads next meet.
• Under‑10 girls: Jessica Pacey leading the pack strongly on 94 points — Hannah Aitken (54) and others chasing. Jessica’s consistency is paying off.
• Seniors women: Renee Carroll (77) with Margaret Joy (72) and Suzie Aitken (66) breathing down her neck. With plenty of meets left, the top three will keep swapping haymakers.
• Under‑14 males: Alex Sellars (88) has built a decent gap but Lincoln van Loo (68) and Arden Hartley (56) are putting in solid runs — there’s time for surprises.

Event quirky bits (because we love our little dramas):

• Timing gremlins and DNS/VOIDs: a handful of open final entries were marked DNS or VOID — referee placings sorted where necessary. Thanks to the marshals (David Parker back in action) for keeping it honest when the electronics sulked.
• Disqualifications on a few starts (ASST or wrong handicap offsets) — reminder: listen for your start call, or Gerry will give you the Old Dutch look from the blocks.
• Race officials update: Phil Hayward and Matt O’Connor were out today — Phil still plotting revenge on his rivals from the sideline, and Matt’s mathematical voice will be back soon. Good to have David filling the timing shoes today.

Family & school shoutouts:

• Taylors doing the family thing — Christian’s back from the US and reminded us all how tidy a fly can be; William and Lukas kept the sibling rivalry interesting without actual fisticuffs.
• The Allans — Elizabeth, Charlotte and dad Ian — showing why club swimming is a family sport. Elizabeth’s title swims keep Team Allan well in the mix.
• Pacey family turnout is a joy: grandparents, parents and kids all cheering each other on — exactly what DASC is about.

What this means for the season & upcoming battles:

• With Christian and Emilie setting records in the 100m fly, they’ll be tough to unseat in the Championship standings — but records are there to be chased, so get training.
• The handicap point score races remain tight in lots of age groups. Ian vs Thomas, Ellis vs Max, and the senior women’s podium are all match-ups to watch — only small margins separate the front-runners.
• Next meet (7 Feb) brings finals for Bill Gallie 50m Breaststroke and the Championship 400m Freestyle — perfect chance for distance swimmers to scoop points and for sprinters to rest up. Those who like long pulls, bank your hard sessions now.

Final bits of banter (and encouragement):

• Well done to everyone who swam — PBs, finishes, kids’ first races, comebacks and even the folks who marshalled us through timing hiccups. Club life is louder, goofier and better for it.
• If you pulled the pin today, no drama — come down next Saturday and redeem it. If you smashed a personal goal, own it, brag a little, then sign up for next week’s mischief.
• See you all next Saturday — bring towels, smiles, and maybe sunscreen (UV warning is high, so slap it on when the sun decides to be dramatic again).

It was yet another beautiful day at Drummoyne Pool — mostly sunny, hot and perfect for a splash.Officials back on deck after hols (cheers and suspicious tan lines) — everyone except David Parker, who’s apparently skiing in Japan and sending postcards of snow to make us feel guilty. Duncan Lyon played timing-whisperer and wrestled a few dodgy timers into submission, so apologies for any VOID/DNS chaos in the results — the pool ran like a proper community racket today.

Headline grabs

• Emilie Krog was the headline act — she smashed the 50m Backstroke Championships (Senior & Open) and officially broke the Club record in Women’s Senior/Open backstroke. She also ripped through a jaw-dropping 4x100m medley time trial in 5:58.14 — unofficially faster than the old Club mark (but alas, time trials don’t count for records). Absolute rocket.
• Christian Taylor was conspicuously absent from his pet event (we miss the 23s heroics) — hope uni-into-work-life is treating him well.
• Arthur Pacey continued his run of form, taking out the Under‑6 boys 20m backstroke in a tidy PB — dad Thomas must be proud (and mildly terrified of being pushed in by Arthur one day).

Club Championship — backstroke day (24 Jan 26)

The pool was a bakery of backstrokers — lots of golden loaves.

• Open Men — Jude Wilson strode to the top with 33.84, Wil Hurst pushed him hard (35.99) and Thomas Pacey rounded out the top three. The open mens’ leaderboard is getting interesting — plenty of points still available in coming championship races.
• Open Women — Emilie Krog’s win (and record) stole the show. Hannah Hurst and Alena Finn battled for silver and bronze, with Alena sneaking into the overall Club Championship points table again.
• Junior winners — Arthur Pacey (U6 boys), Anna Rapisarda (U6 girls), Max Thompson (U8 boys), Christina Tripolitsiotis (U8 girls), Alessandro Rapisarda (U9 boys), Lara Hartley (U9 girls), Harry Finn (U10 boys), Hannah Aitken (U10 girls), and Skye Lewis, Luke Sellars and Elizabeth Allan all took age‑group honours. Lots of consistent 1‑pointers stacking up for the season trophies.

Handicap point score — the real soap opera

Handicap racing delivered the usual thrills: slow-starters beasting the clock, fasties trying not to swallow water while chasing the field. Here are the spicy bits:

• Seniors Men: Ian Allan (69) leads Thomas Pacey (66) by a whisker, with Duncan Lyon on 60. That trio is the hottest rivalry on the deck — expect tactical lane‑shuffling, friendly trash talk and attempts to steal each other’s handicaps over the next eight meets.
• Seniors Women: Renee Carroll (72) and Margaret Joy (68) are neck-and-neck, with Suzie Aitken (62) breathing down their lanes. Plenty of points left this season — anyone can still steal the crown with a few great handicap swims.
• Under‑10 Girls: Jessica Pacey continues to terrorise the field with a huge lead on 89 points — anyone wanting to catch her needs a miracle and faster goggles.
• Under‑10 Boys: Edward Pacey is leading the pack (81), with Harry Finn chasing (56) — sibling and family feuds tastefully becoming legend at afternoon barbies already.
• Under‑8 Boys: Ellis Buchanan (60) holds a slim edge over Max Thompson (56) — that one’s a two‑horse race, and Max’s consistency means he’s not giving up a centimetre.
• Under‑14 Boys: Alex Sellars is high on 86 and looking solid — Lincoln van Loo (62) and Arden Hartley (56) will need to string together some big scoring weeks to close that gap.
• Under‑12 Girls: Neave Murdoch (77) and Alena Finn (60) are the pair to watch; this one could swing back and forth in the next couple of months.

Bottom line: lots of close tussles remain. With the season running through to 21 March (the big 800m Championship + Relay Fun Day), there’s plenty of handicapped glory and points left to wrestle for — any of those leaders can be upset on a good day or if someone new turns up with turbo flippers.

Notable swims & personal bests

• Arthur Pacey — PB in 20m back and continues to pile up Club Championship points. The Pacey dynasty gathers more hardware (and pool noodles).
• Anna Rapisarda — massive improvement in her 20m back (37.83 vs recent best 42.35). Big grin deserved, and an ice‑cream voucher from Mum pending.
• Edward Pacey — strong 50m free (45.93) well inside his recent best — showing that family genes + determination = results.
• Emilie Krog — as mentioned: Club record in 50m back at Championships and the eye‑watering 4x100m medley time trial (5:58.14). We bow, we chuckle, we demand photos.

Handicap oddities & timing gremlins

We had a handful of VOIDs and DNS marks (timekeeper gremlins and an absent lane or two). When the stopwatch spat out nonsense, the referee’s placings were used for points — extra thanks to Duncan for wrangling the chaos while David Parker mailed snow snaps from Japan.

Relays & the mad 4x100m medley

The hardy (or foolish) tackled the 4x100m Medley handicap — Emilie’s time trial stole the headlines and showed us what she’s capable of. Several heats had VOID entries due to timing snafus, but the spirit was top shelf. Reminder: the Geribo Cup and Family relays are coming at season’s end — start lining up choccy‑cup teams and family alliances now.

Upcoming — and who to watch

• Next big local ocean test is the Manly Cole Classic on 1 Feb — Duncan Lyon, Adrian Bell, Renee Carroll and a few alumni (Natalie Borozan, Melissa Kerr) are eyeing the harbour for post‑pool glory. Play nice with the surf and don’t feed the sharks (or the timing system).
• Championships and finals coming in the next few weeks: 400/200 freestyle championships, and various handicap trophy finals across the programme. Qualifiers from heats are already lined up — those recent heat winners should keep sharpening their turns.
• With two months left until the 21 March season finale (800m champs + relay fun day), the point‑score battles in most age groups are far from over. If you want a shot at season trophies, turn up, swim smart, and don’t forget to smile for the scorer.

New joiners, veterans & club life

• Welcome to the new junior volunteers and swimmers — great to see fresh faces and future captains learning the ropes. Keep showing up and you’ll be bossing the warm‑ups in no time.
• Veterans and life‑members (Gerry, Phil, David & co) were on deck, starting and refereeing with the perfect combination of sternness and dad jokes. Thanks for keeping the club running like a slightly chaotic but beloved machine.
• Thomas Pacey (committee, ex‑point‑score winner) is chasing that elusive sub‑29s 50m free — get your bets in. He’s been getting closer, and Arthur keeps promising to push Dad in unless he improves.

Final kudos

Big congrats to everyone who raced — from tiny tots learning backstroke to club stalwarts keeping the timing boards honest. Records fall, PBs happen, and the handicap system kept things deliciously unpredictable. See you next Saturday — bring sunscreen (UV’s extreme), good humour and maybe a spare timer or two.

It was yet another beautiful day at Drummoyne Pool, and despite the doom-and-gloom forecast we enjoyed a brisk, splashable morning.

Quick wrap — 17 January 2026

Nice turnout of the regulars and plenty of new faces having a go. A few stalwarts were away (Phil, Gerry and Dave — missed you legends), so big thanks to Paul Martin who stepped in as Race Ref and to William Taylor, Tom & Emma Pacey for the starting duties. The pool served up some proper racing — some surprise delights, a sibling scrap, a heroic 400m final and more than a few “did they really just do that?” moments.

Headlines

• George Russell 400m Final: Alena Finn won by a whisker over Alessandro Rapisarda — what a race. Alena absolutely smashed her recent best (from 6:08.90 down to a 5:52.40 finish after handicaps) — excellent swimming under pressure. Alessandro dug deep and improved on his recent best too,  but looked a bit crook afterwards; hope you’re feeling better, mate.
• Bill Gallie 50m Breaststroke heats: Heats were held today — winners (Ellis Buchanan and Luke Sellars) qualify for the final on 7 Feb 2026. Mark those calendars, it’ll be juicy.
• 100m Special Events — Week 3: Molly Wark / Les Henry and the 35 & Over rounds were contested. Renee Carroll and Ian Allan topped the 35+ fields again; the season leaders are still very much in the hunt.
• Handicap point-score upsets & near-misses: Plenty of close finishes and a couple of DNS/DQs that mixed up heats — Tony Van Schaik missed his 100m and was popped into a 50m instead; Thomas Pearson was late again and missed some races; Astrid Carroll had an assisted DQ in the 20m (young ones learn fast!).

Races that stole the show

• 400m Final — Alena Finn: Magnificent. She out-touched Alessandro by a split second and shaved a chunk off her recent best. Top effort — big confidence boost for the long-distance crew.
• Alessandro Rapisarda: Brave as ever — improved on his time and gave everyone a lesson in grit. Poor bloke felt rough after the race, so give him a biscuit and a rest.
• Ellis Buchanan: Claimed the Bill Gallie heat and also won his 100m handicap heat — Ellis is on a roll and into the Bill Gallie final on 7 Feb. Keep that momentum.
• Luke Sellars: Heat winner in Bill Gallie and steady as she goes — his name will be on the start list in February.
• Shay vs Tadhg Donnellan: Old rivalry renewed — Tadhg made a comeback and the brothers had the usual family bragging rights at stake. Shay cleaned up today; Tadhg touched in his time trial and will be back for payback. Family feuds = best entertainment.
• Tony Van Schaik: Missed his 100m but smashed the 50m he was shifted into — not fazed, the man just keeps coming.

Handicap point-score series — close battles to watch

There are a few proper tight ladders in the season-long point-score — handy to know who’s breathing down whose neck:

• Under 8 Boys — Ellis Buchanan leads by a single point over Max Thompson (55 v 54). If either shows up next week and takes a win or two, the leaderboard will flip in a heartbeat. Keep showing up, lads — every point counts.
• Seniors (Men) — Ian Allan sitting on 65 with Thomas Pacey on 59 and Duncan Lyon on 58. That’s a three-way dust-up for the top spots; a few good placings and the order will shuffle again.
• Seniors (Women) — Renee Carroll and Margaret Joy are neck-and-neck (65 vs 64) — a proper rivalry. Expect some tactical racing as the season wears on.
• Under 10s — Jessica Pacey is running away with the Under‑10 girls (84 points) — terrific consistency from Jess. Alessandro and Edward continue to trade points in the Under 10 boys — Alessandro’s been strong today.
• Under 6s — Arthur Pacey remains the little power-house — dominant stuff and lots of fun to watch.

Perpetual trophies & finals on the horizon

• Bill Gallie 50m Breaststroke final: qualifiers from today (Ellis Buchanan & Luke Sellars) will battle it out on 7 Feb 2026. Should be a cracker — both have been showing great form.
• George Russell 400m trophy: final completed today — Alena’s name to remember this year. Well done to everyone who took on the distance.

Personal goals & progress (good yarns)

• Thomas Pacey: “Just keep swimming” — and swim he did. A solid race and plenty of people cheered the committee man on. Keep at it, Tom — inspirational persistence.
• Alena Finn: absolutely hit her target and then some in the 400 — she blew past her recent best. That’s the kind of session that gives you a grin for days.
• Ellis Buchanan: big improvements in sprint and breaststroke — a finalist and heat winner. Personal goals get ticked off when you keep showing up.
• Shay & Tadhg Donnellan: family rivalry delivering all the drama — Shay won this week, Tadhg will be plotting revenge. Classic sibling vibes.

Notable mentions & clubhouse banter

• Big thanks to Paul Martin for stepping in as Race Ref — legend. Also to William Taylor and the Paceys for starting duty — clutch saves for the club.
• Tony van Schaik: missed his race but made the best of it — honesty, hustle and a quick 50m to save face. Classic Tony.
• Thomas Pearson: late again — we’ll start a countdown clock next week. One of these mornings he’ll arrive on time — promise.
• A few DNS / “no times recorded” in some heats (and one DQ for assisted finish) — rules are rules, but we’re all mates here. If you’re unsure about your start time or where to be, ask a marshal and avoid the “where’s my lane?” shuffle.

What to watch next

• Bill Gallie final — 7 Feb 2026: Ellis vs Luke (and any late qualifiers) — expect a close finish.
• Handicap point-score: keep an eye on the elders’ tussles (Renee/Margaret and Ian/Thomas/Duncan) and the razor-thin Under‑8 boys fight (Ellis v Max).
• More 400m/long distance action: with the George Russell final done, some of the heat winners will be pushing for more long-distance silverware over the next few weeks.

Final cheer

Top work everyone — from the tiniest 20m dashers to the long‑distance warriors. If you swam, helped, started, timed or just yelled support from the fence: good onya. Keep training, keep laughing, and we’ll see you next Saturday morning — same pool, same chaos, same beautiful Drummoyne vibes.