Taking on Rotto – Annette Jamieson

An incredible story of fearlessness and determination to achieve an incredible personal goal from our very own super fish, Annette Jamieson…

On Sat 22nd March I swam 20km from Cottesloe Beach to Rottnest in 6hr 8min. 

Friday 21st, the day prior, I spent staring across the big blue ocean to the tiny spec of an Island wondering why I ever thought this was a good idea. On this day I decided I needed new friends – ones that create roadblocks not support. In crept self-doubt and a healthy fear of what lay beneath but I knew I’d toe the start line the next morning so it was then a question of how. How painful will this be? Which part of my body will go first – my shoulder or lower back? Or will it be my mind?

I had a race plan, however I’m impatient and struggle to constrain impulse – not helpful over 20km. An early bust would mean hours of torture and tears, neither of which I was prepared to endure. The whole family were invested and there was no turning back. l told myself the same thing I’d tell my kids (and perhaps the Friday am swim squad) – “pull your head in and get it done”. 

And with that I completed an absolutely epic swim. I pushed my mental and physical limits and now get to hold tight the intense feeling of pride at having endured the swim, pushed through the pain and completed the event in a very respectable time. 

As it turns out the stingers got my legs and face and I fell apart piece by piece – shoulders, back, wrists, elbows and fingers (who’d have thought) and by this point I got a little angry.  The last few kms were brutal, each stroke felt like I was pulling through sand. I’m still puzzled when I see any solo swimmer who smiles or raises a shoulder for a fist pump across the finish line. An impossible task. 

I reflect now more on the underwater haven, the comfort of seeing the seabed the entire swim and most importantly the smiles of my family and paddler who supported me the whole way.  Brave Luke jumped in mid-way to accompany me and I watched his every stroke – he glowed. Hannah my cheerleader and master of my feeds who was preparing my celebration party (with pinata) before I’d even finished. And not least, Mark for being calm in the face of my nerves and complete distraction and holding everything together (including my social media and my anxious mother).

I don’t need new friends – less extreme goals, perhaps, but not new friends. Both my friends and family enabled me to challenge myself and achieve. My mates who trained lap after lap with me (especially Steve / Colleen / Justine), those who sent me messages, gave me advice, watched my tracker (at the BOB!) and supported the children’s charity I raised funds for.  Brett and crew who were in Perth who helped me laugh off the shark stories and have a blast. I could not have done it without these people. Thank you xx. 

Well done Annette Jamieson on your incredible journey from all of us at Drummoyne Swim Club. An absolutely smashing achievement!

If anyone is keen to do this challenge in the future, please see Annette who can give you her training tips! 😉

The photos include; with Steve Williams who also swam solo, the feeds and the view from Cottesloe.

Meet a Volunteer – Gerry Tibbertsma

For this week’s article on getting to know our club volunteers, we interviewed our very own super race starter, Gerry Tibbertsma.

Q: How many years have you been a club member?

A: 21 years

Q: What motivates you to volunteer each week?

A: I enjoy being the race starter every week because I want to be involved and interact with everyone which makes it a much more enjoyable day!

Q: What is your favourite memory?

A: I love encouraging young new swimmers and one day a young boy was swimming in his first ever 30m race. To encourage him I told him that he only needed to swim to the 30m rope which I pointed to. During the race he swam to the “false start rope”, stopped and was jumping out of the water to try and grab the rope during the middle of the race which was a bit odd. Once I realised what he was doing I said “noooo to that rope” and I pointed to the 30m rope which was in the water. It was very cute and funny at the time!

Q: What’s the best thing about Swim Club?

A: The people.

Q: What is your favourite stroke?

A: Breaststroke

Q: Who is your favourite famous swimmer?

A: Ian Thorpe.

Q: What is the next PB (Personal Best time) you are aiming for?

A: To get back under 200 seconds for 200m freestyle. Then I can qualify for 400m again! Not that I’m excited about that lol! 😊

Q: Do you have any tips for other swimmers?

A: Just enjoy your swimming.

Thank you from all of us at DSC. We really appreciate your hard work and assistance with running our wonderful club 😊

Trophy Presentation Night – Friday 8 May 2020

When the season is said and done, there’s nothing better than reflecting on the year’s races and maybe snag yourself some silverware.

This year’s trophy presentation night will be at Drummoyne Oval Pavilion on Friday 8th May 2020 from 6pm. All members, parents and juniors are invited.

Please save the date! More information to come.

800m Freestyle and Family Fun Day

There are only three meets remaining this season, finishing on Saturday 28th March with the 800m Open Freestyle Championships followed by our Family Fun Day.

800m Championships – 7am Start

The 800m Championships will start at the earlier time of 7am. Everyone who is able to swim the 16 laps is welcome to participate. Please arrive at the pool before 7am to sign in for the race.

Family Fun Day – 8am

The Family Fun Day will start after the 800m Championships, at around 8am, so you can arrive at this time if you are not swimming in the 800m.

We will be holding lots of fun races and relays, including boogie board races and a relay race for the tastiest prize of the season – the hotly-contested Geribo Cup chocolate trophy!

Remember to bring along your boogie board, li-lo and thongs for some fun races in the pool!

Club swimmers conquer Husky Triathlon!

Last weekend, four of our Club Members Tadgh, Kylie and Michael Donnellan and Sophie O’Brien made the road trip down to picturesque Huskisson to participate in the triathlon festival.

Tadgh completed the 200m swim, 8km cycle and 2km run triathlon.

Kylie participated in the sprint triathlon with a 750m swim, 20km bike ride and 5km run. The swim course was very choppy but Kylie navigated the swim course beautifully.

Michael and Sophie completed the classic distance, which consisted of a 950m swim, 60km bike ride and a 10km run in warm conditions of 30 degrees. It was a fun weekend for all!

Tom Williams 50m Freestyle Handicap – Finals

The results of the finals for the Tom Williams 50m Freestyle Handicap held on 29 February 2020 were as follows:

Men’s Final

ID Name Position
1469 Tony VAN SCHAIK 1
1501 Cohen VAN LOO 2
1515 Fletcher WILLIAMS 3
1115 Marcus SVOBODA 4
1486 John NICHOLS 5
1505 Oscar HALE 6
91 Adam CHRISTODOULOU 7

Winner: Tony VAN SCHAIK

 

Women’s Final

ID Name Position
1494 Charlotte ALLAN 1
1309 Ziani VIOLA 2
674 Cara PARKER 3
1143 Eve DOOLAN 4
1211 Mary-Lou DOOLAN 5
1425 Laura TAMBASCO 6

Winner: Charlotte ALLAN

 

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