Results Week 2

It was yet another beautiful day at Drummoyne Pool, partly cloudy but sunny enough for a splash and a pleasant north-easterly breeze.

Week 2 delivered the usual glorious chaos: kids, grandparents, new faces and old salts mixing it up in the lanes. Leni was on photography duty (fancy SLR, Insta glory); the timing system threw a wobbly in a couple of races (races 8 & 9) which left a few VOID/DNS entries — hats off to the race officials who sorted placings by eye and kept the show on the road.

Big moments & highlights

• Pia Passarelli backed up her improving form with a tidy win in the 100m handicap (finish 1:50.72) — good on ya, Pia, keep chasing those PBs.
• Skye Lewis continues to lead the charge in the girls’ sprints, taking her 100m heat (finish 1:21.68) and showing she means business this season.
• Alena Finn is on fire — another dominant day (100m finish 1:14.80 and strong long-distance performances). With 23 series points in U/12 girls, she’s looking very hard to catch.
• Lincoln van Loo continued his brilliant long-distance form, taking his 400m heat in a very respectable 5:36.60 (handicap finish) — proud moment for the Under 14s captain.
• Youngsters making their mark: Arthur Pacey (Under 6) dominated again across multiple events and now sits comfortably atop his age group with 19 points — the Pacey clan are not here for a casual dip.
• Veterans still showing the youngsters how it’s done — Denver, Phil, Thomas and others slugged it out in men’s heats and the seniors point score is shaping into a tasty battle.

Personal goals, grit and good humour

• Thomas Pacey — committee member, racing with the legend status of broken ribs from hockey — put in a gutsy 400m time trial (6:39.87). His stated goal is to do tumble turns every length in the 400m; he got the distance done, and whether he nailed every tumble we’ll cross-examine him at the coffee afterwards. Either way — top effort.
• Rose Tunstall continues her weekly reliability mission (“never misses a Saturday”) and is chasing down Phil for bragging rights — Rose: keep it up, Phil’s still practising his sassy stopwatch stare.
• Newer faces and returning guests (Cath Thompson, Georgie Chalker, Cara Thompson, others) had their first or early swims for the season — lovely to see you jump in and have fun.

Handicap point score — the battles heating up

Handicap points mean anyone can have a day — and many did. A few intriguing leaderboards to watch:

• Under 12 Girls: Alena Finn is pulling away with 23 points — a very handy buffer, but there’s still plenty of meets left for challengers.
• Under 12 Boys: Archie Sullivan leads with 21 points after another consistent sheet of results; other lads like Aodhan and Rex are never far behind.
• Under 14 Boys: Lincoln van Loo sits on 20 points with Alex Sellars (17) and Casper Crothers (16) nipping at his heels — that one could go down to the wire.
• Seniors (Men): Denver Pelly leads the seniors on 13, with Thomas Pearson, Thomas Pacey, Phil Hayward and Paul Martin all close behind. Expect more tussles in the sprints and longer handicaps as the season unfolds.
• Under 10s and Under 8s: plenty of tight exchanges — Jessica Pacey (U/10 girls) and Edward Pacey (U/10 boys) are both showing strong form and collecting series points like they’re on sale.

Rivalries, family feuds & school shout-outs

• The Pacey family continues to field a full swimming squad — Arthur, Jessica, Edward and Thomas keeping it very much a family affair (and very noisy at the finish).
• The Allan twins and Dad (Elizabeth, Charlotte and Ian) keep the family bragging rights alive — Elizabeth’s aiming for triple-family wins this week (burger with pineapple on the line, presumably controversial but delicious).
• Classic old-timers’ rivalry: Duncan Lyon vs Gerry Tibbertsma vs Phil Hayward — plenty of friendly jibes on the pool deck (Gerry rued a rotator cuff excuse earlier, Duncan still plotting revenge, Phil wants to beat Rosie). It’s the kind of rivalry that keeps the refs entertained.
• School ties are alive and well (lots of Russell Lea, Rosebank and St Mark’s swimmers) but remember — they’re racing for DASC, not the school colours — though the schoolyard bragging rights are a nice bonus.

Timing gremlins & race admin

We had a few races where the timing system and some lane timekeepers dropped the baton — several VOID/DNS entries and a handful of placings determined by the race referee. Not ideal, but the refs and Lane Marshals sorted it out. Special callout to David Parker for keeping the timing gear gremlins under marginal control — our unofficial Club Legal Beagle also doubles as tech support.

Notable DQs / DNS

• A few DNS/voids in younger heats (Jaxon Lewis, some timekeeper issues in races producing VOID entries). We’ll get those sorted and remind everyone: always glance at your handicap start and wave if you need help.

Looking ahead

Next week (25 Oct) we switch up with butterfly on the program and a medley long-distance — a perfect opportunity for sprinters to show off their form strokes and for those long-distance folk to chip away at series points. Key upcoming matchups to watch:

• Fred Congdon / George Wheaton type events (handicapped BBB and trophy heats) are coming up in the next few weeks — winners of heats will lock-in for finals later in the season.
• If you’re chasing Point Score glory: there’s a lot of points still on offer across the season. Those with comfortable leads (Alena, Archie, Arthur, Lincoln) should keep showing up; challengers, treat the next few meets like free range opportunities to make ground.

Final chuckle & thanks

Lovely to see so many smiling faces, new joiners and tried-and-true veterans enjoying their Saturday morning mayhem. If you raced, high five yourself — if you cheered, even better. Same time next week — bring goggles, a towel and a willingness to be roasted in good humour by your mates. And Thomas: we’ll be checking for tumble turns. No pressure.