Results Week 14

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).