Results Week 17

It was yet another beautiful day at Drummoyne Pool — a scorcher with a couple of cheeky showers that only made the swim caps glisten.

What a morning — lots of PBs, a new club record, a few theatrical DNS/DQs (thanks timing gremlins), and the usual delicious mix of kids, grandparents, bankers-turned-sprinters and people who still think a tumble turn is optional.

Headlines

• Club record alert: Emilie Krog smashed the Open Women’s 200m freestyle club record with 2:23.53 — knocking Annette Jamieson’s old mark (2:24.89 from 2018) off the podium. Big, big swim. Proudly toasted with sunscreen and applause.
• Tom Williams 50m Freestyle (Handicap) finals: Conor McLean took out the Men’s final and Charlotte Baidjurak won the Women’s final — lovely, clean finishes and well-deserved bragging rights for the week.
• Fred Congdon 50m Butterfly: Heats were swum today; the winners have qualified for the handicapped final on 7 March. Mark your calendars — that final looks tasty.
• Raffle winner: Patricia Douglas walked off with a DASC cap signed by Ian Thorpe — a cooler keepsake than any of our mid-race excuses.

Personal goals & big performances

There were some real goal-crushers today:

• Thomas Pacey — that 30-second barrier in the 50m was being stalked… and tonight it’s history. Thomas posted a finish of 29.14 in the Tom Williams men’s final. Committee member by day, 29-second menace by Saturday — congrats mate, the boardroom looks faster already.
• Edward Pacey — the meet notes happily report Edward took 23 seconds off his butterfly time. That’s not an improvement, that’s a metamorphosis. He won his Fred Congdon heat too, so expect him to be dangerous in the final on 7 March.
• Arthur Pacey — Under‑6 Boys Championship winner again. The little Pacey conveyor belt of winners rolls on.
• Skye Lewis, Luke Sellars, Christian Taylor — keep doing whatever you’re doing. Christian took the Open Men’s 200m and continues to pile up championship points (and trophies may soon need their own storage unit).

Club Championship battles — the standing feasts

Championships keep giving us proper rivalries and dominations:

• Open Women: Emilie’s record swim vaults her to the top of the Open Women’s championship tally (she’s got a perfect run of wins this season — 24 points and counting).
• Open Men & Seniors: Christian Taylor is on a roll in the Championships — winning the Open Men’s 200m and stacking up the points. William Taylor is nipping at the heels with solid swims, while seasoned campaigners Shay, Thomas and Paul are keeping the top eight lively.
• Junior classes: Arthur (U6), Max (U8 boys) and Christina (U8 girls) continue to collect Championship points week after week. Skye (U14 girls) and Luke (U16 boys) look untouchable so far — consistent winners, consistent grin-inducing dominance.

Handicap point‑score storylines — close finishes and long chases

Handicaps keep the chaos friendly and the scoreboard spicy. A few standouts and tight chases:

• Seniors Men Point Score: It’s a proper two‑horse trot — Ian Allan leads on 92 and Thomas Pacey is breathing down his neck on 88. That four‑point gap could vanish before you’ve packed away the lane ropes; expect fireworks (and polite threats) over the next few meets.
• Under‑6s: Arthur Pacey is way out front in the Under‑6 point score — a gargantuan lead and plenty of trophies to show for it. Tiny but unstoppable.
• Under‑8s: Ellis Buchanan (74) and Max Thompson (69) are locked in a great duel — only five points between them. A single upset heat win could flip the leaderboard.
• Under‑10 girls: Jessica Pacey tops the girls’ point score on 104 — solid, relentless and full of cheeky determination. Watch the Pacey clan; they travel in winner-shaped packs.
• Perpetual trophies: Winners of today’s Fred Congdon heats (including Edward and Archie among others) will race in the final on 7 March — plenty of opportunity for handicap tactical brilliance (and revenge starts).

Family affairs, school ties & club legends

DASC is family central — sibling and parent-child combos were out in force:

• The Pacey household had a cracking morning: Thomas (committee stalwart) smashed his 50m goal, Edward took a massive chunk off his butterfly time and Arthur picked up another Championship win. Family breakfast was possibly louder than normal afterwards.
• The Taylor brothers — Christian’s back from overseas smashing 200s, William putting in strong efforts too. Expect late-night sibling bragging over protein shakes.
• School‑linked crews kept the lane ropes colourful — Russell Lea, Rosebank, St Mark’s and the local primaries all represented. Plenty of school pride here, albeit with club caps not school colours (important distinction, folks).
• Club veterans and life members were present as ever — Phil, Duncan and Gerry conduct the usual grumpy‑with-affection rivalry. Gerry celebrated his birthday today (happy birthday, Gerry!) and tried for that PB on his birthday — we salute the optimism and the cake later.
• Little Georgina Aitken turned seven today — she wanted to celebrate her 7th birthday and did so in style in the pool. Happy birthday, Georgina!

Incidents & anecdotes

• Between races William Taylor got pushed in the pool by Thomas Pearson. The referee noted it with a smile; revenge has been promised. Poolside popcorn at the ready.
• Timing gremlins and a few DNS/VOID marks meant some finish times were recorded as VOID — the referee’s placings sorted positions as usual. Thanks to the timing crew and our resident gear-whisperer David Parker for keeping the system upright more often than not.

Looking ahead — what to watch

• Fred Congdon 50m Butterfly final on 7 March — today’s heat winners will duel for the perpetual trophy. Expect tight handicaps and theatrical finishes.
• There are still several championship events and pointscore rounds before the season’s big wrap (800m championships and Relay Fun Day on the final day). Plenty of points still available — anyone within a few dozen points should stay hungry.
• If you’re chasing a point‑score or trophy, don’t skip the next couple of meets — a couple of 4‑point wins and you’re suddenly in the conversation (or on the podium).

Thanks & final notes

Huge thanks to the race officials, the timing team, parents who lap the pool of chaos to keep kids fed and dry, and everyone who brings their sense of humour. The club cap raffle was a hit, the record-breaking swim gave us goosebumps, and the rest of us will be back next Saturday either chasing those split seconds or plotting gentle revenge (or both).

See you next week — bring goggles, sunscreen, and at least one mischievous tactic for the handicaps.

— Your race secretary (and proud chronicler of every tumble turn, birthday and eyebrow‑raising finish)