The results for Saturday 31 October 2026 have been published here.
It was yet another beautiful day at Drummoyne Pool — a bright sunny day with only a few clouds in the sky.
What a ripper of a Saturday: kids in costumes, prizes handed out (Gerry scored the white, Lincoln the goggles, Adam nabbed the chocolates — Halloween clearly still has its priorities), and Arthur Pacey giving us a pre-race dance routine before moonlighting as an eager little official. Big thanks to Phil for running the show from the referee’s perch; a club with life members like him and Duncan keeping us honest is a lucky club.
Quick housekeeping: next week is the last chance to swim a 50m B-stroke to qualify for the George Wheaton 50m BBB heats, and don’t forget your Drummoyne shirt — we’re taking the club photo. Also: a handful of races suffered timing glitches (lookin’ at you, Heat 4 of the 100m) and were marked VOID/NT — we’ll tidy those up, but shout-out to everyone who stayed calm and kept smiling while we sorted it.
Today’s highlights
- Geoff Roper 200m (handicap) heats — Great effort from everyone who toughed out the long one. Heat winners (your finalists to watch on the Geoff Roper final day) included Alessia Ippolito, Oscar Sullivan, Giselle Hamill, Edward Pacey, Alena Finn and Lincoln van Loo — nice work, legends. Expect a spicy final when these qualifiers meet again.
- 100m freestyle — Ellis Buchanan took Heat 1 (1:53.73), and Edward Pacey won Heat 2. Heat 6 gave us Christian Taylor turning in a superb finish (57.53 after his handicap) — Christian clearly still remembers what 50m speed feels like and the old timers and new rookies loved watching it. Rose Tunstall shaved seconds off her recent best in Heat 1 (finished 1:52.04 vs a recent 1:56.07) — smashing that personal goal, Rose!
- Sprint fun — Mason Nader and Lincoln van Loo produced eye-catching 50m swims (Mason’s handicap-adjusted dash in Heat 3 and Lincoln’s performances across the card). Youngsters like Anna Rapisarda and Georgina Aitken dominated their short distances — Anna won her 30m and also took the 20m breaststroke, showing form and confidence.
- Form strokes — Giselle Hamill showed some serious form in the breaststroke and took top honours in her 100m heat; plenty of parents and newbies had strong showings in the breaststroke and backstroke lanes.
Handicap battles & point-score drama
The season is young and the point-score rub of the green is already heating up. Some shout-outs to tight rivalries and impressive runs:
- Under 8 (Girls) — Georgina Aitken (25 points) and Anna Rapisarda (24) are neck and neck. One meet could flip this — parents, get the popcorn.
- Under 8 (Boys) — Max Thompson (30) is holding a healthy lead, but Arthur Pacey (21) and the rest are not giving up. Arthur’s block dancing may be the secret weapon.
- Under 10 (Boys) — Edward Pacey (37) has a comfortable edge over Oscar Sullivan (32), but with plenty of meets left there’s room for a comeback. Oscar’s consistency will keep him in it.
- Under 14 & Under 16 — Alena Finn (Under 14 girls) and Lincoln van Loo (Under 16 boys) are showing they mean business; Casper Crothers is nipping at Lincoln’s heels. These age groups have enough rounds left that form days will matter — stay tuned.
- Seniors — The Seniors’ point scores are tasty: Christian Taylor and Adam Christodoulou are both up near the top (tied on points in the standings), and Duncan Lyon and Phil keep the veteran rivalry alive — classic DASC theatre.
Family & club vibes
- The Pacey clan were everywhere — Arthur, Edward, Jessica, Jasper — full family takeover. Great to see siblings and parents racing for fun and points.
- The Rapisarda/Douglas family (Patricia, Anna, Alessandro, Lyndal) had a stellar showing across short and long events — grandparent-grandchild swimming moments, just the sort of community magic the club was built on.
- Lewis family (Adam, Skye, Jaxon) and Taylors (Christian, William, Lukas) keeping the club competitive and friendly — always good to see old club champions mixing it with the juniors.
New joiners & vets
We welcomed plenty of newer faces this morning — always ace to see new kids and parents in the lanes. Veterans like Phil, Duncan and Adrian continue to steer the ship and set the tone: competitive, helpful and very human. If you’re new — welcome! If you’ve been around since 1904 in spirit (or joined in 1999) — even better. Bring snacks next week.
Timing glitches & referee notes
Heat 4 in a couple of events suffered a timer hiccup and were marked VOID. No dramas — we’ll sort official placings with Phil and the starters. Thanks to the lane timers and laptop wranglers (Arthur had a good go at the laptops today) for keeping the meet moving despite the gremlins.
What’s coming up
- Next week: George Wheaton 50m BBB heats (last chance to swim a 50m B-stroke to qualify) and that all-important club photo — everyone in a club shirt please.
- Geoff Roper final is on the calendar later in November — keep an eye on those qualifiers and plan your training if you want a crack at the Perpetual trophy.
- There are many points still on offer across the season — no one’s job is done. If you’re chasing a point-score, bring your A-game, or at least your fastest goggles.
Final word: brilliant effort by everyone. Whether you came for PBs, a splash, a chocolate prize or to practise blowing whistles like Arthur, you made the pool a happier place. See you next Saturday — bring a shirt, your best grin and maybe some sunnies (just in case the showers behave themselves).
Note: The above meet report was automatically generated using an artificial intelligence tool. While care is taken to ensure that the information in this report appears reasonable, please contact racesecretary@drummoyneswimclub.com.au if you would like to provide any feedback on this content.