Results Week 6

It was yet another beautiful day at Drummoyne Pool — with a few refreshing showers to keep us honest.

What a ripper of a Saturday. The usual mix of toddlers with turbo drive, grown-ups pretending they’re still 23, and our stalwart veterans turning up to remind the youngsters how it used to be done. Big cheers to everyone who rocked up, raced hard and left the pool looking like a soggy but proud bunch.

Highlights & on-deck gossip

• Tom Brown 50m Backstroke (heats): The heats produced two delightfully competitive winners — young Arthur Pacey (heat 1) and our wily old Dutch fox Gerry Tibbertsma (heat 2). Both heat winners qualify for the Tom Brown final — looks like we’ll have a proper family / generational dust-up when the final rolls around.
• Five Dock Rotary 200m Individual Medley (heats): Qualifiers for the final include Max Thompson, Yunos Yaqub, Edward Pacey, Lyndal Rapisarda and Daniel Oliver. They’ll be back to slug it out in the medley final in coming weeks (keep an eye on the programme for the scheduled final — it’s going to be spicy).
• New blood alert: Welcome to Runjeet Khara — who made a belting impression in a 100m time trial (1:02.18) and flashed an unofficial 50m of 27.81s while Mitch Falvey (watching fondly from the stands) looked on. Watch out Christian, Joseph and the speedsters — Runjeet’s here to stir the pot.
• Celebrity warm-up: The pool’s feeling fast after a midweek visit from 50m world-record holder Cameron McEvoy. Shay Donnellan may have the only victory of the week — beating Cam to the pop-up Esky (we salute your priorities, Shay).
• Birthday vibes: Happy birthday Arthur Pacey! Ellis Buchanan gave a heart-warming rendition of “Happy Birthday” and Arthur spent the morning making sure timing records were up to snuff. Cake next week? Please say yes.

On the mechanics (aka glorious chaos)

Our PA mic went from “subwoofer at the footy” to “mole under a blanket” before settling on “just right”. Lane ropes remain a drama — temporary string rope between lanes 3 and 4 held the fort like a DIY champion. Also, big thanks to whoever fixed the barcode reader — the “Crummy Drummy” pool can collect actual money again. Progress!

Spotlight on rivalries & battles

Here’s where the season-long stories are developing — the kind of head-to-heads that make you shout from the stands and groan into your coffee.

• Under 8 Boys — Arthur Pacey vs Max Thompson: This one’s a thriller. Arthur leads the Under 8s 40–39 — one point separates the pair. Arthur was on fire today (heat wins across the board) and Max kept him honest with big swims of his own. With both kids racking up points, every sprint and medley counts — expect fireworks next meet.
• Under 8 Girls — Anna Rapisarda vs Georgina Aitken: Anna keeps piling on the points (leading 44 to 32) — absolute dominance from the Rapisardas so far, but Georgina’s consistency means she’s still very much in the hunt. Anna’s little winning streak is impressive; Georgina’s fightback is just around the corner.
• Under 10 Boys — Edward Pacey vs Oscar Sullivan: Edward is sitting pretty at the top with 53 points to Oscar’s 47. Edward had a quieter meet today but still showed the depth that’s earned him the lead; Oscar’s been consistent all season and will be waiting to snatch any slip-up.
• Seniors — Adam Christodoulou vs Christian Taylor: Adam leads the Seniors 31–27 but Christian reminded everyone he hasn’t hung up elite speed yet (fastest finish in his 100m heat today). Adam’s consistency versus Christian’s raw pace — the storyline we love. Expect close finishes and theatrical lane-turning.
• The Gerry–Duncan–Phil saga: Gerry’s “survive” personal goal is a laughable understatement — he’s been doing more than surviving, he’s qualifying. Gerry won his Tom Brown heat (so he’s straight through to the final). Duncan Lyon, our Race Secretary/rival-extraordinaire, was after Tom Brown and Five Dock spots but came up short today — he’s still in the mix for finals with a few points banked. Phil Hayward, veteran referee and life member, emphatically chose whistle over goggles this week (no swim for him) and kept the show fair — he remains the target Rose Tunstall cheekily wants to beat when he’s in the water.

Personal goals & PBs — the good stuff

• Christian Taylor dug up a sharp 100m handicap finish (56.12) — faster than his recent best of 57.53. If he’s “putting elite career behind him” then he’s doing a spectacular job at the retirement tour.
• Max Thompson smashed his 50m recent best (56.93 vs 59.65) — ticking off his own goals and landing a huge win in the medley heat too.
• Runjeet’s first-time trial was a proper introduction — 1:02.18 for 100m and that cheeky 27.81 50m unofficial split have us rubbing our eyes. Welcome to the chaos, mate.
• So many kids improving starts, touches and PBs — from the tiny pocket rockets to our seasoned seniors — you lot make Saturday mornings worth it.

Trophies & what’s next

• Tom Brown 50m Backstroke: heat winners Arthur Pacey and Gerry Tibbertsma qualify for the final. The final will be worth watching — Gerry’s experience vs Arthur’s youthful speed will be the headline.
• Five Dock Rotary 200m IM: heat winners (Max Thompson, Yunos Yaqub, Edward Pacey, Lyndal Rapisarda and Daniel Oliver) have made the final list — the final is coming up and should be a cracker. If there are more winners to come from other heats later this season we’ll have semis/finals to sort out but for now, congrats to the qualifiers.
• Handicap point score series: with many meets still to come the leaderboards are lively. Arthur–Max, Edward–Oscar, Adam–Christian and Anna–Georgina are all races to watch. Small margins today mean big drama later in the season.

Odds & sods

Special mentions: Arthur’s birthday (singing courtesy of Ellis), the barcode reader fix (revenue streams secured), the lane rope MacGyvering (we survived), and the mic madness (we won this one too). Also — we briefly felt famous after Cam’s visit; Shay will forever claim the funniest victory of the week for ousting a pop-up Esky faster than a world champ could swim a lap.

Thanks & see you next week

Massive thanks to our timing crew, referees (Phil — you absolute legend), starters, parents, siblings, friends and everyone who fed the chaos with good humour. If you scored a PB — chest-bump accepted. If you didn’t — come back next week and we’ll egg you on until you do. Next meet is Saturday morning — same time, same soggy delights; see you poolside (towels optional, enthusiasm mandatory).

— Race Secretary (with respect, sarcasm and a whistle)