In a week where sport was heavily on the agenda, only the big questions were asked:
· Are Roger Federer’s days numbered?
· Was Kim Clijsters’ US Open tennis win merely a fluke?
· Is the Australian cricket team’s potential 7-0 one-day series whitewash of England really such a big deal?
And the biggest question of them all:
· Is there any AUSSI masters club in Perth big enough to take on the might of the Riverton team at the Stadium Snappers Carnival on Sunday?!?!?
That question and more would be answered on Sunday 20 September when the team of 10 from Riverton were to front up at Challenge Stadium on a day when the skies outside looked ominous, but the pool inside looked inviting.
Since the first pool was built and the first swim meet report filed, the legacy of bullet-point reporting has stood the test of time. Like an Olympic baton, it’s been passed down from generation to generation. We’re not a club to tinker with finely-tuned tradition, so it’s bullet points from here on in.
The Fairly Brilliant
· Tammy’s first outing in fine style with a 36.60 in the 50 m backstroke. A brilliant swim from start to finish coming in on her nominated time. (Picture above)
· Lea and Graeme vying for first place in the same heat of the 100 m freestyle. Beautiful to watch as they touched for first and second place. (Picture below)
· Paul’s 40.04 in the 50 m freestyle. Unfortunately we’re instigating a Royal Commission on that swim because we’ve never seen anything remotely that fast at training before!
· The women’s 4 x 50 m medley relay coming in first on 2.36. On each leg, Tammy, Malira, Uli and Lea progressively increased the lead over the opposition – as well as over our own men’s team who only managed 2.47! 
The Fairly Tidy
· Barbara’s 200 m breaststroke which kicked the team off in fine style. A time she was happy with and one that added points to our total. (Picture below)
· Steve’s magnificent dive that led the field in the 100 m freestyle (picture above). He pulled off a great time and then brought home an even better time in the 50 m free. One of his best outings.
· Shane’s fabulous 50 m butterfly in a time way under his nominated time, on a day when he was not quite 100%.
· Kazza’s ‘scorching’ (!?!) PB in the 50 m freestyle. A PB’s been a long time coming but it was worth the wait.
· Malira and Tammy going head to head in the 50 m butterfly.
· Graeme’s very strong showing in every event, pulling in first place in just about each one.
· The team placing 6th out of 10 clubs with a total of 92 points. It was a great effort and good to see so many members swimming. · Great organisation once again by the host club. Smooth from start to finish and heaps of food supplied for lunch.
The Fairly Frustrating
· Another equipment malfunction that cannot be put down to operator error – even though the same member seems to be involved on each occasion! The club will be holding a referendum next month asking members to vote YES or NO to the question: ‘Have we had enough of these latex swimming caps that never seem to stay on?’
· Being beaten for 5th place by ONE SINGLE POINT.
· A somewhat disappointing turn-out by other clubs. Only 6 lanes were operating and the stands seemed totally depleted of competitors.
All up, it was an enjoyable meet and full of team spirit. It was great to see the team being supported also by various family members who came along to watch.
