State Swim Meet Report: 1, 2 May

In a week in which attention grabbing headlines have held the interest of all sandgropers like nothing before (well, not since the last political or sporting scandal!), comes the latest headline to make eyes pop and jaws drop:

New Club Coach Inspires Riverton Team to Greater Heights at State Swim!

PBs aplenty fall quicker than a politician's scandal-ridden career.

• More electrifying than the thought of a Troy Buswell/Allanah MacTiernan liaison;
• More startling than the revelation of a Troy Buswell/Shelley Archer flirtation;
• More mind-blowing than the whiff of a Troy Buswell/Giz Watson dalliance could ever be!!!

The team ...

The action ...

This weekend at Challenge Stadium, the swimming was fast and furious for the annual Masters Swimming WA State Swim. Six representatives from Riverton: Graeme, Steve, Malira, Tammy, Lea and Kazza, gave it their all in magnificent style. Each of them walked away with one or more PBs and each of them turned in champion performances in the pool. Saturday was a very long day, being kicked off by Kazza in an early heat of the 200m freestyle. Sunday was a much shorter day but concluding on a super-high note in a frenzied dash by Tammy, Graeme, Steve and Lea in the 4 x 25m medley relay.

This cub reporter has never been known to grab onto mediocrity when the hand of sensationalism remains outstretched. So, without further ado, let's bring on the meet report with the usual level of exhileration.

GP: This man is a PB machine! Always reliable and always able to pull a PB out of his swimming cap. And if needed, he can always whip up a template to record his times in. Graeme pulled out a 3.40.93 in the 200m breaststroke to score a first place in his age group, and a 1.21.38 for the 100m freestyle and a 45.02 in the 50m breaststroke, both of which scored second in his age group. A champion effort!

Steve-O: Fastest Riverton Club member at the meet who turned in some impressive times, both in the pool and on the road. Clocking in at 1.09.13 in the 100m freestyle and a 31.11 in the 50m freestyle, and tightening the pace on the other teams in the medley relay, Steve is a man to be reckoned with. He underestimates how much his dives are beautiful to watch and always get him off to a start well in front of the field. There is more left in the tank and a sub-30 for 50m could be something to watch out for. Great swimming!

Malira: Malira had a very full Saturday program swimming five events as well as the women's medley relay with a fabulous butterfly leg. She came first in her age group with an 18.22 in the 25m breaststroke, first in her age group in the 100m breaststroke, and second in her age group in the 200m individual medley with a 2.58.84. Considering doing the Rotto swim next year in an attempt to improve her times may be something for everyone to watch out for! Another fantastic meet!

Tammy: This would have to have been Tammy's meet. Always on the lookout for her arch-nemesis, LT from Claremont, and not feeling 100% on day two, Tammy still managed to put in some impressive performances with impressive times. Coming first in her age group in the 50m butterfly with a 33.51 and a first in her age group in the 200m individual medley with a 2.49.62, Tammy is a swimming dynamo. Fabulous backstroke legs, too, in the women's and mixed medley relays that got both teams off to fine starts. Magnificent swimming!

Lea: A swimmer who goes from strength to strength despite living on a diet of chocolate and using a quick dash to the starting blocks as a warm up. She turned in some impressive PBs along the way, most notably a 37.10 in the 50m freestyle and two dashing freestyle legs in the women's and mixed medley relays. A great weekend of swimming!

Kazza: What can we say? Six PBs out of seven events entered, smashing her previous 200m breaststroke time by 10 seconds and coming in under 50 seconds for the first time ever in the 50m freestyle. You go girl!


Once again, the event was extremely well organised and very well patronised by 302 swimmers from 23 clubs. It was a great weekend of swimming and camaraderie.

A movie of the event can be found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0SoYtqzSvg

No Shirkers at Gurkha's

A group of 15 Club members dined at the Himali Gurkha Restaurant in Applecross on Saturday evening. The Nepalese cuisine was delicious and catered for all palates.

In the words of one ex-Club member who was present at the event, 'Riverton really knows how to party.'

Thanks to Lesley who organised the occasion.

PBs at Melville Tumble Quicker than a House of Cards in a Gust of Wind

Ah, Sundays, such a great day of the week. Some people like to slack in bed and read the papers. Others like to get up and at 'em. Luckily Riverton Masters has members in both categories!

Sadly Rob, Mo and Shane were unable to attend the Melville carnival today. My spies tell me that all three gentlemen are recovering well after attending the annual Advanced Hair Studio convention held at Burswood over the weekend. Gentlemen, on behalf of the club, let me pass on the following message of support - YEAH YEAH!

History will show that 9 swimmers and one (self proclaimed) hard ass coach attended the annual Melville BACC. It is interesting to note that there were 7 females and 2 males competing, although males account for 59% of the membership.

All swimmers performed above their own expectations. There were PBs galore and everyone had a smile on their face the whole morning except for Jana. More about that later ...

Time for the breakdown.

• Graeme "Can I have a look at the program AGAIN" Pow swam 3 excellent races. All his times were significantly lower than his entry times. Coach's highlight - 45.5 for 50 breaststroke.
• Karen "Does my hair look bad after my swim" Anderson with 3 swims had 3 PBs slashing 14 seconds off her 200 breaststroke. Coach's highlight - a sizzling 49.15 for 50 free.
• Kevin "Wearing your hat backwards IS SO COOL" Hall had just the one swim, a well swum 1.29 for 100 free. Coach's highlight - seeing a grown man with a cap on backwards.
• Barbara "who wants a lolly" Morris swam very well as always, swimming well below her nominated times. Coach's highlight - a well constructed 40.69 for 50 free.
• Hilary "Duff" Vaughan put all 3 swims together very well and also led the cheering with aplomb. Coach's highlight - 1.40 for 100 free.
• Tammy "Does my bum look big in these bathers?" Souster kicked off the meet with a leisurely 200 back winning easily and backed up very well in other swims including the anchor leg in the relay. Coach's highlight - 1.10 for 100 free. Held it together nicely!
• Nadine "I used to date an Olympic gold medallist" Neethling competing in her first meet for the club cranked out three 50m swims and a relay. Coach's highlight - 36.4 for 50 free and even surprised herself!
• Lea "Would you like some chocolate" McAskey got herself a bit muddled in the marshalling area but got it all together to post 4 very good swims. Coach's highlight - a well paced 100 free in 1.31
• Jana "Do you like my tea cosy, err hat" van Voorthuizen had a great debut for Riverton with four 50m swims including edging out GP in the 50 breast. Jana also attracted some attention from the other swimmers who commented on her awesome hat. Coach's highlight - 33.18 for 50 free.
  

Yours in H20.
Damo.

P.S. Riverton came a creditable 6th out of 13 clubs with a score of 71 points.

The Mysterious Case of the One-Armed Chef and the Barbecue that ran out of Gas

A one-armed chef ...
A barbecue that mysteriously runs out of gas in the middle of cooking steak and sausages ...

Could there be a link between the two?!?!?
Do we need to call in NCIS Riverton?!?!?

These questions capped off a week when only the serious questions were being asked, none more important than this one:

Who could have known Lesley's amazing powers of seeing the future when she moved the date of the second social event of the year from Monday 22 March to this evening, Monday 29 March?!?!?

Had the barbecue been held last week, we may have found ourselves eating by candle light and sitting in puddles following the worst storm to hit Perth in 50 years. Luckily it wasn't and this evening was a perfect one for a barbecue, enjoyed by 19 people, in the great Riverton outdoors.

Thanks go to the following people:

• Barbara, Lea and Damo for outstanding cooking;
• Special agent Steve who came to the rescue by replacing the gas bottle;
• Shane and Remy who helped with the setting up;
• Lesley who organised the event.
  
  
  

Our social calendar now moves to various restaurant outings over the cooler months. Further details will be distributed shortly regarding our next event.

Jetty to Jetty Juggernaut

Blue cloudless skies, pleasantly warm temperatures and clear water greeted 600 swimmers at Coogee as they arrived for the annual Cockburn Masters Jetty to Jetty 750 and 1500 metre swims.

Robert (always up for a good swim), Barbara (veteran of many jetty-to-jetties), Steve G (testing out his wetsuit), Nadine (testing the water with a 750 m), Jana and Kazza were there from Riverton, all swimming strongly and all finishing well ahead of the rest of the field.

This event is an exceptionally well organised one, with Cockburn covering all bases with regard to logistics and safety. For anyone contemplating an open-water swim or an aerobic swim, this event is highly recommended. Swimmers can choose to swim in deep or shallow water and conditions are very smooth and safe.

A huge congratulations to Nadine who finished first in her age group in the 750 metre event. Well done!

The results are posted here: http://www.cockburnmasters.org.au/previousresults.php

Records Smashed at Club's First Barbecue for the Year

A couple of long-standing records were fairly smashed at the Riverton Leisureplex this evening at the Club’s first social event of the year.

Record number 1: We had an all-time high attendance of 23 people at a club barbecue. Magnificent! In a situation never before seen at a barbecue, we had to add an extra table on the end to fit everyone in. Great to see so many new Club members there – and we hope to see you all at the next one!

Record number 2: We had an unprecedented smorgasbord of the most fabulous salads and desserts. It’s obvious that everyone has been working on their Master Chef skills over the summer and we have only three words to say: KEEP IT COMING! The food was fantastic!



After a steady and well planned training session masterfully put together by substitute coach Damo, Club members convened in the barbecue courtyard for the first event on the Club’s social calendar.

Mark, as president, welcomed everyone to the barbecue, especially welcomed all new members, thanked Damo for his excellent coaching and congratulated Shane and Caris on their fabulous Rottnest Channel swims over the weekend – feats heartily acknowledged by everyone.

Thanks to Lesley for organising the event and the other members of the social committee who helped make the evening a great social success.

A short movie of the evening can be seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgjFsklM1BY

The Phoenix Rises

As 2010 dawns so, too, does a new club: Riverton Masters Swimming Club. Dare we say, 'new name but same old club'?

The swimming venue is the same. The club colours are the same. But the name is new and our constitution has been updated. Accompanying these changes has been a strong growth in membership. To all new members, we offer a warm welcome and trust that you all enjoy your time in the pool in the spirit of 'fitness, fun and friendship'.