The first ACT Interclub meet for 2017 brought the three local Masters clubs together at Queanbeyan Pool for three hours of competition on Sunday 26 February.
Starting competition at 3.30pm on a bright sunny afternoon the races continued through until 6.30pm. As we were still on summer time it was particularly pleasant for the last hour.
Once again the results were a numbers game with Tuggeranong Vikings, the biggest team, winning the overall pointscore. While Molonglo Water Dragons had managed to outscore the opposition at the last meet in 2016, that was only because we had the top numbers at the Gungahlin meet.
Vikings with 24 swimmers scored 664 points with the Water Dragons second on 424 points (18 swimmers), Ginninderra third with 120 points (4 swimmers) and visitors North Sydney fourth with 58 points from 2 swimmers. We also welcomed 2 swimmers from Ginninderra who are not registered Masters swimmers.
With four lanes booked and 50 competitors we decided to use all four lanes for the very popular 400 metres event. Because there were 23 entrants and 7 heats this event took about an hour to complete. For the remaining 50 and 100 metre events were used only three lanes as there was a shortage of timekeepers who were not competing.
This, with a record 50 swimmers meant we didn’t get through these events quickly enough and led to the only disappointment of the afternoon when I decided to cancel the relay heats. This was because it was obvious we would not be able to swim these and be out of the complex by closing time of 7pm. Instead we quit the water at 6.30 and showered and freshened up for a very filling dinner at the nearby Queanbeyan Bowling Club. Those who couldn’t make it to the club managed to demolish John Collis’ baked goodies and Carol Croce’s refreshing fruit and top up with tea or coffee arranged by Marg Larkin.
A big thanks to all those who helped out and specially to John Collis who collected our entries, John Oke and Les Worthington who timekept all afternoon, Marg Wade and Marg Larkin timekeeping when they weren’t organising the refreshments or swimming, Lenny Partridge recording and running up and down the pool checking recorded times and Audrey Stutsel doing the marshalling with the assistance of Peter Coggin’s wife Mandy who like many other key members of the Vikings and our referee Jodie Burke, made the meet go so well.
Gary Stutsel, Meet Director