The two main swims around Sydney over the weekend -- North Steyne and Avoca -- were called off due to the seas, but Nowra went ahead with an amended course. We're told there was lots of weed but it was a nice swim with 37 punters.North Steyne are mulling an alternative date; Avoca have rescheduled to April 26, making that Sunday a very busy day, with South Curl Curl-Freshwater and Coogee-Bondi also scheduled for that day.
Hervey Bay happened in Queensland, above the rain and storm line, with a record 170 starters. They had a lovely day, by all accounts.But what did you get up to on a washed out Sunday, which turned out to be a very nice day in Sydney? We had a social engagement at North Curl Curl, so os.c and Glistening Dave went for a frolick in the North Curly rockpool. We did laps whilst Dave took pitchers of the seas crashing onto the rocks and into the pool. Watch for some pics very soon. Then we celebrated Tacoma Jim's birthday, and his mum's birthday -- Jim's mum, G-L-O-R-I-A ... GLOOOOORIA! -- has been visiting from, well, Tacoma, and heads back there later this week. Her birthday is Monday, April 6.
I went down for a surf saturday and thought 'sunday is gonna be interesting', apart from the surf there was a sea of kelp all down manly/n.steyne filling atleast the first 100m of water!
ReplyDeleteWent down sunday morning for a surf thinking of doing the race, and it was pumping! sometimes like with the cole it was not worth moving/cancelling. though this time i can see why they did!
Good-o for just postponing though, be good to have another race at the end of April!
I took my toddlers down to North Steyne for a dip in the water....I explained to them how years ago when working class people lived along the beaches they use to swim in these conditions. They asked me why the life savers were all in the club house. I explained that due to a London insurance companys strict rules they were no longer allowed to enter large waves of 3 feet or bigger.
ReplyDeleteLater on I came back and got them out of the water ,took their floaties off and went home.
Jenny from Byron Bay
DAVE DAVE DAVE
ReplyDeleteThey are waves not clouds.
Mr August
I did the BRW Triathlon, in Sidknee. Got up at 5.15am to put the bike into storage by 7. My wave started at 10.40.
ReplyDeleteI discovered a new sporting challenge in attempting to put socks onto damp feet, and killed time by relentlessly joining the toilet queue.
Sometimes, you've just gotta love the simplicity of a pair of budgies.
Can anyone help?
ReplyDeleteI've been training up to do the Bondi - Watsons Bay swim on May 17, and I'm trying to find someone with a boat to accompany me? Any help would be appreciated, or alternatively if anyone knows a hire place that lets you take the boat out through the heads.
Be a shame to have the training go to waste.
Email me: Shannon@wolfers.org
Can I suggest to the North Steyne Swim organisers that they run the swim in May - there's almost no others swims to clash with and the water temp will still be ok.
ReplyDeleteNorth Steyne and Avoca SLSC's have water craft they don't use very much. You could ask them for a boat.
ReplyDeleteMichael c
Sunday I ran round Iron Cove Bay and did a few laps in Drummoyne pool, where there were few waves (the bay and the pool).
ReplyDeleteOn a different note, I voted "don't care' on the Nick d'Arcy question but I confess I think Swimming Australia have been very unreasonable in letting him swim in the nationals then announcing he'd be banned to the media before telling him.
What he did was reprehensible but now he's been convicted at least he knows what his legal punishment was and he's on notice as to his future behaviour. But with swimming he has no idea how long he'll be paying.
I know the guy he hit might have to live with the consequences for a long time, but D'Arcy will also have to live with the consequences - banned from the Olympics, notoriety, a criminal record - for the rest of his life. Continual random punishment by different sporting bodies with no seeming end seems a bit over the top.
Interesting thing a swimming ban for having a criminal record.
ReplyDelete-How many ex team mates does the banned swimmer have on the committee that banned him?
-What was an ex swimmer doing at the function anyway and why would you want to gate crash a new young teams party.
-How many members of the team were really concerned about his position on the team.
-What was the intent of the poke or tap or slap he was given and was it delivered with any comments.
-Were his prior issues a part of the whole ban and and do they know more than we do.
-Is he being treated hard for not having a happy big smile like we expect of our stars.
-Has he been seen as a problem in general for some time.
In thinking it through the only reason I can suspect is that some prior behaviour may be better known to them and was a definitive issue in the committee discussions.Speculative though.
The criminal record may be just a tool to deal with a perceived problem that they think warrants what they have done.
All that aside I think it sends the message that rehabilitation of criminals is poitless and therefore ex crims should just become self serving for as long as they can and treat society as the ongoing enemy. Their decision is wrong on this basis.We all have to live with community members who are convicted criminals so why can't the swim team do the same.What makes them separate from the rest of society. Arrogant decision perhaps? If I was another swimmers parent or the injured ex's parent I'd possibly be happy to see the problem removed but that isn't the correct basis for the decision.
I can't help feeling that when a committee is made of ex swimmers then emotion maybe becomes an interference to clear thought.
If the banned swimmer is truely remorceful and can still find it in himself then he should continue to swim and prove himself by setting world records or swim for another country. That is the best way to prove the point by not giving up and showing he can serve society well. He can then break the record of the USA's pot smoking swimmer.I'll bet they don't ban him.From my experience I saw more swimmers damaged by a drug culture than violence in the past.
I admire him for his heart and have met him breifly. He was nice and polite and genuinely more giving than some other swimmers I've met. But I didn't try to tell him how to behave so maybe I got off lightly.
Once it happened he was never going to win.He couldn't plead guilty as they were going to ban him. If he pleaded not guilty and got off we'd think he was a lier and he'd feel guilty and dishonest. Maybe he has an issue we are not being told.Perhaps in the end he did the right thing and we showed him what an unforgiving bunch of weak minds we are as a society.
The Nick D'arcy issue was dealt with by the courts and he was given a sentance the Judge thought appropriate and that decision was not subject to any form of appeal by either the victim or the prosecution.
ReplyDeleteI don't really have a position on the punishment but I don't think Swimming Australia had any business passing further judgement on him once a higher authority had.
In Australia once a court passes sentance on you your punishment is between you and the State and in my opinion all lesser bodies including Swimming Australia should stand back and respect that justice has been served and let you repay that debt to society.
I swam Hervey Bay on the weekend. A really good swim at a great venue, organised by friendly people. Weather was great.
ReplyDeleteThis swim deserves more entrants - some came from NSW but it would be terrific to see more in 2010.