Rum City Masters Meet Summary

Rum City Masters held their Short and Sweet Swim Meet on Saturday 17^th July.  We were thrilled that so many different clubs had competitors to represent them at our meet, and really appreciated that the swimmers and the referees made the effort to travel north to us, especially when the Covid situation in the South East Corner was uncertain when entries had to be placed.

It was a great afternoon, with 94 swimmers nominating, giving us 98 heats to get through in the day. The competition between individuals and teams was close, but enjoyment and good sportsmanship were key to the day. There were also 6 lucky money winners, who swam closest to their nominated times in selected events, with the closest margin being 0.03 seconds.

5 new Qld records and 2 Australian records were set, along with 5 Qld relay records and 2 National relay records. Congratulations also to Noosa Masters for winning the club award on the day.

Thank you to everyone for participating in our meet.

Sue Brennan (QBB President)

 

Meet Results

 

Bundy Brings out the Best! 

By Rob Jolly and Brian Hoepper, Noosa Masters

 

Nothing compares with competing in the Bundaberg Swim Academy’s 25 metre pool. The atmosphere in the indoor pool is steamy! It evokes memories of a Swedish sauna or London’s 1952 smog. There is a simple explanation. On Saturday mornings the pool hosts ‘learn to swim’ classes, with a water temperature well north of 30 degrees. At noon, to cool it down for the masters meet, a fire hose is wielded with wild enthusiasm.

In the resulting fog, swimmers grope their way to the starting blocks and, at the gun, plunge into the lukewarm lanes. Underwater, visibility is reduced to about six inches! Swimmers make wild guesses about where the end wall is and, notably, Captain Rob is unable to see whether he is swimming the correct stroke.

But we love it!!! The Rum City Masters host the friendliest swim meet on the planet. Teams arriving are warmly welcomed, the meet runs like clockwork and helpful Bundy volunteers are everywhere. And, astoundingly, the tiny pool produces some remarkable performances.

There’s always more to ‘Bundy’ than the swimming. For a start, the award presentations take place amid a delicious ‘country feast’. The main course is followed by dessert … imagine ‘I can’t decide among the three so I’ll have them all’! The feast and a couple of drinks set everyone up for the night. For half the team staying at the Spanish Motel, this meant wine and reminiscing around the pool until the rugby test on TV drew us back to our rooms.

In Bundy, there are various Sunday morning treats. Liqun and John found a delightful café in North Bundaberg, and most of the team joined them there for a scrumptious breakfast that wouldn’t be out of place in a Little Collins Street laneway. Then it was off variously to the huge Shalom College outdoor markets, the beckoning Bargara beach or the ‘obligatory’ Bundaberg Rum Distillery. On the trip home, we were weighed down by more than medals!

Put simply, a great weekend of Camaraderie, Competition and Celebration.

Can’t wait for next year’s ‘Short and Sweet’ meet in Bundy!