Yarrawonga’s star team of David Ryan, Raymond Buncle, Rory Young and Benjamin Graham won a combined total of 12 medals for the week.
The Yarra Mul Swimming Club has been described as great and one of the best venues for big swimming events such as last week’s Tri State Games.
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A total of 185 disabled swimmers competed in 75 races in the Yarra Mul Swimming Pool on Tuesday, November 8.
Swimming started at 10am, with a total of 39 races covering 25m, 50m and 100m distances, followed by 36 races across the pool of some 20m, concluding at about 4pm.
The official opening, on Monday at Cobram Mivo Park, by Moira Shire Deputy Mayor Peter Lawless at the time and subsequently elected Mayor on the Wednesday night, of the 2022 Tri State Games, with Berrigan Shire Deputy Mayor Carly Marriott.
Tuesday’s swimming events were part of the Tri-state games held from November 6 to 11 with other sports including track and field, darts and eight ball, soccer and lawn bowls held in Cobram and Barooga.
Comprising four boys, the Yarrawonga Social Plus Superstarz Team won a combined 12 medals and five personal bests.
Benjamin Graham won two gold medals (basketball throw and kickball distance kick), two silver (50m run and 100m run) and also smashed his record gaining him two personal best ribbons in the 25m swim and 50m swim.
Raymond Buncle won one gold medal (basketball throw), two silver (25m run and 50m run) and smashed his record gaining two personal best ribbons in the 25m swim and noodle across the pool.
Yarrawonga’s Benjamin Graham on his way to winning his 50m freestyle race.
David Ryan won one gold medal (walk across the pool), one silver (50m run) and one bronze (25m run) and smashed his record gaining him one personal best ribbon in the noodle across the pool.
Rory Young won two silvers (noodle across the pool and kickboard across the pool). Social Plus Superstarz were Runner up in the 2022 Community Inclusion Award.
Local secondary school students from Sacred Heart College and Yarrawonga P-12 College volunteered as timekeepers for Tuesday’s program: from left: Darcy Cox, Lara Angwin, Melia McDonald, Kiera Buerckner and Emily Buerckner.
Tri-State executive committee member, public officer Sean Hames from Adelaide, was delighted with Tuesday’s swimming day at the Yarra Mul pool. “The pool’s great – one of the better pools for this event,” he told the Yarrawonga Chronicle.
Yarra Mul Swimming Club’s Sandy Judd, Danielle Angwin, Renee Cox, Lyndon Hart, Dario Prighel and Shane McDonald were all hands-on as volunteers for the big event.
“The venue has plenty of space and shade. The Yarra Mul club has great volunteers.”
In glorious mid-20s temperatures all week, an overall total of 200 athletes with a disability from Victoria, NSW and South Australia participated in the week-long Tri State Games.
Yarrawonga’s Rory Young, Benjamin Graham, Raymond Buncle and David Ryan were among the 185 athletes who took to the Yarra Mul Swimming Pool.
Tri State Games Executive Committee members Todd Davies, Sean Hames and Paul Quinane gave a thumbs up to the swimming component of the Tri State Games.
To see smiles on entrances’ faces upon completion of their races was so pleasing.
“The day’s beautiful because everyone’s got a smile on their face – the cares of the world are not even here, they’re winners before they start,” Horsham bus driver Jeff Pekin said.
Eight swimmers from Horsham Rockets, who are strongly supported by Horsham’s community, made the five-hour bus trip to headquarters Cobram Barooga on the Saturday beforehand and loved the day of swimming.
Yarra Mul Swimming Club was well organised for the day. Club president Dario Prighel said the club being selected was “a plus for the club, community and Moira Shire”.
“It’s such a big event here. We have the facilities – the pool is the best in Moira Shire and we have a terrific group of volunteers, setting it up beautifully for the day,” he said.
“Those volunteers included five students from our two secondary schools, Sacred Heart College and Yarrawonga P-12 who gave up a day’s schooling to time-keep for the whole day’s program.”
This was the first time the Yarrawonga Mulwala Swimming Club has hosted the swimming component of the Tri State Games, with Covid preventing the club playing host beforehand.
“Once again we’ll have it next year and we look forward to it,” Mr Prighel said.
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