September and October 2024 Newsletter

Labour Day Public Holiday

A friendly reminder to members and patrons that MUSAC will be closed on the Labour Day Public Holiday, falling on Monday, 7th October 2024.

The centre will re-open Tuesday, 8th October at 5:30am with regular scheduled classes and programs returning.

Replacement Session Changes

After continual collaboration with our new software provider to refine the online portal functionality, the following features are now able to be done via the Online Portal:

  • Change day/time of your current lesson in the same level
  • Progress to the next level in your enrolment stream
  • Report absences for up to 4 weeks in advance
  • Book replacement sessions
  • View progress of skills attained
  • Update direct debit details

The 30-day expiration period for replacement sessions accrued since the introduction of the new system will begin starting Monday 30 September.

This means that any absence reported for a lesson between Tuesday 11 June and Saturday 31 August must be used by Monday 30 September. After this, the 30-day expiry period will apply. Any replacement sessions accrued between Monday 1 January 2024 and Monday 10 June 2024 will expire at the end of the 2024 programs year.

The 30-day expiration period will replace the previous method of all replacement sessions expiring at the end of the programs year. You will have 30 days of active programming to utilise the sessions e.g.:

  • You mark absent for a Sunday class on the last day of programs in 2024.
  • When programs resume in 2025, you will have 30 clear days to use this replacement session i.e. if programs restart Monday 20 January 2025, you will have until 19 February 2025 to utilise your replacement session. If it goes unused by this date, it will expire.

We understand that replacement sessions are a valuable aspect of our programs and are important to continual learning and progression.

Their availability hinges on the collective commitment of our members to provide timely notifications. The 30-day expiry policy is in place to prevent end-of-year congestion and to maintain fair access for all participants. By reporting your absence online with ample notice, you contribute to a more efficient system that benefits everyone involved.

Now that we have a permanent solution in place, we will transition to a fully self-service model for reporting absences and booking replacement sessions via the online portal. Notification of absence must be submitted through the online portal and will no longer be accepted via phone or email.

Car Park Changes

Starting August 7th, construction of the NSW RNA Research and Pilot Manufacturing Facility began, resulting in reduced parking availability in the North 3 car park. This construction is set to continue into 2025 with the facility expected to be operational in 2026. Construction is set to be occur during the hours of 7am to 6pm on Monday to Friday and 8am to 4pm to Saturdays. Members are encouraged to use the West 5 and West 6 car parks, which offer 2 hours of free parking for members, like the North 3 car park.

Les Mills Shapes NEW at MUSAC

August 5th brought about the introduction of a new Les Mills Program at MUSAC, Les Mills Shapes. In the words of the Les Mills team:

“Shapes is an invigorating blend of Pilates, barre, and power yoga set to modern beats. With small, controlled movements, you sculpt and strengthen all major muscle groups, improve alignment and increase flexibility. It’s a low impact but intense way to heat up your training.” With Barre unfortunately no longer being supported by Les Mills, Shapes has replaced it on the group Fitness timetable.

Shapes is available on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday but be quick, classes are filling up quickly. The full group fitness timetable can be found on the Group Fitness page.

Programs Competitions Winner

From July until the end of August we ran two competitions for the enrollees in our Learn to Swim and Gymnastics programs.

In mid-July, the Winter Onesie competition asked enrollees to wear their winter clothes to their class and take a photo outside the centre. Our winners Ayra and Oliver now get to strut their stuff in their new Oodie.

Throughout July and August, all Learn to Swim and Gymnastics enrollees that attended 100% of their regular went into the draw to win a new scooter or bike.

Gavin, Arnav and Max all attended all their classes in July and August and now have some new wheels to show for it.

Swim School Awards

Our Swim School has been selected as a national finalist in three prestigious categories at the Swim Australia Awards this year.

The categories are:

  • Best Swim School – Innovation/ Team/ Staff Development
  • Best Swim School – Marketing and Promotion and Customer Service
  • Best Swim School – Outstanding Community Service

This recognition is a testament to the unwavering commitment of our learn to swim team to our members and broader community. It highlights the positive impact we have made in promoting swim education and water safety, which are vital in drowning prevention.

Winners will be announced late September at SWIMCON 24, Australia’s premier Swim Industry Conference, an event that brings together the best and brightest in the aquatics industry.

More information about our swim school can be found here.

Daylight Savings Social Competitions

As the weather warms up and the days get longer, now is the perfect time to get back into Social Sport at MUSAC. Registration for our Daylight Savings Social Competitions will open on Monday, September 16th, 2024.

The 7-week competition commences on Monday, 28th October and will run for the following sports:

  • Monday Night Mixed Netball
  • Tuesday Night Mixed Netball
  • Tuesday Night Mixed Touch Football
  • Wednesday Night Mixed 6-a-side Football
  • Wednesday Night Mixed Volleyball
  • Friday Night Mixed Basketball

Visit the Social Competitions page on our website for more information.

Spring School Holiday Programs

Spring into school holidays with our children’s school holiday programs – bookings now open.

With limited spaces in our school holiday programs, book in early to avoid missing out. Our holiday programs will run over 2 weeks from Monday, 30th September – Friday, 4th October and Tuesday October 8th – Friday, October 11th.

For more information, visit our School holiday programs page.

Please be advised that regular Learn to Swim, Gymnastics and Squads sessions continue throughout the school holidays.

Body Combat 100 at MUSAC

September marks the 25-year anniversary of the Les Mills Body Combat program and clubs around the world will be celebrating by hosting a special edition of the program, Body Combat 100. On September 26th, MUSAC will be hosting its Body Combat 100 in the Recreation Hall. More information can be found on our Instagram page closer to the date.

Mini-Olympic Race Night Recap

On August 2nd, MUSAC hosted its own Mini Olympics for students in select Learn to Swim Programs and Squads swimmers. We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended.

The event was a tremendous success with over 50 swimmers competing, and we couldn’t have done it without the incredible support of our swimmers from the Squad Program and our dedicated swim coaches who volunteered their time to ensure everything ran smoothly.

Thank you once again for your participation and enthusiasm.

If you had any feedback regarding the event, please feel free to write to swimming@mq.edu.au

Colour the Campus Recap

Campus Life's annual Wear it Purple event, 'Colour the Campus', was a vibrant success, with over 250 registered participants coming together to celebrate diversity and inclusion.

Wear it Purple, a renowned organisation dedicated to fostering safe, empowering, and supportive environments for LGBTQ+ youth, was at the heart of this colourful event.

The festivities began on the Graduation Lawn with an energetic Zumba warmup, setting the tone for a fun and engaging day. Participants then made their way around the 2km course, visiting five checkpoints spread across the campus. These included the Staff Ally Network hosting a face matching challenge, Walanga Muru hosting 'Kalq' which is a traditional Indigenous game, Macquarie University AFC showcasing a skills challenge, MUSAC Group Fitness ensuring everyone was moving and lifting their heartrates, and Macquarie Ultimate Frisbee Club ensuring everyone had a chance at some target practice.

The day concluded at UBar with a successful post-event celebration, featuring inspiring speeches from the student-run LGBTQ+ group, Macquarie Queer Collective. Adding to the spirit of the event, Campus Life will be making a donation based on the sales of special themed purple cupcakes sold at all Campus life outlets and themed drinks sold at UBar.

Plans are already underway to make next year’s event even bigger and better. Keep an eye out in early August 2025 for details on the 2025 edition of 'Colour the Campus'.

Astronomy Night

Macquarie University will be using the MUSAC facilities to host their Astronomy Night on Saturday, September 21st from 5pm-10 pm.

To cater for this event, on the 21st the North 3 Car Park will be closed from 2pm and the 50m pool will close 15 minutes earlier at 6:30pm.

Quarter 3 Members Competition

It’s that time again! Quarter 3 is coming to an end, but you still have time to get your visits up before the 30 September. To be entered into the draw to win some exciting prizes, visit the centre at least 12 times between 1st July and 30th September 2023.

The more times you visit, the more chances you have to win!

It’s our way of celebrating you for prioritizing your health and fitness, all year round.

Best of luck!

Halloween Kids Night In

Kids Night In is back, with a spooky twist!

Our Halloween themed Kid’s Night will be held from 6-9pm on Friday, 27th October 2023. Join us for some pizza and Gymnastics fun followed by a Halloween movie and popcorn.

Keep an eye on your emails closer to the date for how to secure your spot.

Olympic Display

Celebrating our Australian Olympians and Paralympians, MUSAC have put together a display of Olympic memorabilia from the Macquarie University Archives. Next time you visit the Centre, please be invited to look at the display in the foyer past reception near the stairs.

As always, if you have any feedback for us, we would love to receive it – the good, the bad and the ugly. If you have a submission, you’d like to make about how we can improve our facility or our services, feel free to share via our Digital Feedback Form.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates.

Yours in health and fitness,
Macquarie University Sport and Aquatic Centre Team