Class of 2025

To the YOTA Class of 2025,

You didn’t just dive into the water—you dove into commitment, discipline, and a legacy of excellence. From early morning practices to late-night meets, you’ve poured your heart into every stroke, every lap, every finish.

You’ve learned that greatness isn’t just measured by the stopwatch, but by the strength of your spirit. You’ve battled through fatigue, setbacks, and the pressure of competition—and you’ve emerged not just as athletes, but as leaders, teammates, and champions.

In the pool, you found more than speed—you found family. You cheered each other on, picked each other up, and celebrated every personal best like it was a world record. You’ve shown what it means to push limits, to trust the process, and to never swim alone.

As you leave the lanes behind and head into new waters, carry with you the lessons that only swimming can teach; how to breathe through the hard moments, how to stay focused when the current gets strong, and how to finish strong—always.

The Class of 2025 will forever have the love and respect of YOTA and the relationships they have built during their time here; they will forever have a family of people that will be there for them for the rest of their lives. As you are about to move on to the next chapter of your lives, we want to thank you and also welcome you to the prestigious group that call themselves YOTA Alumni.

Check out the Class of 2025 Slideshow HERE!

Meet Recaps

Martha McKee Charlotte Open

12 YOTA swimmers swam at the Martha McKee/Charlotte Invitational in early May. To qualify for this meet you must have achieved a Futures Cut. Our team came together with strong energy and support for one another. In this early season long course test of our abilities, everyone contributed their best efforts. We cheered each other on from the pool deck, shared advice between races, and experienced a strengthened bond that reminded us that success isn't just about winning—it's about growing together and supporting each other every step of the way.

EAC Memorial Invite

281 YOTA swimmers took over the Greensboro Aquatic center over the weekend of May 16-18. Now that the long course season is in full swing, it was great to see our swimmers look so strong from race to race. YOTA swimmers of all levels found success throughout the weekend. From new swims to new qualifying times, we had a great weekend!

NCS Open Water Championships

91 YOTA Swimmers made the trek down to Seven Lakes on Saturday, May 31 for the 2025 North Carolina Swimming Open Water Championships. It was a beautiful day at the lake with greet racing and an awesome YOTA cookout! Thank you to all of the parents who helped make the day a great success. Congratulations to our swimmers who placed in the Top 8 as well as the swimmers who completed the Poseidon!

Top 8: Blake Zimmermann - Men’s Open 3K (1st), Sophie Perry - Women’s Open 3K (7th), Jack Reynolds - Men’s Open 800 (5th), Boston Buehler - Men’s Open 800 (7th)
Poseidon Swimmers: Porter Anderson, Annabelle Baker, Erwyn Castillo, Peyton Cossey, Poppy Fishburn, Shivam Gupta, Madalyn Gutierrez-Kasbohm, Brady Houtz, Josh Jones, Payton McNutt, Anna Muttillo, Keenan Olson, Sophie Perry, Olivia Pittenger, Alana Schneider, Kira Schneider, Freddie Stuart, Holly Thesing, Ben Valeriote, Michael White, Katie Wilson, Isabella Zapata-Echneverri, Blake Zimmermann

Words of Wisdom From a Senior 1 Parent

“I loved watching you swim today.” This is a phrase I’ve heard so many times over the past 12 years of Cole swimming. This is what parents are supposed to say to their kids regardless of their performance in the pool. This was a phrase that was easy to say when my kid had a good day at a meet and one that I could never bring myself to say when he didn’t.

I am admittedly short fused when things aren’t going the way I want them to. I get frustrated quickly and that frustration can come out as anger. When Cole would have a bad meet, I would come home mad. I’d always say I wasn’t mad at him but instead “mad like my favorite football team didn’t play well”. Or I would put it in terms of an investment. “How much do I pay for that performance? What’s my return on investment here?” I was just mad.

A few months ago, as Cole began his senior year and his last year with YOTA he said something very profound to me that stopped me in my tracks. “I’ve separated my enjoyment of swimming from the times I get at meets. I like swimming for so many other reasons. The times aren’t what makes me enjoy swimming any more, or less.” And here’s the gut punch, “I need you to do the same.” he said.

Ouch!

I had to sit on that one for a while. 12 years of feeling high when he swam great and miserable when he didn’t. 12 years watching other kids out-perform him and fuming over why. This wasn’t going to be an easy change to make. I convinced myself that I’d fake it. Around him I would try my best to match his emotion at the end of a meet. Whatever he said I’d just go with. Later on I vent to my wife, or another swim parent. Then at a recent weekend in Greensboro something changed. We spent the weekend doing what we normally do. Swim meet in the morning, then lunch and hanging out downtown in the afternoon, dinner at Natty Greene’s and dessert at Cheesecake By Alex. And unexpectedly over a competitive game of Skee-ball, it hit me. This is what I was supposed to be enjoying. I wasn’t thinking about his times. I wasn’t thinking about who he beat or lost too. I wasn’t thinking about how much this weekend cost. None of that mattered. Did he have a good day at the pool? I have no idea. It didn’t matter. What mattered was without the meet and the trip to Greensboro, that Skee-ball game would have never happened. These were “so many other reasons” Cole was talking about.

It’s those moments I’m going to miss once he’s gone and off to college. And it’s all those missed moments that were wasted that I regret because I somehow tied my self-worth to a teenage kid’s performance in the pool.

“I loved watching you swim today” maybe… but I definitely loved the opportunities, the community, the time swimming has given us together. I just wish I realized it sooner.

Looking Ahead

June 13-15: SwimRVA Invitational in Richmond, Virginia (All White Level Athletes and Above at Coaches’ Discretion)
June 21: YOTA 1500 at NC State University (All YOTA Athletes at Coaches’ Discretion)
June 27-29: USRY at the Goldsboro Family YMCA (All YOTA Athletes)

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