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Attitude of Gratitude
There is so much to be grateful for each day and we are making an effort to keep our gratitude at the forefront this November! We asked swimmers from across the sites what they are grateful for and here is what they had to say:
- “Family” - Hailey Creech
- “I’m grateful for my family and my teammates and all the support they give me” - Casey Freeman
- “Family, friends, cupcakes” - Andrew Fulmer
- “I am grateful for the amazing and supportive community YOTA has provided me with” - Sydney Hodulik
- “People, food, phones” - McKaleigh Keough
- “My teammates” - Harper Ludwig
- “My friends” - Ansley Mason & Lousia Sanoff
- “Physically and mentally being able to do the things I enjoy” - Harper Maxwell
- “The friendships and friendly/supportive competition in my group” - Keenan Olson
- “Family that supports me” - Ruby Richey
- “I’m grateful for family, friends, and the opportunities that I’ve get on this team” - Ryan Sutherland
- “My dog and how kind he is” - Michael White
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Meet RecapsAndy Craver Invitational
398 YOTA swimmers took over the Greensboro Aquatic Center for the TYDE Andy Craver Invitational over the weekend of October 11-13. YOTA swimmers of all ages and levels spent the weekend racing a wide variety of events with a focus on implementing the technical foundations that they have been building over the first few training cycles of the year. It was great to see so many purple people back on the pool deck again!
GOLD IMX
On October 26, 208 YOTA swimmers made their way to the Goldsboro Family YMCA for the GOLD IMX Meet. USA Swimming’s IM Xtreme program includes a series of five or six longer distance events and allows swimmers to track their times against swimmers all across the nation. IMX scores are earned after the completion of the required events for each age group and this score captures a swimmer’s overall ability across all of the strokes. Since a swimmer cannot earn a score until all of the events have been swum, it was great for our swimmers to take advantage of this meet that offered so many of the required IMX events. Congratulations to all of our swimmers who have already earned their score and to those who started their IMX journey!
NCAC Mini Meet
140 YOTA swimmers headed to Chapel Hill for the NCAC 10&U Mini Meet on Sunday, November 3. It was great to have a meet dedicated to our 10&U swimmers and YOTA certainly took advantage of this opportunity to let our younger age group swimmer shine. It was a great day full of first time swims, lots of improvement, and a good dose of 10&U fun!
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2024 YOTA Swim Challenge Top 5
Every year, the YOTA swimmers compete in the YOTA Swim Challenge in an effort to raise funds for the YMCA of the Triangle’s Annual Campaign. During the swim challenge, swimmers swim as many laps as possible in 30 minutes. After the challenge is over, sponsors make a donation that aligns with each swimmer’s lap total. This challenge is the core of our fundraising efforts and we are always blown away by the outstanding efforts of our swimmers and families. Congratulations to all of our swimmers who competed, and especially those who finished in the Top 5!
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North Carolina Swimming Spotlight
Congratulations to our swimmers and coaches who recently been recognized for representing YOTA at the National and State level! Well done, YOTA!
- NCS Top Five: Peyton Cossey, McKaleigh Keough, Alannah Keough, Alana Schneider, Miles Ayres, Shane Keough, Elodie Mitchell, and Juliet Christopherson
- NCS All-Star Status: Peyton Cossey and Elodie Mitchell
- 2024 NCS A-Team Camp: Poppy Fishburn, Brady Houtz, Owen Boling, Ellis Carroll, McKaleigh Keough, Manoela Laurentino, Harper Maxwell, Hailey Mizell, Paige Snyder, and Blake Zimmermann
- 2025 NCS IMX Camp: Juliet Christopherson, Peyton Cossey, Jackson Garrett, Benjamin Lei, Kira Schneider, and Blake Zimmermann. Alternates: Harper Maxwell, Alaina Schneider, Katie Wilson.
- NCS Outstanding Service Award: Coach Jamie Bloom
- 2024 USA Swimming National Select Camp: Coach Jamie Bloom - Girl’s Camp Head Manager
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Does My Swimmer Need a Private Lesson to Improve?
The short answer is no. However, let’s take a closer look. The most important factor to consider is who is teaching the lesson. If the instructor isn’t a YOTA coach, there may be differences in teaching methods that could create confusion for your swimmer. YOTA coaches follow a consistent approach that aligns with our long-term athlete development philosophy, designed to build skills progressively and sustainably. A similar consideration applies to camps and clinics. While these can provide valuable experiences, the best way to maximize their benefits is by keeping your YOTA coach in the loop. Let them know when and where you plan to attend, so it aligns smoothly with your meet and practice schedule. Afterwards, share what you learned with your coach so you can work together to build on those skills in a way that supports your long-term development.
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Officials Needed
Our swimming community is in need of more Officials! Officials are one of the most important parts of competitive swimming as they are essential to the operation of meets and they provide support for the long-term development of swimmers by correcting strokes, turns, and ensuring a fair environment. This is a great opportunity to get involved with your child’s sport and further your understanding of all aspects of competitive swimming. Please consider attending a training to become an Apprentice-Level Official. In doing so, you will become one of the backbones of our program and our sport. If you are interested, check out your next steps HERE!
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SwimStrong Dryland Corner
Check out our One Stop Doc for all of your SwimStrong Dryland Info each month!
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Looking Ahead- November 15-17: Gamecock Invitational at the University of South Carolina (Qualified Senior Athletes)
- November 22-24: YOTA Turkey Classic at the Willis R. Casey Aquatic Center (All Age Group Athletes/Senior Athletes at Coaches’ Discretion)
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