Black History Month

Did you know the origins of Black History Month trace back to the YMCA? In 1915, Carter G. Woodson arrived in Chicago to attend a national celebration of the 50th anniversary of emancipation sponsored by the state of Illinois. He met with a small group at the Wabash Avenue YMCA in Chicago and formed the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). This began the foundation that would create Negro History and Literature Week, renamed Negro Achievement Week, later Negro History Week and eventually Black History Month. At our YMCA, many branches continue to celebrate Black history and culture each February with community events. Check out the YMCA’s Black History Month page to learn more!

Meet Recaps

Senior 1 Training Trip

The Senior 1 athletes had their annual Queens University of Charlotte training trip, and it was the Best Training Camp EVER!
Our group handled themselves and all the camp challenges with character, class and a high level of competitiveness. We completed 6 very challenging training sessions, a customized Swimstrong dryland workout, team building and leadership activities throughout the weekend. True to tradition, one of our camp highlights was the opportunity to feast on all we could eat brunch/lunch at the Queens dining room, complete with a do-it-yourself soft serve ice cream machine!
When we think about the benefits of this training camp it falls in line with the YOTA Experience and what sets us apart from other programs: Leadership Camp, Travel Trips, Capital Classic, Training Camp, WeBuildPeople, Character Focus, Family and Team Environments, YNATS, SSDL, College Assistance, Alumni Appreciation, YMCA Memberships, etc. Our athletes agree that this camp is the “most fun and hardest” experience of their YOTA careers!

YBAC Blizzard Invite

252 YOTA swimmers took over the Orange County Sportsplex on January 18 for the YBAC Blizzard Invite. This meet served as an opportunity for our swimmers to build back their racing endurance after the training break and set the tone for racing in 2025. The day was full of epic races, countless best times, and many new qualifiers for our championship meets. At the end of the day, YOTA placed first overall with a total of 1,318 points. Well done, YOTA!

GCY Winter Invite

Over the weekend of January 24-26, 371 YOTA swimmers competed at the GCY Winter Invite that was held at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. This meet was a great opportunity for the entire team to get together to race other YMCA teams in the area. Many swimmers swam a wide range of events that allowed them to continue to build their race endurance and get primed for their championship meets over the next two months. We had a lot of swimmers swim new events and many secured new championship meet qualifying times as well!

Team Values

This past month our senior swimmers took part in a ‘Teamery’ workshop where they learned more about their values and explored how their values connect with the values of their teammates. They learned that their personal values define who they are and work as a filter for decision making. Likewise, the values that they share with each other serve as a depiction of their training group and a foundation for the group to grow upon through the year. We encourage all of our swimmers and families to review this list of values and highlight a few that stand out to you. Take some time to reflect on your top values and ask yourself: does this define me? Is this who I am at my best? Is this who I am at my worst? Do the values serve as a filter when making hard decisions?

Championship Season

The 2025 Short Course Championship Season is here! Over the next two months, all athletes will get to represent YOTA in Championship meets with opportunities to challenge themselves to do their best and celebrate success with their teammates. Our age group swimmers will be kicking off championship season this week at the North Carolina Swimming Age Group Championships at the Triangle Aquatic Center. Next month, our YMCA Swimming Championship series will begin in Greensboro with our YMCA State Championships (GYSSA), and then our regional qualifiers will travel to Virginia for the Upper Southeast Regional YMCA Championships (USRY). We will then finish the short course season back in Greensboro for YMCA Nationals where our qualifiers will compete and represent YOTA on a national level. Needless to say, this is a very busy and important time of year. Check out the follow tips for managing stress and anxiety during the championship season:

Visualization: Set time aside each day to visualize how you want your races to go. Prepare your mind for the nerves and excitement and then visualize yourself using that energy to get race ready and reach your goals as opposed to being overwhelmed and shut down. Rehearse the best version of yourself showing up on race day and being successful. Pay attention to what that looks, feels, tastes, and sounds like and then incorporate anything that sticks out to you in your race prep strategy.
Pre-Race Prep: Take some time to plan out your pre-race routines. Some swimmers need silence and focus, others need people and noise, and most need a little bit of both. Make a playlist that fits your needs, and plan out what you will need 20, 10, 5 and 1 minute before you race. Practice this routine so that you are ready to flow on race day.
Affirmations: Everyone is going to be nervous on race day so go ahead and set yourself up with a few affirmations that you can say to shift your nervousness into positive action. Affirmations may seem silly now but will prove to be helpful in the moment. Write some down and keep them in your bag or make it your phone background so that it is visible to you on race day. Practice saying them now so that it can be a habit on race day.

Looking Ahead

February 13-16: NCS Short Course Age Group Championships at the Triangle Aquatic Center (14&Under Athletes - Qualified)
February 28 - March 2: YMCA State Championships (GYSSA) at the Greensboro Aquatic Center (All YOTA Athletes at Coaches' Discretion)

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