YOTA Mail!
Championship season is where our team spirit really shines. Check out this letter written to all current YOTA swimmers from Grace Brunk, a 2024 YOTA Alum and current swimmer at Georgia Southern University!
Dear YOTA Family,
An exciting time has quickly arrived - Championship meet season! Many things happen during this time including traveling to new meets, swimming fast, and everyone's favorite…taper. Championship meet season is truly one of the greatest times of the year, and is arguably the most exciting time to be a year-round swimmer.
As a former year-round YOTA swimmer, I’d like to challenge you this Championship season to focus on not only what championship season means to YOU but what it means to those around you - your TEAM, your FAMILY, and ultimately YOTA, the organization that provides you with the opportunity to be at your meet. Being a swimmer takes a lot of grit and hard work and I am sure you are reminded of this day in and day out at practice. Being a YOTA athlete is unlike any other athlete.
YOTA athletes are special and representing a YMCA swim team is an honor that makes you proud because it is about more than swimming. It is about the person you have become because of swimming.
My suggestion for any YOTA athlete during this time of year is to remember where you came from. Lean in to the aspects of your life that allow you to be behind the blocks and on the pool deck of a year-round championship meet. The YMCA of the Triangle Area swim team is where you come from and you should wear your purple YOTA logo with pride and live the YOTA team values. Swimming can become more of a team sport than you could ever imagine, so have fun with it! Scream the cheers with your teammates, slam your hand into the wall to score a point for the team, and support every athlete that wears the same cap that you do. Applying these tools will make you the most successful swimmer and YOTA athlete possible. The possibilities will amaze you!
With all that being said, have fun. Look around and soak in every single moment with the people that YOTA brings you, because you will miss them one day. Be proud to be a part of the YOTA swim team and appreciate the opportunity you have to swim every single lap regardless of the outcome. As your meet approaches, just remember one thing. The dog is in the pound, so it’s time to start barking!
With Love, GO YOTA!
Grace Brunk
