The Year of IMPACT

A new season is here and it’s time to "Brace for IMPACT"!
When we hear this phrase, it usually means to prepare for something powerful that’s about to happen. For us, it’s not about collision, it’s about preparation, anticipation, and being ready to give our best effort.
This season, Brace for IMPACT means:
  • Being ready for challenges — knowing they’ll come and choosing to face them with confidence.
  • Preparing ourselves daily — in practice, in school, and in life — so when the moment arrives, we are ready to perform.
  • Understanding the power of our choices — that every practice, every race, and every action because of our choice has an impact on our growth and on our team.
This year’s motto, IMPACT, will guide us:
I – Integrity: Do the right thing, even when no one is watching.
M – Motivation: Show up with energy, drive, and the will to improve.
P – Perseverance: Keep going, even when things get tough.
A – Accountability: Take responsibility for your goals and actions.
C – Choices: Every decision matters — in and out of the pool.
T – Teamwork: Support one another so everyone can succeed.
We’re excited to see how each swimmer will grow this year — not just as athletes, but as teammates and leaders. Let’s approach every practice, every race, and every moment with the energy to make an IMPACT.
Brace for IMPACT because together, we are about to make one!

USA Swimming Registration 

The YOTA Swim Team is both a registered YMCA Swimming team and a USA Swimming team. YOTA Swimmers are automatically registered with YMCA Swimming through team registration, but USA Swimming registration is a separate process. All YOTA swimmers are required to register with USA Swimming as a premium athlete for the 2025-2026 season through one of the following steps below:
  1. If your swimmer was registered with USA Swimming through YOTA last year, please go to their member dashboard and click renew.
  2. If your swimmer is new to USA Swimming, please register them using this YOTA specific link. 
  3. If your swimmer receives free or reduced lunches at school or a scholarship from the YMCA, they qualify to register through the outreach membership program HERE. After registering with the Outreach membership, you will need to send Coach Jamie Bloom (jamie.bloom@ymcatriangle.org) and your Site Director a copy of the Reduced or Free Lunch letter you received from your school and/or a letter from the YMCA confirming scholarship status. If we do not receive this letter your swimmer will not receive this benefit and be charged the full price by USA Swimming.

YOTA Equipment & Merch 

The YOTA Swim Team is sponsored by Arena USA and Kiefer Aquatics. Please review the list below to make sure you have all the equipment and merchandise that you need to start the season:
  • Secure all necessary equipment and mark your swimmer’s name on each piece
  • Pick up your 2025-2026 team suit at Kiefer Aquatics by October 31st using this voucher
  • Check out YOTA merch for swimmers and parents through our online team store (U: YOTA P: Swim) Note: This is where you can buy your favorite YOTA trucker hats!

Swim Meet Volunteers & Officials  

The start of every new season brings new experiences for both our swimmers and our YOTA parents. One of the most important things that YOTA parents do throughout the year is volunteer at our many meets - especially the meets that we host as a team. We cannot run meets without volunteers so having a team full of parents who step up to contribute to these events is crucial.
We know it can be nerve wracking for many parents to volunteer at first since many are scared to mess up or negatively impact a swimmer’s race or experience. Please do not let this fear stop you! Once you start volunteering, you will quickly learn from our family of volunteers and each experience will give you more confidence to volunteer more in the future. In an effort to help ease some worries headed into our first meet, we have provided some descriptions of common volunteer positions below:
  • Timers: time the swimmers during races. You are the back-up to the timing system. We will train you!
  • Runners: work with the meet admin team during the meet, post results, get back-up times from timers when needed, help bring snacks and drinks to stationary meet workers
  • Computer: help process the results (requires some training) - if you work with computers and know a little about swimming it is easy to pick up
  • Hospitality: we provide snacks and meals for meet volunteers - this position helps organize the hospitality room and brings snacks and drinks to coaches, timers and meet admin
  • Meet Marshalls: monitor the pool deck to ensure that it remains a safe and clean environment
  • Bullpen/Kid Pushers: organize the swimmers in each heat in their lane order before sending them behind the blocks 
  • Officials: this position requires training through USA swimming. If you are interested please let your Site Director know!
Ready to get started? Our YOTA Intrasquad meet serves as a practice meet for our young swimmers and is a great opportunity to practice volunteering as well. Sign up to volunteer at our YOTA Intrasquad Meet HERE! 

North Carolina Swimming Spotlight  

Congratulations to these YOTA swimmers for earning NCS All Star and/or Top 5 Status! To find out more about these highlights check out the North Carolina Swimming Website!
NCS All Star:
Michael White
NCS Top 5:
Ben Lei 
Blake Zimmerman
Evan Hepburn
Evie Metz
Jax Garrett
Juliet Christopherson
McKaleigh Keough
Michael White
Miles Ayres 
Looking Ahead 
  • September 12-14: Senior Leadership Camp at Camp Seafarer (Senior Level Athletes)
  • September 28: YOTA Intrasquad meet at the Taylor Family YMCA (Age Group Level Athletes)
  • October 10-12: TYDE Andy Craver Invitational at the Greensboro Aquatic Center (All YOTA Athletes) 
One Vision, One Team: UNITY footer

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