Recaps  

Senior Leadership Camp

Over the weekend of September 18-20, Senior YOTA athletes traveled out to Camp Seafarer for a weekend of team building, training, and personal development. Our athletes were given the opportunity to learn from Dr. Chu, an Associate Professor of Applied Sport Psychology at UNC Greensboro, and his students as they presented a keynote address and workshops that focused on the impact that self compassion has on their success and longevity in this sport. In addition to their work on self compassion, our athletes put in the work during dryland stations, pool workouts, habit practice and leadership workshops. Outside of the hard work, our athletes got to enjoy all the fun that camp has to offer like fishing at the pier and flying down the zipline. What made this weekend really special was the quality time our athletes got to spend together, along with many of their new or existing friends from other North Carolina YMCA teams. As always, it was an awesome way to kick off the year!

YOTA Intrasquad

288 YOTA age group swimmers took over the Taylor Family YMCA on Sunday, October 27 for the YOTA Intrasquad meet! This meet serves as a practice run for our new swimmers and is an opportunity for our more seasoned age group swimmers to get back into racing before we dive into our meets this month. BIG thank you to everyone who volunteered and made the morning the success that it was! Well done, YOTA!

The Annual Campaign

The We All Belong Annual Campaign is one of the most meaningful parts of the YOTA experience. Its purpose is to ensure that every athlete has the opportunity to participate in the YOTA Swim Team, regardless of their family’s financial circumstances. Every dollar raised goes directly toward supporting families who need financial assistance—not salaries, utilities, or overhead.
This campaign sets YOTA apart, not just in our state but across the country. We believe that developing great athletes also means developing compassionate, service-minded individuals who understand the importance of giving back. Through this effort, our athletes and families make a lasting impact on our community and help ensure that everyone belongs.
Each YOTA site has dedicated campaign liaisons to guide and support you throughout the campaign. You’ll hear from them and your coach with more information on how to get involved.
Together, we can make sure every athlete has the opportunity to belong, grow, and thrive!

Coach Spotlight

Get to know our coaches! This month we are highlighting YOTA’s newest Site Director, David Cairns. David serves as our Age Group Site Director at the Taylor Family YMCA.
Q: When did you start coaching? 
A: 2020

Q: What does being a great coach mean to you? 
A: Being a great coach means that I am the conduit that helps the kids learn how to improve themselves on their own and feel like they are owning their accomplishments

Q: What is your favorite part of coaching? 
A: My favorite part of coaching is seeing each swimmer light up upon connecting the dots and realizing that they made progress and figured out something that allowed each swimmer to achieve their goals

Q: What is your favorite event to coach? 
A: The 1000 free

Q: If your personality was a candy, what would it be? 
A: I would be a Reese’s peanut butter cup, as upon seeing a Reese’s peanut butter cup it’s full of excitement on the outside, and on the inside it is full of strong peanut butter substance

SwimStrong Dryland Newsletter 

Check out the SwimStrong Dryland Newsletter! From training and nutrition to new resources, events, and everything happening in the SwimStrong community, we’ll keep you in the loop right here.

North Carolina Swimming Top 5

Congratulations to Aubrey Mitchell, Leo Stevens, Olivia With, and Ryan Sutherland for being honored as North Carolina Swimming Top 5 Athletes!

Looking Ahead

  • October 9-11: TYDE Andy Craver Invitational at the Greensboro Aquatic Center (All YOTA Athletes)
  • October 24: GOLD IMX Meet at the Goldboro Family YMCA (Coaches Discretion)

Quick Links   

YOTA Swim Team | YMCA of the Triangle | USA Swimming | YMCA Red Flag Reporting | SafeSport
One Vision, One Team: UNITY footer

Share this email:
Email Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove®
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.
801 Corporate Center Drive Ste 118
Raleigh, NC | 27607 US
This email was sent to macy.blake@ymcatriangle.org.
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
powered by emma