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Greetings, YOTA!
It is hard to believe that we have already reached the end of June. Time flies when you’re having fun and swimming fast! I hope you enjoy reading through an overview of what we have been up to lately.
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Visit the New DynaDomeThe Taylor Family YMCA DynaDome is officially open! The new covering, which replaced “the bubble” will serve as the new mobile covering for the Jean and Dick Ladd Aquatics Center. The project has been planned for many years, was slowed by the pandemic, and caused the Taylor YOTA Site to be displaced to the NW Cary YMCA, but the renovations are now complete! To celebrate the grand opening of the DynaDome and to share YOTA’s appreciation for the new facility, YOTA swimmers Beth Satterfield and her daughter Carter were invited to share a few words: “Honestly, we could talk for hours about the friendships that we’ve made in and around this pool - the many lessons learned, the laughter, the tears, and the character that has been built in between those lane lines.” I encourage you to review the entirety of Beth and Carter’s speech here to truly understand the extensive impact that this pool makes upon the YOTA program. If you haven't already been, please visit the marvel of the DynaDome this summer!
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Team Outing: Durham BullsThe Durham Bulls Swim Team Night was an out-of-the-park home run! It was great to see so many swimmers and their families attend the game and enjoy one another’s company away from the pool deck. The YOTA “sea of purple” filled the stands and cheered the Bulls on to a win. We hope to do more team events like this in the future - let us know if you have any suggestions!
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Meet Recaps:- ECA Beach Meet, YBAC Spring Invite, & Martha McKee Open: Toward the end of May, YOTA athletes divided and conquered throughout the state of North Carolina. We had our Senior and Age Group Select-level athletes competing at the ECA Beach Meet in Morehead City and at the Martha Mckee Charlotte Open in Charlotte, while our Age Group-level athletes raced in Greensboro at the YBAC Spring Invite. Though we were spread out, we remained united and strong as we got a head start on some fast long course racing.
- NCS Open Water Championships: YOTA had a great showing at the NCS Open Water Championships at Lake Echo this year! It was a beautiful day on the water and our athletes raced very well. Congratulations to all who competed and the shoutout to the following swimmers who finished in the top 16 in their respective race categories: Gabe DeVizia (9th, 13-14 Men’s 3K), David Whalen (14th, Open Men’s 3K), Elodie Mitchell (7th, Open Women’s 3K), Maddy Cox (16th, 13-14 Women’s 3K), Luke Ramsey (16th, Open Men’s 2K), Baxter Caress (7th, 11-12 Men’s 2K), Jackson Garrett (9th, 11-12 Men’s 2K), Alexander Hummel (10th, 11-12 Men’s 2K), Breanna Smith (6th, Open Women’s 2K), Elodie Mitchell (10th, Open Women’s 2K), Yasmine Kwong (11th, Open Women’s 2K), Megan Legarth (16th, Open Women’s 2K), Leah Platts-Mills (14th, 11-12 Women’s 2K), Liam McElhannon (14th, Open Men’s 800), Benjamin Lei (8th, 10&U Men’s 800), Dylan Landis (10th, 10&U Men’s 800). Check out the full results here!
- SwimRVA Invitational: YOTA Swim Team = 2022 SwimRVA Invitational CHAMPIONS! 205 YOTA athletes made their way to Richmod, VA this past weekend for a quick business trip and they did not mess around. This was an outstanding weekend of racing for all and has created the momentum we need as we roll into our championship meets. Congratulations to Benjamin Lei and Alana Schneider for scoring the most points in their competition categories, and to Juliet Christopherson, Ellis Carroll, and Campbell Lange for winning high-point runner-up! YOTA scored a total of 7,287.5 points, placing first by over 2000 points. The cup is ours until next year!
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June is Pride Month!Pride Month is celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Riots in Manhattan. The Stonewall Riots marked the beginning of the Pride Movement in the United States. After facing continued harassment from local police at the Stonewall Inn, a bar for the LGBTQ+ community in New York City, a group of LGBTQ+ patrons decided to take a stand against the discrimination they regularly faced. These events, known as the Stonewall Riots, inspired a movement to end discrimination against all LGBTQ+ people in the US. One year later, Pride marches were held in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles to commemorate their brave stance against homophobia, transphobia and racism. Today, Pride events are held in cities and towns across the country. These festivals and parades are an opportunity to celebrate progress in the LGBTQ+ movement and acknowledge the steps that we must still make to have all LGBTQ+ persons achieve full equality.
In honor of Pride Month, Coach Jamie wrote an article that was recently published by USA Swimming. Check it out here!
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Looking Ahead- July Letter From The Director: Annual celebration content (flipboook & slideshows)
- July 8 - 10: MOR Long Course Qualifier Meet at the Optimist Park Pool (Coach's Discretion)
- July 14 - 17: NCS Long Course Age Group Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center (Qualified Athletes)
- July 26 - 30: ISCA Summer Senior Blast Meet in St. Petersburg, Florida (Qualified Senior/AGS Athletes)
- July 28 - 31: Tar Heel State Championships at Koury Natatorium (All athletes)
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