Youth Development Stories

We served a total of 44 children during our two-week Winter Break Camp. The days were filled with holiday magic, including a special visit from Santa and creative projects like painting cookie plates and building custom gingerbread houses. Campers stayed active with swimming and puzzles, and enjoyed a festive field trip to the Walhalla Performing Arts Center to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Fall Break Camp at the Y the week of October 6 was full of smiles, adventures, and new friendships! We welcomed 27 amazing campers who enjoyed a week packed with creativity and connection. Our younger group had an especially fun day out playing at The Wild Child and topping it off with a sweet treat from The Sweet Spoon! We love seeing our campers grow, explore, and make memories together.

SC Swimming Senior State Championships: Alex Burkhart (6th 400 IM), Mary Greene (2nd 1500 free, 4th 200 back), Zane Ross (6th 200 fly), Ellie Russell (8th 400 IM). Women’s Relays secured multiple top-10 finishes.

SC Swimming Age Group State Championships: Audrey Burkhart captured 1st in both the 1500 and 800 freestyle races! Top performances were also turned in by Isaac Clay, Gabe Hamon, Zoee Palmer, Jaylen Takow, and the Boy’s 13-14 Medley relays.

YMCA Long Course Championships: Mary Greene, Luke Hamon, and Jay Owens represented FAY strong with several top-20 finishes nationwide, with Jay Owens finishing 10th in the 50 and 200 backstroke events.

Celebrating its fifth year, this program brings 3rd-grade classes from all 10 local elementary schools and middle school special education classes to learn life-saving water safety skills. Focused heavily on survival habits like “Reach or Throw, Don’t Go!”, PFD usage, and group rescue formations, the dynamic initiative functions largely via dedicated local volunteers (averaging 21 ‘Deck Angels’ a day!).

Our 2025 season was an unforgettable success! Thanks to community generosity, children enjoyed specialized partner collaborations all summer: STEM fun with the Duke World of Energy, live shows via the Walhalla Performing Arts Center, animal presentations from the Riverbanks Zoo, and healthy cooking demos powered by Clemson’s SNAP-Ed program.

For the first time, FAY took the helm hosting this legendary event on June 7th. Swimmers ranging from 6 to 75 years old competed in 5K, 3K, 1K, and 0.5K races. FAY structural athletes secure seven top-10 performances overall, featuring landmark 1st and 2nd place sweeps from Mary Greene and Audrey Burkhart in the girls 13-14 5K field.

Chelsea Burkhart and Jay Owens have set an inspiring example by continuing their academic and athletic journeys at Cleveland State University and Converse University respectively. Their commitment, perseverance, and love for their sport have left an incredible mark on our swim team, embodying the spirit of excellence both on and off the field.

Our short-course season concluded with thirteen athletes competing at Regionals in Virginia and five moving forward to YMCA Nationals in Greensboro, NC. Notably, Jay Owens placed top 24 in the nation for the 200 backstroke, earning a USA Swimming Futures time. Graduating senior Chelsea Burkhart brought home the ultimate honor—the nationwide Adolf Kiefer Youth Character Award, honoring her focus on the YMCA core values.

We welcomed 25 active campers for indoor and outdoor adventures. Highlights included an exciting field trip to Sweet Retreat in Walhalla for laser tag, mini-golf, and ice cream. Campers also unleashed creative minds by crafting dragonfly magnets, painting inspirational hidden stones to drop around campus, and assembling custom bird feeders to welcome spring weather.

Bringing nearly 90 people together, our campus hosted a fairytale morning featuring a live interactive dance led by our enchanting royalty, a magical Disney sing-along with Elsa, and a royal parade guided by Rapunzel. Young princes and princesses had individual meet-and-greets to snap personal photos and get their crowns officially signed!

The Swim Team excelled in Championship meets. Five athletes (ages 15-18) brought home seven medals from Senior State, with Jay Owens breaking 2 team records (200 & 400 IM). Ten athletes (14 & under) secured 23 medals and 5 top-10 relay finishes at Age Group State. Ellie Russell broke 13-14 girls records in 100 & 200 fly, while Mary Greene broke the 1650 free record, both qualifying for YMCA Nationals!

This program equips students with essential self-rescue skills and basic water safety to help prevent drowning. Drowning remains a serious risk, particularly for youth and underserved communities, but these tragedies are preventable. Our vision is that everyone should have the opportunity to learn how to stay safe in and around water. Watch our highlight video tracking Northside Elementary School’s classes!

Our Swim Team hosted 150 swimmers across 5 separate regional teams at the McHugh Natatorium for a massive 2.5-day USA Swimming challenge. FAY structural athletes hit a spectacular 63% lifetime best time rate! Jay Owens cleanly demolished the 15-18 boys 200y breaststroke team record, while six additional swimmers secured qualification spots ahead of the upcoming State finals.

December 2024: The Foothills Area YMCA Swim Team experienced many changes this year but also achieved numerous accomplishments. The swim team merged with the Clemson Aquatic Team, another local team, to create a stronger, more unified presence in the area. We’ve expanded from swimming at one location to two and have grown significantly. With all these changes, we look forward to the future and the possibilities it holds for swimming in the Upstate.

December 2024: A huge THANK YOU to our incredible SDOC Safety & Survival Swimming Program volunteers! Your dedication, generosity, and enthusiasm are the heart and soul of this program. Every year, all third graders in the School District of Oconee County visit the Foothills Area YMCA to learn essential self-rescue skills and basic water safety. We also have the pleasure of welcoming special education classes from all three Oconee County middle schools. This program wouldn’t be possible without our amazing volunteers—thank you for making it such a success!

2024 Death Valley Open Water – June 17, 2024: A huge shoutout to our 14 Bluefin swimmers who represented us at the 2024 Death Valley Open Water event! Special congratulations to Dean Dial, Jay Owens, Alex Burkhart, Davis Dial, Chelsea Burkhart, AnnMarie Hudak, Audrey Burkhart, and Lana Crain for earning the prestigious Anna C. Sams Award by completing all four events (5K, 3K, 1K, and 0.5K). Way to go, Bluefins!

Zoee Palmer’s Outstanding State Championship Performance – Feb. 22, 2024: Congratulations to Zoee Palmer on an incredible showing at the USA Short Course State Championships! Zoee claimed state titles in the 11-13 50 Back, 100 Back, and 100 IM while also securing a second-place finish in the 50 Free and third-place finishes in the 100 Free, 200 Back, and 50 Fly. Her 50 Back time ranks 28th in the nation among 11-12 girls! Amazing job, Zoee!

We’re so proud of all our Bluefin swimmers for their dedication and achievements—keep making waves!