Rocky Mount, Va. (November 8, 2018) - The Franklin County YMCA Riptide swim team hosted its first home meet of the season on November 3^rd, 2018. The YMCAs who were among the participants were Altavista YMCA, Bedford YMCA, and Southside YMCA. The FCFY Riptide swimmers took first place for the boys, girls and combined categories.

Several swimmers improved in all 3 individual events that they competed in. Team coaches announced this year’s team captains at the beginning of the home meet and those captains are Age Group Elite swimmer Gabe Lester, Senior Elite swimmer Alec Dow, Senior Elite swimmer Mallorie Teer and Senior Elite swimmer Allison Teer.

“The team captains play an important role for the Riptide swim team and I think this year’s captains will do a great job. They were all a tremendous help at our first home meet. Guiding new swimmers where to go, cheering on the team, being great role models and representatives of what it means to be a Riptide swimmer. I am very proud of the captains and am very excited to watch them grow into the great leaders I know they can be.” said Head Coach JT Boyd.

These meets would be impossible without the parents and community members who volunteer their time. The Franklin County YMCA Riptide swim team is hosting a big invitational on Saturday December 8, 2018 and invites all community members to come and watch or help support your local YMCA kids!

All YMCA members age 5 to 21 can participate and are welcome try out any scheduled practice day. You can get more information on this and other programs at the Franklin County Family YMCA!

Rocky Mount, Va. (August 1, 2018) – The Franklin County Family YMCA Riptide swim team hosted an “end of summer” swim meet this past Friday night. Altavista, Danville, and Eden YMCA swimmers came and joined in the fun. The lights were dimmed and 100’s of glow sticks lit up the pool area and even the pool itself. The swim meet started out around 10:00pm. Participants got creative and made things from necklaces, bracelets, crowns, and chain links to wear while swimming.

“The whole night was filled with smiles and laughter. The kids, lifeguards, coaches and parents had a really great time, and I am glad we could host such a fun meet for the teams,” said Riptide Head Coach JT Boyd

The YMCA Riptide swim team competes regionally and averages around 40 swimmers. The Y team is great for children who want to develop their swim skills or want to be a little more competitive. Swimmers that have participated in the program have gone on to swim at the high school and collegiate level.

“The Y is grateful for all the volunteer parents that helped with the meet on Friday and we are proud of what Y swimmers have accomplished this year and are excited to see what the future holds for them!” says Kameron Kitts Aquatics Director

By: Andrew McClung with Virginia First

MONETA, Va. (July 18, 2018) - When you think of basketball camp, you think of shooting hoops, and perfecting your skills. Probably not of Indianapolis Colts head coach, Frank Reich. 

Reich is a new resident to Smith Mountain Lake, and he says the way he got to camp wasn't very typical.

"Actually just getting gas on a jet ski on the lake and was asked by the owner of the marina, who I've become friends with, to come over here today," Reich said.

It was someone campers were excited to hear from.

"It was really cool to meet a head coach of an NFL team," said camper Isaiah Keep.

"It was pretty cool you know, have a guy who just won the super bowl, and now just got hired as a head coach in the NFL," said camper Thomas Dean.

Reich had a simple message for the camp.

"Really about setting your eye on the prize. Having a clear goal in life, striving towards that goal, surrounding yourself with teammates, who will help and can work together towards that goal, talked about that in life in general, but then we also talked about that in our Christian life. What that means as a Christian, to keep our eyes on Christ, to keep focused on him and so we were able to tie those two together today," Reich said.

Even though Reich is a football coach, his message was still relatable to campers.

"He made it relevant to us, he had a couple of basketball stories that he put in," Dean said.

Coach loved being there as much as the kids loved having him.

"As a guy who was very involved in sports as a player and a coach, it's fun to come over and give back, just kinda share a few of the life lessons that you learn over the years. And then obviously this camp was able to share the Christian testimony side of things on how that has played into my life over the years. So that was a lot of fun to be able to do," said Reich

For the entire interview click here. 

Rocky Mount, Va. (July 23, 2018) – The Franklin County Family YMCA announced today that they have appointed a new Wellness Director for the organization. Kristina Palmer has worked for the Y, for around a year, as a fitness adviser and group exercise instructor. She takes on her new role with not only a fitness background but with strong experience in leadership and business.

“Kristina brings a lot of great ideas and skills to the table. We are excited to see everything she accomplishes for our members in the coming years,” says Kevin McAlexander CEO of the YMCA.

Kristina lives in the area with her husband Jason and children Gavin, Sage, Mia, Corbin and Caden. The YMCA is home to over 5,000 members and serves not only as a location for fitness and aquatics but focuses on mission based programming that improves the lives of seniors, children, veterans and families in Franklin County.

“I’m extremely honored to accept this position and excited to bring positive change to our YMCA! Even though I am not native to Franklin County, I consider this place my home and want to make a difference in our area. I hope to introduce new programs and ideas to our facility that will positively impact the community. The YMCA is the backbone to our county, and my plan is to increase support to members’ health and wellness needs. I am ecstatic to be a part of this growth!” says Kristina.

Rocky Mount, Va. (July 18, 2018) – The Franklin County Family YMCA announced today that American National bank has continued its support of Y-Splash, the Y’s second grade swim program. All public school second graders are taught essential lifesaving swim skills over the course of the two week class. The program is vital because it gives all children a chance to develop swim skills, instills a love of swimming in young people, and teaches best practices for safety around water.

“The program costs over $30,000 annually to implement so it is essential for community minded businesses and individuals to provide support. It’s a great example of Franklin County coming together to support our kids,” says Aquatics Director Kameron Kitts.

Y-Splash is going into its fifth year this fall and has taught over 2,000 students since beginning. Instruction in the program centers on teaching basic water safety and swim skills. The goal is to teach all children enrolled to be able to prevent water emergencies and how to save themselves if they do occur. However, for children who already know how to swim, they learn to perfect their technique and develop knowledge of Olympic swimming strokes. So the program meets swimmers at their level.

“As far as I’m concerned if we can save one child, it’s worth it,” says Todd Hammock, Market President with American National Bank.
Classes start on August 13th and anyone who wants to support the program can contact Kameron Kitts at the Franklin County Family YMCA at 540-489-9622 or visit the Y’s website.