Matthew Christie, a fifteen year-old Potter’s School sophomore from Scottsdale, Arizona, swims competitively for his local club. Although he began taking swimming lessons from a young age, Matthew did not begin participating in competitive swimming until he was about nine years old. Around then some of his family members introduced him to a swimming club in Idaho. When he moved to Arizona shortly afterwards, he joined the Scottsdale Aquatic Club, where he has now swum for about four years.

Concerning swimming, Matt said, “…sometimes I do ask myself why am I doing this again—especially when it’s 4:30 am on Monday morning. But it’s always satisfying when I [achieve] a goal for a race. And it’s fun to go on the travel meets and hang out with friends at the pool playing basketball after practice.” During the winter and summer, Matthew attends nine practices every week. This includes eight practices on the weekdays, each lasting approximately eighty minutes, and one three-hour session on Saturday.

Despite competing in all strokes, Matthew notes, “My favorite stroke has always been the breast stroke.” Usually he competes in individual medley races for middle distance events, races about 400 or 500 yards long. At the moment Matt has chosen to concentrate on his backstroke and butterfly stroke so he can compete better in those strokes.

Matthew holds the records on his team for 13-14 year-old men’s 200-meter breaststroke at 2:36.39. He has swum on two state winning relay teams. Furthermore, in the state competitions last year Matthew finished second place in the 50, 100, and, 200 meter breaststroke races, unfortunately losing to the same person those three times. He has additionally attended other travel meets in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah.

Matt closed out in response to a question concerning God’s role in his swimming by saying, “I hope I’m using the gifts and talents God has given me to the best of my abilities and to His glory.”