“Sometimes there is a moment where everything flushes out of you, and you just hear the water moving, and you think the only thing standing in your way is you.”

We recently caught up with sophomore Matt Cormier, who is on the swimming and diving team. He says the sport does much for him: It releases energy that allows him to concentrate on studying, and the pool provides a sense of relaxation despite all the hard work.

He also described swimming as providing “a feeling that you want to achieve more. And sometimes there is a moment where everything flushes out of you, and you just hear the water moving, and you think the only thing standing in your way is you.”

He has been swimming for about 10 years and primarily does breaststroke, individual medley (IM), and distance events.

Matt went to the Renbrook School before considering multiple boarding schools for high school. He says that a Pelican Preview Day clinched the decision for him and his family.

Hometown: Avon, Conn.

Year: Sophomore

Activities: Swimming and diving team member. Ran cross country and did track & field freshman year.

Favorite place on campus: “The library, a quiet place to get work done. The SNUG is a fun place to play pool with friends, get something to eat. And obviously the pool.”

Favorite food: Chicken and pasta or chicken and rice.

Favorite snack: Pocky sticks unless he’s thinking more of “athletic snacks,” then it is Belvita biscuits or fruit snacks.

If you could invite anyone to dinner, who would it be? Lewis Hamilton, his favorite Formula One driver. Hamilton has won a record-tying seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles. Matt and his father enjoy watching the sport. For a time, Matt and his family lived in Singapore, where his father worked for Pratt & Whitney. Matt has seen the Singapore Grand Prix as well as Grand Prix events in Italy and Miami.

What has changed you in your time here? Last fall Matt ran cross country. This fall he decided to concentrate on swimming and is doing an Independent Study Project in swimming. Matt swims in the morning on the weekend and at night during the week and is keeping a journal. “Over the summer when I was deciding whether to run cross country or swim, my [cross country coach Andrew Bartlett] reached out to me. I asked if we could talk, and when I told him I was going to concentrate on swimming, he said he understood, that he supported the decision, and that if I ever wanted to come back to cross country, things would be the same. That showed me that the coaches here, the faculty here, have your back.”

What is your favorite season: It’s between summer and winter. The summer weather, he says, allows for outdoor activities, but winter allows time to be inside enjoying family, bringing you closer.