By Ben Goodman ’16, Staff Writer

The bell rings, signaling the end of the school day at Newark Academy, but sophomore Matt Wei’s day is far from over. A lengthy, grueling swimming practice lies ahead, where Matt will swim lap after lap with his Men’s Varsity Swimming teammates. By the time he finally exits the building, it will be 6:00 PM or later, and piles of homework still await him.

Clearly, the swimmer’s life at Newark Academy poses challenges in all aspects, so Matt was asked to explain his motivation and perspective on swimming. Matt first learned to swim because he knew the ability could save his life. Starting in 6^th grade, Matt swam competitively, and has gotten better and better since then. Though he focuses on a variety of strokes and participates in the team’s relay, his main focus is the 100-meter butterfly. His steady improvement, and swimming’s lasting benefits, has encouraged Matt to maintain his hard work. “To be honest, training is tough, and sometimes I don’t want to continue,” he said candidly, “but (swimming) is good for my health, and it feels good to improve.”

Matt enjoys the team aspect provided by Newark Academy’s program. The men’s team “bonds very well” and is “a fun team to be on,” according to Matt, who additionally praised the intensity of practices as a key contributor to the squad’s increased success over the last two years. The practices can be demanding because swimming itself is a tiring sport; to develop, swimmers have to complete endurance challenges that tax both the lungs and the muscles. The grueling practices have paid off as the team began the year with a solid 4-3 record. Their goal, as a relay team, is to qualify for either the state tournament or the Meet of Champions.

As a member of the swim team at Newark Academy, Matt has less time to rest, and less time to prepare for the arduous task of studying for tests. He admits, “I think I have been swimming less because of all the work I have at NA (Calculus, Physics, AP US History and more)… I don’t get much sleep.” While he intends to keep up his athletic activity, Matt does have his priorities set. Push come to shove, he would commit to academics rather than swimming because “academics will help me in the long run.” Still, Matt hopes he will never have to cross that bridge. His goal for the rest of the season is to do well in school while staying fit, improving as a swimmer, and involving himself in other extra-curricular activities. That should be enough to fill Matt’s schedule.