Lapping the Competition

Matt Kane defies the stereotype of the lazy teenager.

Here's a typical weekday for the 17-year-old senior swimmer at Cosumnes Oaks High School:

• Up at 4:30 a.m. for swim practice at Arden Hills in Sacramento.
• A commute back to Elk Grove for school, including honors classes
• An additional swim practice after school
• School activities, including one of or a mixture of the robotics team, student council, National Honor Society and Mathletes
• In the door at 8:30 p.m., just in time to do homework

“I don’t have much personal time,” Kane explained, “but that’s the way I like it.”

And he’s mastering it all. Thanks to his 4.45 overall grade point average and his commitment to extra-curricular activities, Kane will attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point next year, where he will walk on as a swimmer.

For now, Kane competes for the Cosumnes Oaks team in the 500-free, 200-free and the 100-fly. He swims year-round for Arden Hills Swimming, a renowned program in the Sacramento area, competing in the 200-fly and the 1,000-free.

His accomplishments through his junior season include: four-time Sac Joaquin Section finalist, five-time Capital Valley Conference all-league winner and Most Valuable Player of his Cosumnes Oaks team in 2009 and 2010.  This season, he has won most of his events so far and has already qualified for sections.

Kane says he only has three weeks off from swimming per year. So does he ever envy his fellow teenagers who embrace the slothful sleeping-in, hanging-out lifestyle?

“Occasionally I miss it,” he said. “But those rare occasions when I may have a week off of swimming and I have nothing to do, it’s only bearable for a week or two. Then I get bored, like, ‘What am I doing?’ and I have to get busy again.”

Kane managed to squeeze in some time to speak with Elk Grove Patch about swimming and his plans for military school.

What do you enjoy about swimming?

Pushing myself everyday in practice, working hard for a goal and then achieving it at the end of the season or down the road. It’s really exciting to touch that wall and beat a time. It makes me feel real good.

Swimming is such a 'you vs. yourself' type of sport. Do you enjoy that aspect?

Yes, it makes it more difficult. Usually at the meets that matter, it’s your mentality that gets in the way and how you approach the race. If you train hard, you’re going to physically be there. But mentally, are you there? It’s hard to control your emotions. You want to get pumped up, but not too pumped up.

What changes when you get too pumped up?

Then you could swim the race poorly. In mid-distance, maybe you go out too fast and realize, ‘Wow, I have 10 laps to go’ and start falling off. When you also overthink it, you could mess up your breathing pattern or your stroke.

So there’s an element of being calm that’s important. How do you maintain that?

Usually I warm up before my race and feel the water, and try not to think about it that much. Just work on my pacing in the warm-up pool before and focus on what I am doing right now.

How early do you usually get up in the morning to swim?

At 4:30 a.m. three days a week. They start at 5:15 a.m. and it’s about a 20-30 minute commute [to Arden Hills] so I wake up earlier. Then I also have practices in the afternoon. And Saturday mornings too. It takes up a lot of time.

Then you must really love it?

Yeah, I do. A lot. It’s really rewarding.

How cold is that water in the morning?

It’s not bad. The pool is heated. And we do a lot of CrossFit in the morning: running, pushups, burpees. That gets me pretty hot. Then, it’s nice jumping in the pool. In the winter though, it’s cold.

Any moments so far this season that you are particularly proud of?

The first meet of the season I was able to get some pretty good times. Not my best times, but for being the first meet of the season I got close to my goal times and got a good seed for sections.

What made you select West Point?

The opportunity of it all. The great education and to serve in the military after that. It’s a great opportunity.

Had you always been interested in the military?

No, I hadn’t. I first got interested in it the spring of junior year. I researched it and visited a lot and fell in love with it.

Do you have a specific goal in the military?

I want to stay in the military as long as I am happy and feel what I am doing is important. If that’s a career, then it’s a career. If it’s five years, it’s five years.

There are certainly a lot of similarities in the commitment to swimming and a commitment to the military.

Swimming has prepared me for West Point and has made me the person who I am today because of the commitment and dedication that is required. It teaches me to follow things through and try my best at everything.