Matt McCormack had everything it took to become a good swimmer except the right body temperature.
There was a time when the Lawrence High senior wasn’t too satisfied with the heating system at a local college’s pool. When his family moved to New Jersey, they signed McCormack up for swimming lessons at The College of New Jersey at age 6.
“I said ‘OK, I’ll go,’ but when I got there I was afraid to go in the water,” he said. “I said, ‘This water is too cold, I can’t do this.’ So they had to cancel the lesson.”
Fortunately for the Lawrence High swim team, McCormack rectified that situation and is now one of the Cardinals’ lead performers.
“As a freshman he was just a little guy with a big heart, and now he has really grown into that heart,” coach Mike Underwood said. “He’s still got that same heart, he gives you everything he’s got, but he’s definitely grown up over four years. He’s now a thick, strong kid.”
Several years after his chilly start, McCormack’s parents introduced him to Pennington Aquatics coach Lynn Shields, who has been McCormack’s coach ever since. Since then, he has turned into a solid 200 freestyler and backstroker, although Underwood said Matt can also do sprints if need be.
Ironically, Lawrence’s first meet of McCormack’s freshman year was against Notre Dame, which uses TCNJ as its home pool.
“I kind of laughed about that,” he said. “I was afraid to go in the water there and now, here I am on the high school team swimming my first meet there.”
McCormack began his career taking lessons from Shields and joining the Lawrence Swimming Association at age 8. From there he moved to the Lawrence Lightning of the Princeton Area Swimming and Diving Association before ending up at Pennington Aquatics.
“Pennington Aquatics isn’t like the Eastern Express (a highly intense club),” McCormack said. “But it’s still out-of-season and helps prepare me for the high school season.”
When McCormack showed up for his first high school practice, Underwood was immediately impressed with the little guy.
“I was never hesitant with him because of his size, because he always had the mindset that ‘Today is good but it’s going to get better tomorrow,’” Underwood said. “You could tell he was going to be a star in the future. This year he has definitely come into his own. He doesn’t mince words and he doesn’t have to use a lot of words to get his point across. Whenever they need motivation I say, ‘Look at Matt at practice and you’ll get it.’”
McCormack was nervous that he might not get a varsity letter as a freshman. He started in a few relays before being put in individual races midway through the season. In the Cardinals’ final meet that year, he reached his season-long goal of getting 20 points, which qualified him as a varsity swimmer.
Because of his size, McCormack’s speed was somewhat limited as a freshman. But he had a huge growth spurt prior to his sophomore year and easily gained varsity status that season. McCormack said he’s packed on 30 to 40 pounds and grew about six inches since his freshman year. Last year he blossomed, joining the Cardinals’ single-season 100-point club.
This year he is poised for even more.
“I did CrossFit this past fall and that was first time I did heavy lifting,” McCormack said. “I do see a big difference in my swimming. I feel stronger. I’m able to kick harder and pull harder.”
Underwood sees the difference, too.
“Last year was kind of his breakout year point-wise,” he said. “This year, you can already tell he’s going to have a big year. He’s grown up, he’s got some muscle on him. He’s a true swimmer now.”
The goal for both coach and swimmer is for McCormack to get to the final 12 in the Mercer County meet for the first time.
“I’m hoping I can finally make it to the second day,” McCormack said. “I’ve been close but I’ve never actually gone back.”
What’s impressive about McCormack, however, is that if he does not make it back, it won’t devastate him. That is because he has witnessed first-hand what true devastation is.
He is a member of the National Honor Society (with a 4.1 GPA), plays clarinet and is involved with two philanthropic organizations—Operation Smile and Students Helping Honduras. This past summer he went to Honduras with his old Spanish teacher, a cousin and a few friends and they rebuilt a school in the village that was destroyed by a hurricane.
“That was eye opening,” he said. “I had never traveled to a third-world country. After seeing those conditions and how they have lived, it really opened my eyes to how great I actually have it. I definitely take things a lot easier now. The little things I used to worry about, they aren’t really a worry for me. I know somewhere else people have it worse than I do.”
The experience also helped shape McCormack’s career path.
“I haven’t really decided what I want to major in at college, but my ultimate goal is that I want to be in the Peace Corps,” he said. “I want to work for non-profit organizations for other countries. That’s where my passion is.”
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