Our Athlete of the Week is Matthew Sccichitano, a captain of the Varsity Swim Team for the Wolves.

What made you start swimming?

My sister was a swimmer. Originally I played basketball, hockey, baseball, soccer, but then I moved, so I was looking for a new sport and  because my sister swam, so I joined the swim club team and yeah,

How long have you been swimming?

For 10 years? 11 years? Yeah, a long time.

Why do you enjoy swimming so much?

To be honest, I didn’t really enjoy it until I started swimming and racing.  But I never really, really enjoyed it until sophomore year and I started working really hard and I got a lot faster. Just seeing my hard work leading to success was really huge for me.

Speaking of practice, how many practices do you go to in a week?

Well, it depends on the time of year but like, right now I’m doing 16 hours a week and then I get to summertime. It’d be two days every day.

How long are the practices?

So it’d be like two hours in the morning, and then two hours on Monday, Wednesday, Friday nights. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturday mornings are two hours as well. And then the gym for like two hours.

How early do you wake up for morning practices?

My club team is at Regis High School at 5:30. I wake up at like 5:00, sometimes 4:30.

How many calories do you burn in a day?

Probably 3000 to 4000, You gotta eat a lot.

How do you deal with all that calorie loss?

Well, I have 3 to 4 really solid meals and then I just try to eat as much as I can. I eat a lot more than a normal person.

Is there anything that you do to deal with the early mornings?

I mean, you just kind of go to sleep earlier, but sometimes you have to deal with it. Sometimes you just got to wake up early.

Are you excited for the Grandview season this year? 

I am. I mean we’ve had a couple of good meets but I mean, we definitely have some bigger meets coming up that I’m really excited about.

You already played Creek and Overland, but are there any teams that scare you at all?

I mean, Creeks really good. Smoky is really good but I think  we are also really good. I think when all of us are at our best we can compete with anyone. We’re gonna be able to compete with all these really good teams.

Do you expect this year to be a pretty good year?

Yeah. I mean, my sophomore year was our best year and we beat them last year. It was the best year ever in high school history. And then this year, I think we’re gonna have an even better year so yeah.

What events do you swim?

I swim 100 breaststroke mostly, but I am kind of everything but specifically 100. I also am a part of a couple medleys.

Have you broken any records here at Grandview or any other pools?

Yeah, so I broke the team record in the 100 breaststroke last year. And then me and three other guys broke the medley relay last year as well. This year early on, we set the record here at Grandview in the 400 medley.

Do you have any goals for this year?

I think team goals, we definitely want to get top five in state. For me specifically, I want to get top five in all my individuals and relays included.

What’s your favorite memory from the team?

A lot. I think overall my favorite memories are team dinners, or just team functions when we’re all together outside of the pool. I mean practices are fun. meets are fun. But when we all connect outside of the water, even when it’s just playing spike-ball or something at someone’s house, it’s just the best memories you have. Or driving around with friends.

How’s the team chemistry and how would you describe it?

This year I think it’s the best of all my four years. I think we are a really good team this year and theirs is not really a division between varsity and JV. I think we’re all one team. I like that. 

Do you have any plans for college?

Yeah, I actually just think I’m going to commit here soon. I’m not gonna say where but, I got an email today.