STILL Kicking

Swimming World Magazine, Jun 2005 by Whitten, Phillip

Featuring - Matt Biondi

Without question, Matt Biondi was one of the greatest swimmers ever to don a racing suit. (Check out "By the Numbers," and you'll see why) Nowadays, Matt's identity is teacher, husband, dad and community member.

Swimming World Magazine caught up with Matt recently in Waimea, Hawaii, where "Mr. Biondi" teaches algebra, math foundations, history, videography and a course on "personal excellence" at the Parker School.

"I really enjoy teaching," Matt says, "and I've learned that, to be effective, I've got to hook the kids emotionally I've also learned that the highest compliment my students can pay me is to say, 'Mr. Biondi is nice.' By that they mean: 'He challenges me, he's fair and he understands me.'

Matt has also become the quintessential husband and dad. He and Kirsten met in 1993 at Cal, where both were members of the swim team. "Our first date was Feb. 5, 1993," he says, "and two years later we were married. Our official anniversary is in August, but we both celebrate Feb. 5."

The couple has two young boys: Nate, 6, who "swims the traditional strokes;" and Lucas, 2-1/2, who "just recently dog-paddled across the pool for the first time."

Matt, who works out an hour three mornings a week and occassionally swims in open water races, says he'd like his sons to become swimmers, "but the important thing is to do something they love and do it well."

Matt says, "Seoul was an enormous success in every way. For a brief moment in time, I was an American hero.

"Perspective has shown me that what's important is not that fleeting moment, but the journey and your attitude on the journey Thomas Edison tried 2,000 times before he invented the incandescent light bulb, and history records that triumph. But I would bet that for Edison, the real triumph was the process, complete with his 1,999 failures.

"I'm a better husband, father and teacher today because I feel so fortunate to have enjoyed a marvelous journey. It was a magic journey, fueled by my love of swimming, a journey that began when I was 5 years old."

Check out Swimming World Interactive at: www.SwimmingWorldMagazine.com to learn more about Matt Biondi: his role in paving the way for today's professional swimmers, his admiration of today's superstars as well as his memories of his swimming career.