Thomas Matheis '24 Recruiting Profile

My diving career has been full of countless ups and downs. This ranges from my mom passing away a year ago, almost quitting dive, to becoming the first-ever high diving national champion. After all of this, the message that I have been left with is my love of diving. From my point of view, diving isn’t about how good you are, what dives you can do, or even about how you place at meets. All that matters in this sport is your love for diving and how hard you’re willing to work. I will not lie and say that I have always put 100% into this sport. There have been days where I get to practice and all I want to do is sit in the hot tub. There have been days where I can’t even bring myself to come practice at all. I have faced judgment from teammates and even judgment from parents and coaches. I know divers who have dropped out of school because their parents want them to pursue the sport. That is not what diving should be about. At the end of the day, I would rather live my best life and come to practice with positive energy, with the desire to simply be a better diver. This sport is not about any singular day, practice, competition, or dive. This sport is about the journey, and that journey is going to be your story. To any diver reading this, what is your story? Do you want to be remembered as a diver who was perfect,  showed up to every practice, always made it to nationals, and gave up everything to pursue the sport? Or do you want to be remembered as a diver who maybe did not show up to every practice, but always brought positive energy? Who maybe didn’t make it to nationals but made every competition memorable? Who maybe didn’t want to give up everything to move across the country to become a Division I diver, but instead wanted to stay close to their family and go to a Division III school? For me, I would much rather be remembered for who I am, not for what I did. I may not be the best diver, I may not even be in the top 100. I’ve helped pave the way for high diving, a sport that is not in the Olympics and is not even a college sport. The difference is that because of my contributions, maybe one day a young diver will have to chance to high dive in the Olympics and in college. Because of this reason, I am perfectly fine to not be considered the best diver. I am perfectly fine going to a small Division III school. I am perfectly fine only competing springboard. My enjoyment for this sport exceeds my desire to be the best. My goal is to live a diverse, fun, and positive life, and I believe that progress and success will come along the way.