Imprint Exclusive: Skating Through College

The 25-year-old from Peoria, Illinois is ranked fourth in the country and was the alternate for the U.S. Olympic Team in 2002. Savoie earned his undergraduate degree from Bradley University in political science, and a master in urban planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The injury, in a way, helped me focus more on school. I felt like I had so much energy invested on the ice, and nothing in other productive areas."
-Matt Savoie, after knee surgery kept him off the ice and in the classroom

In a sport where so many young skaters work with tutors and do not pursue higher education until after retirement, Savoie stands out among his competition.

"It was easy for me to decide to go to Bradley," Savoie explained. "It was right across the street from the house I grew up in. There was really no reason not to."

Although it was difficult to be absent from classes - sometimes for weeks at a time due to competitions - Savoie found his professors to be understanding of his situation. He was also able to schedule his courses in the morning so he could dedicate the afternoons to skating.

"I’m not really a morning person, with respect to athletics," Savoie said.

A typical training afternoon includes four hours of practice, both on and the off ice.

"I skate for about two hours a day, five days a week," Savoie said. "I do a half hour of stretching, usually different routines that I learned from training camps for skating and from yoga. Then I alternate between cardiovascular and interval training and weight training."

Savoie’s practice schedule became more complicated when he began graduate school at UIUC.

"Some required classes were only offered at one time, and my skating had to adapt," Savoie said."I could only get ice time at UIUC for four hours each week, and I was driving about three hours a week to work with my coaches Linda Brenan and Gene Hefron in Peoria."

Savoie decided to go to graduate school after he had surgery on his knee two years ago.

"The injury, in a way, helped me focus more on school. I felt like I had so much energy invested on the ice, and nothing in other productive areas."