Matthew Davis, 11, practices his laps during swim team practice at Baylor School. Davis also plays the oboe and sings with the Chattanooga Boys Choir.ABOUT HIM• Name: Matthew Davis.• Age: 11.• Grade: 6th grade.• School: Baylor School.• Hometown: Chattanooga.FUN Q’S• Favorite book: The Harry Potter series and The Hunger Games trilogy.• Favorite movies: “Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part 1” and “… Part 2.”• Celebrity he’d like to meet: Michael Phelps.• Hobbies: Reading, playing cards, swimming and watching other people play video games.• Pets: Five dogs, Pearl, Ace, Storm, Misty and Donut; a bearded dragon, Vladimir; and three sheep, Wynken, Blynken and Nod.• Place he’d like to visit: Tokyo or Istanbul.• Favorite color: Green.TALENT SHOWDo you know a child age 15 or younger with a precocious talent in academics, athletics or the arts? The Times Free Press is searching for children to feature in “Talent Show,” which appears in the Life section on Tuesdays. To nominate a child as a possible subject of a future feature article, e-mail staff writer Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or call him at 423-757-6205.CLAIM TO FAMEMatthew Davis began competitive swimming with the Baylor Swim Club in third grade. This year, he is a member of Baylor’s middle school swimming and diving team. He also is a straight-A student and is singing for his fourth season with the Chattanooga Boys Choir.
Third grade was a game changer for Matthew Davis.
Swimming, a hobby he’d had since he was two years old, became a competitive activity when he joined the Baylor Swim Club. The same year he also was accepted into the Chattanooga Boys Choir and took up the oboe.
Looking back, Matthew, now 11, said he occasionally struggled with juggling commitments.
“Last year and in years before … it was really hard,” he said. “I was staying late and doing homework.”