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Thursday, March 28, 2024

With shoulder pads strapped, life jackets snapped and hockey masks fit snuggly, Cameron Martin and his older brother, Adam, prepared for battle in the backyard.

As one brother grasped the football, the other would gear up to make the tackle. That’s how it was growing up with Adam. 

“He’s a pretty big influence,” Cameron said. “Childhood memories were he and I competing. I definitely attribute a lot of my competitiveness to our relationship.”

Adam went to UCF to play soccer. Two years later, Cameron went to UF thanks to a different talent. 

Now a four-time All-American and a senior at Florida, Martin is trying not to think about graduation in May.

Instead, his focus is on finishing his last season on a high note.

“Perspective for me changed about, ‘What does it mean to go hard? What does it mean to go fast?’” Martin said about his transition to swimming at Florida. “Every time we go to the blocks, we’re expected to be good.” 

Martin said that it was a difficult decision to become a Gator because he was heavily considering attending Harvard. Florida’s prestige under coach Gregg Troy made Martin’s decision easier. Martin also praised UF’s academic reputation for helping him suit up in orange and blue. 

“Looking back now, I appreciate the fact that I can go to school, I can get educated,” he said. “(I’m) definitely glad that I made, in my opinion, the right choice.”  

As a freshman, he struggled to balance swimming with his schoolwork, a hurdle he wasn’t used to at Clearwater Central Catholic High. Martin said he remembers sacrificing sleep to do homework, knowing he had to wake up early for practice.

When he isn’t swimming, he likes to try new things. Martin said he loves arts and crafts and even learned to sew. He fashioned his own sports jacket because he wanted to save money. Martin’s days as a Gators swimmer are dwindling, but he has a loose outline for what he’ll do post-graduation. He said he hopes to get an internship with Nike Inc. or work for IDEO, a design and innovation-consulting firm. 

Martin will cherish his time as a Gators swimmer.

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“I loved every minute of it,” Martin said 

The men’s swimming and diving team will head to Dallas on Friday for the SMU Classic.

The women host FAU on Saturday.

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