Champam Champions the Aquatics Club

Champam Champions the Aquatics Club
Bill Klose, Athletic Director
Champam Champions the Aquatics Club

Full Select News
Champam Champions the Aquatics Club

Friends Select is excited about the direction of the aquatics club. Our team has grown so much in the past year-and-a-half that participation numbers have almost doubled in that time. And this semester we welcomed our new head coach and aquatics director, Arilson Champam.

With more than 28 years of coaching experience and a decade as an aquatics director, Champam has coached at every level and was himself a nationally ranked athlete. He coached and developed Olympic finalists, Pan American Games medalists, as well as South American and Brazilian record holders. Athletes training under Champam have gone on to compete at the highest levels of swimming through Division I, II, and III universities. He has also coached National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA) all-Americans, state record holders, numerous Olympic trial qualifiers, as well as swimmers on national and Olympic teams. In addition, he served as the head coach for the Brazilian national team as well as the national team of the Bahamas.

Champam holds a Bachelor's degree in physical education and completed post-graduate work in the physiology of exercise, with a focus on swimming specialization theory and methods of swimming. He also holds numerous certifications in swimming, including the American Swimming Coaches Certification (ASCA) Level 5. But as accomplished as Champam is, when asked about his favorite coaching memories, he merely says it’s when he hears from former swimmers who are now adults and doing well.

As our aquatics program flourishes—offering swimmers of all levels opportunities to pursue their interests, develop self-confidence, train, and compete—we will continue to add qualified and dedicated coaches like Champam.