Arden Hills Athletic & Social Club has hired Olympic gold medal winning swimmer Jeff Float as the new Head Otters Recreation Coach for its swimming program. The Otters program is a summer league and fall rec program that feeds the facility’s USA Swimming program Arden Hills Swimming.
Float grew up training with the Arden Hills Swim Club. He began training there at age 7 under coach Sherm Chavoor, who at the time was also training Olympic gold medalists including Mark Spitz, Debbie Meyer, and Mike Burton. He won an Olympic gold medal as part of the American 800 free relay at the 1984 Olympic Games, where he was elected a team captain. He also won a World Championship gold medal in the same relay in 1987 and won an individual silver medal in the 400 free at the 1978 World Championships.
Float was named the Deaf Olympian of the Century (he’s 90% deaf in one ear and 65% deaf in the other ear), and was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal.
Float previously coached with Spare Time Inc., where he served for 12 years as aquatics director at Gold River Racquet Club and coach of the Gold River Stingrays, and 12 years at Spare Time Aquatics in Sacramento.
“I had a storybook ending to an amazing swimming career which culminated in Gold for what was recently named the third most exciting relay in Olympic history,” said Float. “Now I have this amazing opportunity to finish my rewarding career here at Arden Hills, the very place where in all began. It feels right, just like coming home.”
Alumni of the Arden Hills program have set more than 200 World and American Records, and won 22 Olympic gold medals out of 33 total Olympic medals.