This year CDS has a new athletic director, Mr. Chamberlin. I sat down with him for an interview on the 1st to see his goals, his sports life, and much more.

Mr. Chamberlin is from San Antonio, Texas, and worked at a private school similar to CDS that went from pre-k to senior year, called Saint Mary’s Hall. Mr. Chamberlain worked at Saint Mary’s Hall for 11 years as the varsity basketball coach, then head Athletic Director for the past four years. He has two boys one in first grade and the other in fourth who both attend CDS.

The aspect of Tampa that Mr. Chamberlin likes the most in a family oriented perspective is the ability to be close to the beach and the water. He states, “The thing about Texas is the heat is not a whole lot different. It’s a little more humid here but it’s hot there where we’re coming from but there’s not a lot of water near it.” He said at this time of year in Texas, you’re trying to keep things alive but since it’s wetter, it’s easier.

Growing up, Mr. Chamberlin had a great affinity for baseball and basketball but played multiple other sports like football, track, and soccer. As college loomed, basketball became his main focus, Mr. Chamberlin received a scholarship to play at Cedarville University in Ohio for four years.

Mr. Chamberlin said what he likes most about CDS are the people and community, “It’s been a very welcoming community, which is pretty nice. You never know what a new school is going to be like.” He did a lot of research on CDS before arriving so nothing was quite surprising and shocking. Moving to Florida provided more of a difference because he had to learn about the difference in high school sports and how things are behind the scenes here, such as the recruitment process for both in-state and out-of-state college athletics and which sports are prioritized, like how high school soccer and basketball are much bigger in Florida than Texas.
Due to the recent massive spike of the athletics department, Mr. Chamberlin wants to support what is happening and learn about the school in his first year. As the school year progresses, he has talks with coaches and athletes to look at the bigger picture of their current teams to make the team as successful and big as it can be.

The Fun Questions:
Overall, Mr. Chamberlin’s favorite food is a slice of pizza, but for a full meal, he loves a good steak, especially ribeye. He is not a big fan of video games since his parents were not, and he grew up playing multiple sports in small-town in West Pennsylvania, so the outdoors are more familiar. Mr Chamberlin also really loves going to the beach with his family so that adds on to his love for the outdoors. Many students are getting into fantasy football this time of year and he used to do the same. He really enjoyed it, but as his family and job became more significant, he sadly had to drop it.