Olympic hopeful Arian Carpio hosted her first camp in her home city of Federal Way at Sequoyah Middle School from Aug. 1-3.

“The parents were all awesome, the girls were super nice. I think that was the most important part is having coachable girls and we lucked out,” said Carpio, a Todd Beamer High School alum.

She has hosted camps on the East Coast where she now resides, but having a camp close to home was very special for the former Titan.

“There is nothing like it. It’s not going to hit the same when I’m on the East Coast doing this kind of thing. It’s way more special whenever I get to come back home and do it where my dreams first started,” she said.

Over 36 girls were in attendance for the three day camp, and it gave these athletes a unique opportunity. Ashley James had her two daughters in the camp.

“I thought it was nice. The empowerment was great. We were just looking for opportunities,” said James.

Parents were also excited to have someone with the skill set of Carpio giving knowledge to their young ones.

“It was a really special first hand experience. We could talk to her and get advice and ask questions. We thought it was perfect,” James said.

Two campers laugh after their battle on the mat. (Photos by Ben Ray / The Mirror)

The camp was just three days, but in that short time span, girls made tremendous strides.

“I learned a lot of moves that I wouldn’t have learned at my school,” Lola said.

That opportunity is extremely important to Carpio and the other camp hosts. Growing up, many girls in wrestling have to wrestle boys, which can be uncomfortable.

“I don’t like wrestling boys,” said Ashley’s oldest daughter, Lola. “They stink and sometimes try to slam me super hard.”

Wrestling is an inherently aggressive sport by nature, but coaching styles don’t have to be.

“My favorite part was trying to instill in them healthy coaching. I feel like a lot of times people have toxic environments, especially in combat sports,” said Carpio. “I really wanted to show that there is a gentle approach to coaching in even such an aggressive sport.”

For Carpio, it was about giving the girls digestible tips and allowing them to add the moves to their repertoire.

“They were able to pick up high-level techniques really quickly because I broke it down for them, and it was night and day from the beginning to the end of camp,” she said.

A concussion sidelined Carpio from her Olympic training earlier in the summer. But it allowed her to host this camp, something that she hopes to do next year in the summer and winter, but with a slight twist.

“It was cool to have the very first one. Hopefully it grows and we plan on adding more sports to the non-profit. So tricking girls to try wrestling by adding more popular girls sports,” Carpio said.

For Carpio’s Olympic hopes, they are still alive and well. Her next chance to qualify is on April 19-21 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Todd Beamer High School alum Arian Carpio addresses parents and families before camp comes to a close. (Ben Ray / The Mirror)