After a year with little activity the British Swimming Coaches Association (BSCA) has rebuilt it coaching awards and has chosen recent news to recognise GB Coaches of the past.
The Association, which represents coach members the length & breadth of the UK independently of respective NGB’s, has recognised coaching Achievement annually since its formation in 1965.
This year BSCA members were asked to reflect upon achievements over the last two years as no awards were presented due to Covid in 2020.
The following is the list of Award winners who are being recognised:
BSCA Coach of the Year – Dave McNulty, Bath National Centre – for the outstanding performances of the swimmers under his care at Tokyo 2021, most notably the rise to fame of Tom Dean
BSCA Coaching Award of Excellence – Mel Marshall & Steve Tigg – both these coaches played a huge part in the continuing development of Britain as an aquatic force at international level. Whilst both looked after a strong team of swimmers, their recognition comes from the continuing dominance in Breaststroke events of Adam Peaty and the huge talent that apparently knows no bounds in Duncan Scott.
BSCA Para Coach of the Year & Para Youth Coach of the Year – Jacquie Marshall & Andy Sharp – this is truly a story of master & student. Jacquie Marshall as Director of Swimming at Northampton SC had built up a huge stable of elite Para swimmers which she handed over to her then assistant Andy Sharp, when she became Head of Performance Pathway at British Para Swimming. As Sharp took on the mantle of DoS after Marshall’s departure, he has maintained the standing of the programme and its achievements at elite Para level.
BSCA Youth Coach of the Year Award – Jamie Main, Head Swim Coach, Deventio eXcel – Jamie has been a top youth development coach for some time, seeing his programme grow and be successful at Youth Level internationally for some years. His part in the emergence of the Junior phenomena Jacob Whittle cannot be underestimated. Whittle has developed into the finest Youth talent in the world in the men’s 100 freestyle. It is this that has led to Jamie being given this honour.
BSCA Club Coach of the Year – Carl Grosvenor – City of Birmingham SC – This progamme has been in existent for some decades in the 2nd City but it is under the guidance of Carl Grosvenor that has seen it recognised as one of the major urban talent factories in the UK. Grosvenor has helped develop partnerships with numerous Clubs in the Gt Birmingham area, supporting their development, identifying talent and guiding such through the Birmingham Council Training programme into swimmers achieving at National levels and then attaining GB & England Youth, Junior & Senior recognition. The BSCA are delighted to recognise the work of Carl Grosvenor this year.
BSCA Coach Educator of the Year – Russ Barber & Dave Hemmings – This new award is to recognise the work undertaken by some through the pandemic and beyond. Russ Barber, former Director of Swimming at the City of Sheffield Swim Squad and GB Olympic Coach, has a wealth of experience in coaching at all levels of the sport and used his extensive list of contacts when setting up the Swim Coach Network (SCN) which provided an almost weekly list of ZOOM presentations and Q&A sessions from prominent swim coaches, sports coaches, sports science practitioners and key figures from across the globe, to impart their knowledge to the large number who always attended. This spawned a number of similar such sessions from others which has helped spread levels of knowledge extensively around the UK & beyond – all of these sessions were free.
As a Performance Coach at the Loughborough National Centre, Dave Hemmings has access to some of the best talent in the world. He used this access to record and impart knowledge, ideas, skills and critical thinking through Twitter to coaches and swimmers of all levels, at a point when they couldn’t access pools. This maintained not only engagement but provided coaches in Clubs with information to further share with their teams. Dave has maintained this since lockdown has ended and continues to provoke and challenge traditional thinking in coaching practices.
BSCA Historic Achievement Awards
Earlier this year, the Times through Craig Lord and others published stories that the IOC & FINA were giving consideration to awarding retrospective medals to those who it has become clear were cheated out of their true honours due to mainly East German drug use in the 1980’s and in particular at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Whilst we still await this coming to fruition, the BSCA has taken the stance that this is now a historical fact and is recognising the coaches of those swimmers, so far, deprived of their medals or medals of an appropriate colour. This list of recognition and the reason for recognition, is listed below (thanks to Prof Mike Peyrebrune for compiling):
Sharon Davies (400 IM) Terry Davies (Gold)
Ann Osgerby (100 Fly) Keith Bewley (Gold) posthumously
4 x 100 Medley Relay
Helen Jameson Terry Davies (Gold)
Margie Kelly Dave Haller (Gold)
Ann Osgerby Keith Bewley (Gold) posthumously
June Croft Keith Bewley (Gold) posthumously
June Croft (200 Freestyle) Keith Bewley (Bronze)
Maggie Kelly (100 Breast) Dave Haller (Bronze)
Ann Osgerby (200 Fly) Keith Bewley (Bronze) posthumously
4 x 100 Freestyle Relay
Sharon Davies Terry Davies (Bronze)
Kaye Lovett Terry Denison (Bronze)
Jackie Wilmott Mike Higgs (Bronze) posthumously
June Croft Keith Bewley (Bronze) posthumously
Peter Morris (200 Fly) Paul Stait (Bronze)
The BSCA is saddened that this recognition has come too late for some, but we hope it is heartening that all these individuals will be further added to the BSCA Roll of Honour so that their names remain on public view for evermore.
