FORMER MINER COLLECTS TOP SPORTS GONG
A former miner was today awarded the top honour at the annual Sports Council for Wales’ Coach of the Year awards.
Billy Pye – who was born in Neath and is now based in Swansea - was awarded the prestigious ‘Coach of the Year 2008’ accolade at a glittering ceremony at Cardiff’s Welsh Institute of Sport.
The gong capped a year in which his team of eight swimmers scooped 13 medals at the Paralympic Games – nine of them gold.
The achievements of his proteges was nothing short of sensational. Eleanor Simmonds, at just 13, entered the history books as the youngest Paralympic or Olympic medallist ever when she won golds in Beijing over the 100m and 400m freestyle. The teenage sensation relocated with her family from Walsall just to be part of his successful training stable.
Pye – who has just celebrated his fiftieth birthday - is also coach to the one man medal machine, David Roberts. He returned home with four gold medals around his neck, equalling Tanni Grey Thompson’s career total of 11 Paralympic gold medals.
And Liz Johnson stormed home to gold in the 100m breaststroke – just ten days after her mother, Bonnie, died of cancer. Pye and his crew are now looking to London 2012.
Nominated by Gerwyn Owen of Disability Sport Wales and Robert James, Chief Executive of Swim Wales, he is highly regarded by his peers worldwide.
Gerwyn Owen explains,
“If Billy was a country, he would have been placed 14th on the medal table!”
The coaching guru, who oozes enthusiasm, was brought up in Blaengwynfi and he learnt to swim in the local river. But he didn’t start to coach until the mines began to close and he left St John’s Pit at Maesteg. He has since risen from coach to the local swim club at Cynffig to Head Coach at the British Disability High Performance Centre based at the Wales National Pool in Swansea.
Chair of the Sports Council for Wales, Philip Carling said:
“Billy has made a massive contribution to Welsh sport and we have certainly enjoyed the fruits of his labour this year at the Paralympic Games in Beijing. Good coaches inspire, motivate and encourage and it’s vital that we recognise their work.
“The awards also demonstrate that coaches at local level are just as vital as those who work with elite athletes. It is their industrious contribution that encourages youngsters into sport, keeps them motivated and active at a young age and instils the core values of hard work, accountability, belief and – above all – enjoyment.”
The Sports Minister, Alun Ffred Jones, said:
“Coaches are the unsung heroes of sport and we should acknowledge and celebrate the crucial role that they play in inspiring and instilling enthusiasm in competitors in all levels of sport, from the elite level to the grassroots.”
“I’d particularly like to congratulate Billy Pye on winning this award. The tremendous success enjoyed by his athletes at the Beijing Paralympics was the fruit of an enormous amount of hard work put in by his athletes and himself. I saw for myself how proud he was of them at the homecoming event we organised for the athletes in the Senedd building in Cardiff Bay and I think he is a worthy winner of Coach of the Year.”
Other coaches collecting their accolades today included:
COACH TO DISABLED SPORTSPEOPLE
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ROB COPELAND, KARATE Barry
- Coaches at Vale Karate which now has 500 members - ranging from just four years old right up to adults
- 18 squad members have won individual titles at UK and International level
- This year, eight team gold medals have been won and a staggering 162 silver and bronze medals
- Has established events for people with special needs this year and has nurtured two Welsh Champions
- Medals aside, he has made a huge difference to people’s lives by getting them involved in sport and teaching them a whole range of valuable life skills through the fun and discipline of karate.
- Has embraced inclusion of disabled members into his club and has worked relentlessly to include the category into several competitions.
COACHING THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF WELSH
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ANDREW JAMES WRIGHT, FOOTBALL Ynys Mon
- Manager/Coach of Amlwch Town Junior Football Club Under 7s and Under 11s and Manager of Amlwch Town Junior Football Club Under 12s.
- Forty players have registered with Under 11s age group while more than 20 players have registered with the Under 7s.
- The Under 11s reached two finals in mini football tournaments while the Under 7s age group were victorious.
- The Under 12s boast a squad of 21 players
- He was heavily involved in implementing Welsh language sessions within the club.
- He is eager to speak Welsh with the youngsters and this is an inspiration to others.
- He played an obvious part in the club adopting the Welsh Language Policy. Welsh is a second language to him but he can coach comfortably in the language.
CONTRIBUTION TO SCHOOL SPORT
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KRISTINE PHELPS Ysgol Berllan Deg, Cardiff
- As a parent at Ysgol y Berllan Deg, she is a highly motivated volunteer with the Sports Council for Wales’ Dragon Sport programme which aims to get more children playing extra-curricular sport than ever before
- This year alone, she has set up a sustainable programme of activities for more than 200 pupils
- Within a short period of time, and sometime against all odds, she has provided an enlightened approach to physical activity at the school
- She has helped inspire members of staff, parents and other helpers who would otherwise not be involved. The facilities are now used to their full capacity and the children are able to access fun, safe, quality sessions
- Since 2006, she has been an inspiration for the extra-curricular school sports clubs run by the ‘Ffrindia’ (Schools Parents Association). As a result of her truly infectious enthusiasm, they are now able to run seven clubs and cater for all the pupils in the school.
- Her involvement has transformed the school yard into a hub of activity, enabling pupils of all abilities and ages to begin a lifetime of healthy living.
VOLUNTEER COACH OF THE YEAR
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KERRY PULVIRENTI , JUDO Bridgend
- Has helped accelerate a number of judo stars to prominence this year – lifting four athletes to the position of Wales no.1 across various bodyweight and age-group categories. Can also boast five athletes in the GB top five across different categories
- Assisted the coaching of the National Celtic Club squad which features 11 members from Maesteg Judo Club - the highest ever from a single coach or club
- The Junior and Youth squad achieved Gold at the Celtic Cup
- He has collected various titles including the British Judo Association British Schools Coach of the Year award, the Bridge FM Local hero’s award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sport’ and the Silver Award for Good Citizen from Bridgend County Borough Council
- Has been involved in judo for more than 50 years – he started taking part in judo from the age of five and has been coaching for over 32 years.
- He is a former Welsh and British Judo champion and a Commonwealth Championship medallist at junior, senior and master level - only retiring from competition this year.
- He established Maesteg Judo Club in 1983 and it remains a national success with more than 90 members aged from 5 to 55.
- He has undertaken various roles which include BJA Examiner, County Coach and Assistant Coach and Manager to the Welsh Junior and Youth squads.
- He is immensely supportive in the organisation of community festivals and events
FEMALE COACH OF THE YEAR
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CHRISTINA REES, SQUASH Porthcawl –finalist last year
- She is coach to a range of elite squads aged from under 11s upwards.
- Under her wing, the Wales Under 13 and Under 15 mixed teams won the Home Internationals in March 2008
- At the English Junior Inter County Competition, all age groups achieved third place.
- She was a finalist in last year’s Sports Council for Wales Female Coach of the Year.
- She is the highest qualified and the most talented female squash coach in Wales.
- She has trained and mentored more than 100 coaches in South Wales
For further information about how you can get involved in coaching at all levels, visit the Coaching Wales website at www.coachingwales.com or contact 0845 045 0904 / email: coachingwales@scw.org.uk
