Last month, at the East Midlands Region AGM, the 2020 regional award winners were announced with a number also being recognised at the national Triathlon England Awards.
To reflect the ways in which swim, bike, run has continued throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the awards have been adapted from previous years, and in 2020, consisted of seven categories. For the first time this also included awards for virtual activities and Key Worker of the Year.
Virtual Coach of the Year – Colin Amarel
Colin is one of the coaches at Leicester Junior Triathlon Club and, once lockdown hit in March, he was determined to ensure that the children stayed engaged with the sport. Colin set up weekly Zoom turbo sessions and virtual run sessions, however the focus was on more than just the activity, with members given the chance to connect and enjoy the social side of training like normal.
He also set up Colin’s SMiles on a Saturday morning where members were given 90 minutes to clock up as many miles as possible, with Colin keeping a league table of everyone’s miles.
As well as winning the East Midlands regional award, Colin was also named the 2020 Triathlon England Virtual Coach of the Year at the national awards.
Virtual Activity of the Year – Nicky Dick
Throughout the springtime lockdown, Nicky recorded and shared a different triathlon related video each day.
Her daily feel-good videos picked up on an aspect of the sport from a light-hearted perspective. Whether it was a ‘guess the championship’ or an instructional video on transitions, Nicky’s videos catered for all abilities and were relevant to triathletes across the spectrum.
The message of Nicky’s videos and the meaning behind them saw her win second place in the national awards for Virtual Activity of the Year.
Event of the Year – Lincoln Junior Triathlon
Having been run for many years, Lincoln Junior Triathlon has become a key event on the East Midlands Race Series. Focussed on engaging junior athletes of all abilities, the event is continually reviewed and updated to ensure a top-quality athlete experience.
Organised by Lincoln Triathlon Club, they engage with their local school to provide taster days and deliver assemblies and PE lessons, with the school being offered free places to the pupils who demonstrate an interest in the sport. The juniors at the club help to run the event, helping them to be involved in all aspects of the event which also raises money for a local charity.
At the national awards, the event came third in the Triathlon England Event of the Year category.
Coach of the Year – Steve Paley
Steve is the primary coach at Lincoln Tri and coaches their older children and youth age groups. Having noticed the need to help older juniors transition into adult racing, Steve pioneered the developmental approach to allow them to develop and make the step up.
The juniors are inspired by his fun yet structured approach to coaching and the way he demonstrates what he coaches as an athlete himself. Steve also helps the other coaches at the club to develop, offering them advice and support. He also helped the club to continue during the first lockdown by moving online with Zoom training sessions.
Volunteer of the Year – Steve Dexter
Steve has put in countless hours to organise virtual challenges for Long Eaton Triathlon Club this year. His activities helped keep the club connected and he even provided the updates and results in fancy dress.
He’s gone beyond his role on the club committee and coach, as the way he goes about his coaching and development are inspiring and invaluable to the club’s members. He inspires the juniors and seniors that he coaches to be their best and adapts the sessions to meet their needs by providing positive and challenging environments for athletes of all ages to develop.
Club of the Year – Louth Triathlon Club
Louth is an incredibly active club that provides opportunities for members of all abilities and ages, as well as regularly welcoming in new members. This continued when the first national lockdown was announced in March, with the club adapting its training and social activities to ensure that all members were still able to connect whilst at home.
They operate a racing grant to help members pay for race entries, own a bike box that can be borrowed when racing abroad, run open sessions for the local community on bike maintenance, turbo training and strength and conditioning. The club also organises regular events, visitor days and beginner swimming sessions.
The club supports members in furthering their participation by funding them to take part in coaching and activator courses, as well as encouraging people to volunteer in all aspects of the club.
Keyworker of the Year – Heidi Elliott
Heidi is a primary school teacher and a coach to a large number of triathletes from a vast range of abilities at Charnwood Juniors. To help develop her coaching, she is currently working towards her Level 2 Diploma.
She’s supported people from GO TRI to taking part in standard distance events and, throughout lockdown, has balanced her job of working full-time in her school with virtual coaching sessions. These sessions have connected members at the club and enabled them to continue training whilst at home.
She is also a Regional Technical Official who has received plaudits from event organisers and participants alike. In addition to helping the children at her school to carry on learning, she’s helped race organisers with dealing with the changing landscape of events.
