Coach Stuart Conner receives Special Recognition Award at the Sport Wales Coach of the Year Awards
The prestigious Sport Wales Coach of the Year Awards ceremony was held on November 16. This year’s edition had two recipients of the Special Recognition Award, one of them was Stuart Conner.
The Sport Wales Coach of the Year Awards recognised achievements made during the period September 1, 2010 to August 31, 2011.
The panel of judges included representatives of the sports’ governing bodies, young people, sports coach UK, disability sport and Sport Wales.
Indeed the panel had its work cut out for it, when it received a record number of entries for the awards.
With such a high number of contestants, even earning a nomination is a veritable achievement.
Stuart Conner is a resident of Abertillery, and with 38 years of coaching experience under his belt, he is recognised as a high performance artistic gymnastics coach for women.
68-year-old, Conner first got involved in coaching when he brought his daughter to a sports centre for enrolment in gymnastics lessons.
The owner of the centre was aware of Conner’s experience in gymnastics, so she did everything but twist his arm and it was done – Conner’s career as a coach had taken off.
In 1970, Conner took things to the next level when he opened up his own gymnastics club and named it Abertillery Gymnastics Club. The club was ensconced in the Abertillery Bowls Indoor Bowls Centre.
This year, the Abertillery Bowls Indoor Bowls Centre went into a wind up, leaving the future of Abertillery Gymnastics Club a troubling question mark.
The only plausible solution at hand for Conner was to merge the club with Valleys Gymnastics Academy and collectively buy out the new premises. The move incorporated within itself operational as well as managerial challenges.
Firstly, the move required relocation of 13,000 flooring altogether. The equipment had to be moved from Abertillery and Ebbw Vale, to the new premises, which is located in Croespennmaen Industrial Estate.
Moreover, as with any merger, there was the sensitive decision of the new division of authority, as well as the task of aligning the goals of the merging organizations.
Conner took the reins and held meetings to discuss these matters extensively and effectively. In eventuality, Conner became the new club’s Managing Director and directed the entire move expertly till its grand opening on Friday, September 2.
His volunteer record boasts of 80 coaching hours every month since he came into the arena, alongside his career as an engineer and a family that he dotes on.
Under Conner’s dedicated training, a number of aspiring athletes have realised their dreams of becoming East Area Champions, Welsh Champions, Welsh squad members and British Zone squad members.
As one former international gymnast said, “Without Mr Conner’s dedication and commitment, I would never have achieved the standard that was required to compete successfully at an international level. He is one of life’s genuinely nice people”.
All things considered, it was a bittersweet year for Conner, and the Special Recognition Award is definitely a deserved appreciation of his contribution to the sport.
Tags: