Skye stalwart honoured with coaching award
SKYE Camanachd stalwart Donnie Martin has been recognised for his coaching with the ‘Lifetime Coaching Achievement of the Year’ award at the 2016 Highland Coaching Awards.
The awards, which were held at Inverness Leisure Centre on Saturday October 22, are run by High Life Highland in partnership with sportscotland to recognise the outstanding contribution and significant impact made by local coaches.
These coaches enable quality sport and physical activity opportunities to happen in communities across the Highlands.
Donnie has been involved with Skye Camanachd for more than 40 years as player, youth coach, second team manager, first team manager, goal judge, referee, committee member and chairman, as well as taking a leading role in Skye Camanachd Social Club.
He was a player from his school days and continued to play for the island club into his forties, even through a period when he was working away from home.
He has not only inspired generations of players over the years but he continues to do so as he currently coaches primary school children in north Skye.
He is an example through his dedication to the club and the community.
He spends every spare hour at the Skye Camanachd clubhouse – both inside and out – maintaining the pitch, cutting the grass and lining the pitch for matches throughout the season.
Shinty is a big part of life in Skye and Donnie has been instrumental in ensuring the club, which was formed in 1892, continues to grow and thrive. The award is deserved recognition for someone who is well respected throughout Scotland’s shinty community.
An impressive 65 nominations were made overall, the most Highland has ever received.
The full list of winners is: Young Persons Coach of the Year – Kelsey Christie, Thurso; Young Coach of the Year – Harry MacKay, Rogart; Community Coach of the Year – Liz Smith, Nethy Bridge; Development Performance Coach of the Year – Duncan Flockhart, Inverness; High Performance Coach of the Year – Gavin Laird, Inverness; Disability Coach of the Year – Stephen Meeks, Inverness; Young Volunteer of the Year – Sarah MacLennan, Megan Stewart and Jade Douglass, Invergarry; Technical Official of the Year – Ken Ross, Inverness; Volunteer of the Year – Stephan Walker, Nairn; Lifetime Coaching Achievement of the Year – Donnie Martin , Skye.