How Will went extra mile to be named a UK coaching hero
A West Sussex swimming coach has won a national coaching hero award, after organising his own online sessions including Q&As with Olympians, coaches and other industry experts to help alleviate the isolation felt throughout the pandemic.
From nearly 500 public nominations, Will Philpot, head coach of Crawley Swimming Club, is one of 25 coaches across the UK to be crowned a winner at the UK Coaching Hero Awards.
The coaches, who were voted by the public for their innovations and achievements to keep people moving during the lockdowns, each received a memento from UK Coaching’s Royal Patron, HRH The Princess Royal to mark the considerable difference they made to people’s mental and physical well-being.
To help swimmers cope with the stress and isolation of the pandemic, Will organised programmes designed to keep his participants active and engaged.
These included live workouts, cardio challenges, and even fun activities such as quizzes, cooking challenges, nutritional and ‘wellbeing focused’ Zoom calls.
Will also pulled out the stops to provide Q&A sessions with swimming legends such as Chad Le Clos, James Guy, Hannah Miley and more – ensuring no time wasted for his swimmers despite a challenging time.
Will said: “When I found out I’d be receiving the UK Coaching Hero Award I was honestly stunned. I had to re-read the email about four or five times to make sure I hadn’t misread it!
“I cannot begin to describe how grateful I am to be receiving this award. Coaching really means a lot to me.
“Being a swimming coach and having all the pools shut for most of the pandemic has been really challenging.
“We went into the pandemic whilst I had a six-month-old baby so on a personal note, that was challenging on its own.
“Mental health is something that’s very important to me and something we as a club are working hard to ensure every member has access to the support they need. This pandemic has highlighted the need for extra focus on mental health and I am proud to be able to have an impact.
“But I know more can be done through teams and organisations working together and sharing resources for the athletes’ benefit.”