Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

For 18 years Chris has coached and taught the people of Inverclyde from age 5 to age 60. His passion and dedication to his students and to the sport of BJJ is infinite, for me this is the primary reason he has been such a successful coach.  His methods positively impact people from all walks of life, his students include men woman and children some are reformed criminals and some are members of the royal school of physicians. Chris brings the best out them. Chris holds himself to the same high standard and has reached the rank of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt, widely regarded as the toughest belt to attain in all of martial arts and he is the only Inverclyde resident to have reached this level. Not only is his skill set and knowledge very good but he is also a natural motivational character that serves to infect all of us. Chris has time and again taken total beginners and turned them into national champions!  Never asking for anything but commitment from his students he has never received an award or been recognised for the years of hard work and dedication he has given the people of Inverclyde.

Tae Kwon-Do

Andrew is an enthusiastic, dedicated Taekwondo instructor. He teaches a number of classes each week in the Inverclyde area with his students ranging from 3 years to 50 years+. He is patient and works tirelessly to help his students achieve their potential which was recognised by the number of medals won by his students at the recent world ITF Taekwondo championships held in Scotland in November in 2019. Andrew makes his classes fun for his students by never making two classes the same. He introduces new exercises and drills which keep all his students engaged. He is passionate about Taekwondo and this is evidenced by his teaching and the ever growing number of new students attending his classes.

Andrew is a 2nd degree black belt which he has worked hard for. He also does some other training with other high ranked instructors. Andrew also assist his instructors with any seminars,pregradings or gradings. 

Andrew has spent his own time undertaking his initiatives to encourage new students to Taekwondo. He has voluntarily taken part in the active schools programme by going into a number of schools within Inverclyde to introduce the children to taekwondo. This not only encourages the children to be active (or more active) but he also promotes taekwondo as part of healthy lifestyle and creating new friendships which had a great impact on mental health. Andrew has also promotes Taekwondo to adults by encouraging parents to join in and train with their children as part of the wider UKTC family month.

Andrew is a real good role model when it comes to the sport and is really good at telling people that something might be hard but encourages them to try it and keep practicing. 

American Football

​Martin McClintock has dedicated himself on a voluntary basis the success of the Inverclyde Goliaths and Inverclyde American Football as a whole. In his time at the Goliaths Martin has taken a rookie American Football team to a British Championship title in their first year of full membership in the British American Football League. This was achieved by attracting and retaining athletes to the team by delivering a comprehensive and enjoyable training programme that ensures athletes are ready for the challenges that American Football presents both physically and mentally. Preparation and ensuring the readiness of players by dedicating many hours providing feedback through practice tape and game tape through the Hudl platform – breaking down areas for improvement and ensuring clear understanding through classroom education sessions and translating those onto the practice field. Martin has grown his coaching staff by creating an environment of development and mentorship to give the skill set to aspiring coaches and ensuring they are supported in the training sessions they are delivering. Without Martin McClintock, Inverclyde Goliaths players, coaches and volunteers would not have had the level of success both on and off the field that was witnessed in 2019 – British Champions from Inverclyde!!

Boxing

Rhys obtained 2 boxing SQA Certified Coaching Certificates, First Aid, and Child Protection Certificates. This allowed Rhys to become the youngest boxing coach in Scotland. As no club or coaches have shown an interest in taking boxing into local schools Rhys created a route where certified and affiliated he could deliver to school children while at school.  Working alongside Active Schools Rhys delivered free boxing coaching to a number of local schools. Rhys was invited to BBC Radio regarding Boxing and Coaching. He was also a speaker at the Observatory for Sport in Scotland Conference. Rhys was Scottish Winner and Finalist for BBC Young Reporter and he appeared and was interviewed on National Television including BBc Breakfast News.

Swimming

Shirley's Achievements are coaching first ever Inverclyde Swimmers to qualify for the British Open Championships

3 Scottish Open Junior Champion titles

2 Swimmers achieving qualifying times for the British Olympic Trials in 2020

Top 20 Club placement at the Scottish National Age Group Championships

6 Scottish National Age Group Champion titles

Swimmers ranked in the top 10 in Britain

7 new West District records

2 swimmers leave her programme to join the prestigious University of Stirling swim team, the first swimmers

that have gone right through the programme and left to join a uni team.

Shirley manages to engage with all her swimmers to bring out the very best in them. She is dedicated to the role she provides for the Club and regularly goes above and beyond what is expected of her. The difference she has made to the performance level and general ethos of the club is outstanding and she should be recognized for this.

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