Johnson Selected for National Coach of the Year Finals

Helen Johnson, coach of Special Olympics basketball, swimming, golf, skiing and athletics has been named as a finalist for the National Wattie’s Volunteer Coach of the Year Awards.

The national judging panel, led by Ross Bond, Senior Advisor for Sport and Recreation New Zealand’s CoachForce programme, selected Helen to represent the region over fellow regional winners; George McConachy, of Manawatu athletics, and Hokowhitu Junior Football club’s Melissa Rowe.

After Pahiatua Bush Hockey Club coach Bridget Percy won last year’s Wattie’s National Newcomer Coach of the Year Award, there are high hopes that Helen can go to the national finals and come home triumphant.

The national finals will be MC’d by television personality and sports presenter Hamish McKay. Helen says she is excited to hear the guest speaker, former Silver Fern netballer Bernice Mene. “It’s a bonus to get through to be a finalist, I didn’t expect to get that far”. Whether or not she wins, Johnson says it brings a lot of attention to Special Olympics, which often misses out on recognition and funding that mainstream sports receive.

Helen began coaching eight years go when she took her 13 year old daughter, Keri Anne to a Special Olympics swimming programme. Back then Helen didn’t swim herself, so she took lessons in 2002 and the next year was head coach of 16 swimmers. Since then her team of swimmers has grown to 50.

“Helen is fully deserved of this accolade. The commitment and great passion she has shown towards her sport is just another example of the high calibre of volunteer coaches in the Manawatu region” says Ben Valentine, Sport Manawatu’s coachforce coordinator.

The national winner in each of the three categories will win up to $3,000 towards their coaching development or equipment, with the Supreme winner awarded an additional $2,000 towards their coaching development or equipment, along with a years’ supply of Wattie’s canned product.