Triathlon coach Penny Rother from Edinburgh is a passionate advocate of coaching and a champion of women’s sport and fitness.
Her own story is a fantastic example to working mothers everywhere that there is an exciting life to be lived beyond the full-time roles of being a mother and having a career. She has balanced her career as a doctor with bringing up two children, while still making time to compete in cross-country for Scotland and triathlon for Great Britain.
Penny said: “I want to encourage other people to become coaches, you don’t have to be a phenomenal athlete… The more of us that are coaching, the less onerous it would be on everybody.”
As the world turns its attention to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, sports coach UK has launched Everyday Heroes, a campaign to raise the profile of coaches and coaching at all levels of sport and physical activity in the UK.
Whilst Olympic stars and the coaches behind them are currently in the media spotlight there are many Everyday Heroes across the country who rarely, if ever, receive such attention for their achievements.
Around 1.3 million coaches provide coaching to more than 7 million people across the UK while 81% of participants state that coaching improves their enjoyment of sport.
While the performers in Rio are at the top of their game, Everyday Heroes coach and lead the whole spectrum of participants. It is not just about acquiring skills, it is about helping and inspiring all people to achieve their sport and activity goals, whatever their ability, ambition and motivation.
Mark Gannon, Chief Executive Officer of sports coach UK said: “Coaches are key to inspiring participation at all levels of sport and we need to raise the profile of both coaches and coaching across sport and physical activity.
“The Everyday Heroes campaign is a great way of celebrating coaches at all levels of sport and physical activity while encouraging potential coaches to get involved as it is a great way of giving something back.”
Read Penny’s full story here.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
