A Drumheller coach was recognized at the national level for his work guiding athletes on the national and international stage.
Martin McSween has been a special Olympic Coach for many years and has coached the national team at two Special Olympics World Games. Earlier this month he was in Calgary to receive the Petro Canada Coaching Excellence Award at the annual Leadership Gala hosted by the Coaching Association of Canada.
“Every year, the Coaching Association of Canada is proud to recognize coaches and coach developers for the positive impact they have on sport in Canada,” stated Gabor Csepregi, Chair of the CAC Board of Directors. “These coaches demonstrate the values and core competencies of the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) and the impact that a coach’s passion, dedication and education can have on an athlete in all aspects of their life. I’m proud to congratulate all of our 2013 Award Winners.”
The Petro Canada Coaching Excellence awards recognize coaches whose athletes have excelled on an international stage. This could be a world championship, Olympic, Paralympics or Special Olympic World Games. McSween said to excel, the athlete has to reach for the podium.
While the award was an honour for McSween, he is most proud of how well his team did in Korea. Of the 109 Canadian medals won, 23 were from his alpine skiing team.
“It was such a proud moment,” he said, “It was a privilege to be amongst those coaches.”
There were 76 awards presented this year nationally, and 17 were from the Special Olympic Team that traveled to Korea for the Special Olympic World Games with McSween.
McSween is grateful for the award, but it was just a part of the experience at the Petro Canada Sport Leadership sportif conference. There he was able to take in workshops put on by world-class coaches and athletes. He was able to come home with some fresh ideas and perspectives.
