Congratulations to Gareth Bryant, Winner of the Geoff Good Award 2021

We are proud to announce that Gareth Bryant has won the 2021 Geoff Good Coach of the Year Award, following his win of the 2021 Canoe Wales Coach of the Year Award last year.

The British Canoeing Geoff Good Award for Coaching is awarded to coaches who have made an outstanding contribution to the development of the sport, shown significant commitment to both personal and professional development, and who have gone above and beyond for the wider advancement of the sport. Each year, the National Associations each provide British Canoeing with one nomination from their own awards to go forward to the Geoff Good Award nominations. The Geoff Good Award panel (made up from one person from each National Association Coaching Committee) then reviews the four nominations and decides the winner.

As some of you may know, Gareth works on our Performance Team as Talent Pathway Officer for West Wales, but he also works for Carmarthenshire County Council, where he runs the outdoor centre in Llandysul. Always busy, Gareth’s dedication to coaching goes far beyond his work remit, and you will find Gareth coaching Canoe Slalom almost every night in Llandysul and running sessions most weekends. Particularly over a difficult period in terms of COVID restrictions, Gareth has worked very hard to be able to continue to offer training whenever restrictions have allowed.

The common themes from Gareth's nominations were that he is always smiling, making it fun, and encourages and supports all – no matter their age or ability. Gareth and his coaching were mentioned as being at the very heart of our affiliated club Llandysul Paddlers, which also won 2021 Canoe Wales Club of the Year. Gareth’s coaching has also developed many paddlers and coaches to go and work around the world in the sport.

Alistair Dickson, CEO of Canoe Wales, who presented Gareth with his award earlier this month, also commented:

"I was delighted to be awarding Gareth with the Geoff Good Award on behalf of British Canoeing. Gareth’s passion, endless energy and friendly approach has inspired thousands over the years, and it is really great that his contribution has been recognised by this award. When I presented Gareth the award, it was while he was coaching an 11-year-old fairly late in the evening ready for her race the next day at the Div 3/4 Canoe Slalom event at Stafford & Stone; so very fitting and another example of Gareth encouraging and supporting those new to the sport. On behalf of Canoe Wales, really well done Gareth and thank you for all of your hard work!"

Our Performance Manager and Head Coach, Tom Power, who works closely with Gareth on the Performance Team, also shares his congratulations:

"I am very pleased to see Gareth’s hard work and dedication get rewarded by winning the Geoff Good award. Gareth has been an inspiration to many paddlers and coaches over the last 30 years, spreading the name of Llandysul Paddlers far and wide. The impact he’s had on paddlesport within Wales is monumental, I think it would be a difficult process to try and count how many paddlers journeys Gareth has helped, but I know they would all agree with me that Gareth is a very worthy winner of the award."

But let's hear it from Gareth, who shares his journey through paddlesport and what receiving this award means to him…

"I started paddling in 1984 when the club started in Llandysul and loved training, racing and paddling with friends. The club was new and we did not have many coaches. As I was part of the first batch of paddlers to come through the club, we automatically started to help coach the next wave of paddlers who came after us. The club helped me get on courses and encouraged us to try and get performance and coaching awards. 

I think one of the best things about the paddling community is the way people automatically try and support the new paddlers who take up the sport. I think this is because you always remember what it was like when you started, the support you received and the encouragement to get back in and give it another go after a swim. I found early on that I liked to help coach and I was lucky enough to work with some great coaches at an early age. They pointed me in the right direction with awards and qualifications and I just tried to pick up as many as possible. It was great to come back to the club after a weekend coaching course and try new ways of passing on information and top tips. I managed to gain my 5 Star Award and Level 3 Coach in Canoe and Kayak, and this allowed me to work on a variety of waterways in the UK and on our Club trips to France and Austria. 

I am super happy to win the award and would like to thank the awarding panel for the award – with so many amazing Canoe and Kayak coaches in the UK, it is a great honour."