Richard Lee honoured with the 2017 Alan Baker Award

We're very pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has voted to honour Richard Lee, our outgoing National Performance Manager, with the 2017 Alan Baker Award for Services to Paddlesport.

As anyone who knows Richard can attest, his devotion to our sport and to Canoe Wales are unparalleled and through his influence, Canoe Wales and our performance programme have grown and developed dramatically over the past thirty years. We are very sad to see him move on from his role at Canoe Wales, and it was very obvious to the board that there was no better candidate for this award than Richard.

The summary of Richard's career below only scratches at the surface of the impact that Richard has had on hundreds of young paddlers over the years:

A canoeing course in school started Richard Lee’s interest in canoeing. Within 4 days a group of youngsters from Ysgol y Berwyn, Bala were paddling and swimming down chapel falls on the river Tryweryn. The 1981 World championships, creation of Bala Canoe Club and Barry Evans’ enthusiasm in a wild water racer cemented what was to be a long term relationship with the sport. Through luck and clearing, he found himself studying geography at Lampeter University, and training at Llandysul on a regular basis until taking up work at Canolfan Tryweryn as centre supervisor and raft guide, while also training and competing hard (in polo, wild water racing and the odd marathon) with other local paddlers as part of the Welsh team. He would regard himself as a good trainer, but not such a good racer, while taking a couple of Welsh championships slalom titles, British open team titles and representing Wales at the Europa Cup in 1988 – the only time the home nations competed at the continental championships. Following a return to study at Loughborough University, where he picked up a degree in Sports management and the British Universities title in 1990, and a brief stab at full time training, he took up working with local authorities as a sports development officer. This interest in helping others to enjoy sport was also inspired by coaches Bill Endicott, Alan Edge and Jim Jayes on the water, and Richard continued to coach locally and also as a voluntary coach with Wales and the Great Britain under 23 team. During these years, he was also a core member of Bala Canoe Club, organising races and events, and the club raised £50000 to purchase and develop Bala Mill.

In 1997 he took up the role of Chief Executive with Welsh Canoeing Association, supporting the governing body administratively and managing the National Whitewater centre at Canolfan Tryweryn with Paul O’Sullivan, Jonathan Gorman and Loel Collins. While these were testing times with the continued negotiation of access agreements, working with the home nations to form a federal agreement and expansion of the centre’s operations, it was exciting times as Wales started to be recognised as one of the World’s outdoor adventure destinations. (Indeed, Richard’s favourite moments of paddling have been in Wales – at the Bitches on a perfect day with Paul Robertson, Tim Thomas, Nige Robinson and John-Paul Eatock or riding out a tube at Hell’s mouth with Loel and Bob Timms, while a paddle on the Tryweryn with family members is the greatest privilege of all). There were also exciting developments in slalom coaching as National lottery funding was provided to support Olympic sports, and Wales benefitted from a great track record in slalom, with Lara Tipper, Keith Lyons, Bob Ratcliffe and Mick Power taking up roles in coaching. At the same time, Richard was talking to the Cardiff Harbour Authority with Richard Harvey about the possibility of developing a whitewater centre in Cardiff.

Richard took up the opportunity to become a full-time coach in 2004, working with the British team, from Nottingham and across the World, supporting or coaching some great paddlers - Kim Walsh, Fiona Pennie, Colin Radmore, Dan Goddard, Mark Proctor, Nick Smith and Stu Bowman - to medals and finals, or swapping ideas and inspiration with great coaches – Jim Jayes, Mark Delaney, Paul Ratcliffe, Jurg Gotz, Oliver Fix and Mark Ratcliffe. Richard, while heading up the GB coaching team at the 2006 World championships, still had a supporting role in Wales and ensured that athletes who would become coaches, gained experience in Wales. Some great people and coaches - Neil Buckley, Craig Morris, Gareth Wilson, Neil Caffrey, Wojciech Sekula, Nick Smith and Craig Morris have all started their vocation in the Welsh coaching or paddling system, while Tom Power, Dan Goddard, Adam Johnstone, Serena Williams, Gareth Bryant, Jonathan Davies and Rhys Davies have continued this tradition today. Following the Beijing Olympic cycle, Richard returned to Wales, to manage the slalom programme and support development of the Cardiff International Whitewater centre which had been become reality through the Cardiff local authority and the tireless work of Richard Harvey and the support of Canoe Wales. Richard, along with Geoff Forster, Mark Lewin, John Willacy, Gavin Cooper, Kevin Bowerbank and Andy Raspin provided the core support over the last few years and the success of slalom in Wales is now starting to be replicated in sprint, and the culture and structure (and a little bit of attitude) are now handed over to the safe hands of new coaches, headed up by the recently appointed Performance manager, Dan Golder.

Over the years, Richard has been involved, many youngsters have been introduced to paddling, some have represented Wales, and a few have travelled further afield with the British teams. Some have become coaches, many have stopped paddling while others have re-started with their own children. Some, like Toby Jones, make boats so others can go paddling or Mark Abbott run events so others can go racing. While Richard Lee leaves the employment of Canoe Wales in December, to continue his studies at Bangor University, he will still be around on the river - you may catch a fleeting glimpse of a slalom kayak first thing in the morning at Canolfan Tryweryn or on Bala lake in the evening light – and on the river bank (either coaching or walking the dog with his family). That’s what canoeing does to you. Leaves you with stories, memories and moments.

Work hard, expect nothing. Take responsibility, Enjoy yourself.