Throughout 2016 WAIS athletes have been able to achieve excellence in sport, through the support, wisdom and guidance provided to them by their respective coaches.
The Western Australian Institute of Sport boasts an array of world class mentors who are committed to the development and goals of all athletes, from those emerging to those at the international class.
In 2016, there were a number of coaches who experienced great success within their respective areas, and the WAIS Coach of the Year award stands to recognise those efforts.
Michael Palfery is a WAIS swimming coach who oversees the Institute’s Challenge Podium Performance Centre.
His major success in 2016 was guiding Tamsin Cook through training and preparation to earn a spot on the Australian Olympic Team for Rio. Cook would go on to qualify for the final of the 400m freestyle and medal (silver) in the 4x200m freestyle relay team.
Along with those achievements, Palfery also saw athletes selected on the Junior Pan Pac and Oceania Championship swimming teams, identifying broad base of talent within his program.
Palfery’s work is supported by strong values, with an emphasis on open and honest communication and leadership style which underpins the successful program culture which he has helped establish in the Challenge Program.
Two of Australia’s leading gymnastics development coaches in Joshua Fabian and Regan Molyneaux have earned joint nomination, after achieving outstanding results in leading WA’s International Level 10 gymnasts to success in Melbourne at the 2016 Australian Gymnastics Championships.
At this event, Western Australia won the age group teams competition whilst also having three of the top four individual ranked athletes.
Other successes of the pairing are evident in the selection of eight WA athletes recently, on the Australian Team Future Advanced camp.
Fabian and Molyneaux have a strong commitment to developing coaches within WA’s club system whilst they also strive to achieve outstanding athlete outcomes by working closely with WAIS service providers.
Similarly to Michael Palfery, WAIS Cycling coach Clay Worthington saw track athlete Sam Welsford earn selection for the Australian Olympic Team, as part of the track cycling team.
Welsford advanced from the WAIS program and blossomed in the national high performance program over 2015-16, where he won a world championship and an Olympic silver medal, in the team pursuit event.
Worthington’s WAIS Cycling program has seen excellent progression over the voting period (1 Oct 2015 – 30 Sep 2016), not only developing Welsford to Olympic standard but also creating a series of talented emerging junior athletes.
On the domestic stage; Tahlay Christie, Jade Haines, Matt Richardson and Kye Bonser have all benefitted from Worthington’s coaching expertise, enhanced by his characteristic motivational support.
The WAIS Netball program has seen immense success in 2016, under the expert guidance of coach Michelle Wilkins.
Wilkins’ skillset is recognized nationally, through her role as an Australian Diamonds squad selector, whilst closer to home, her talents were also evident as she led the Western Sting to a bronze medal win in the 2016 Australian Netball League.
Other successes for Wilkins’ program included program athletes earning selection in the 17/U, 19/U, 21/U and senior Australian squads. The WAIS netball program is highly respected by athletes and service staff alike and Wilkins’ role continues to reflect success for netball in Western Australia.
WAIS Coach of the Year Nominees (From top left):
- Michelle Wilkins (NETBALL)
- Clay Worthington (CYCLING)
- Michael Palfery (SWIMMING)
- Joshua Fabian and Regan Molyneaux (GYMNASTICS)
Whilst the attention and focus is understandably directed at athlete performance, the importance our coaches play in assisting high performance outcomes cannot be understated. The WAIS Coach of the Year celebrates the work that largely goes unnoticed, but makes a critical impact on athlete success.
The WAIS Coach of the Year award will be announced on Saturday the 15th of October at the WAIS Annual Dinner.
– Annika Lee-Jones
