Coaches are super six

THERE are six finalists in the hunt for this year's Coach of the Year prize – the winner of which will be announced at The Herald's glittering awards ceremony at the Pavilions on Monday December 5.

Some of the nominees' names will be well-known, not just to the city's sporting fraternity, but also across the UK and internationally.

Diving's Andy Banks (right) and swimming's Jon Rudd are both past winners of this coveted category as well as being well-established international coaches in their own right.

Andy Hill has also been a Great Britain fencing coach and a Herald nominee before, while Gavin Love heads Plymouth Raiders, who play in the UK's top basketball league – the BBL Championship.

All four are worthy additions to the final listings, as is the fifth and sixth finalists – city squash stalwart Ian Shannon and much-respected martial arts coach Steve Hollister.

Therefore it is not who you are but what you have achieved in the past 12 months that counts in this and in any of the eight categories being competed for next week.

In the history of the award, that is the difference each nominee has made to grassroots sport in Plymouth and its nearby area, that matters.

And the only way the judging panel can discover who is the most worthy and deserving is through the readers of The Herald.

And you – our readership – who have decided that these six top coaches are in the final.

So, let's have a look at the contenders in a little more detail, starting with Plymouth Fencing Club's seemingly inexhaustible maestro, Hill (pictured right).

In addition to his reputation in fencing, Hill has made a real impact nationally and internationally in all forms of multi-eventing, too. These include biathlon, triathlon, tetrathlon and pentathlon.

The fencing aspect at the Plymouth College Academy continues to be particularly successful, too. College students both individually or within a team, have won seven golds, two silvers and four bronze medals at the national championship level this year.

Head coach Love led the Raiders to a record of 14 wins and nine defeats in the BBL last season, from January 1 onwards.

His team's exciting style of play packed out the Pavilions and he finished as runner-up in the voting for the Basketball Journalists' Association coach of the year in 2010/11.

Plymouth Leander coach Rudd (pictured below) was the head coach for the senior British team at the 2011 European Championships in Poland, as well as being the leader of the England line-up for the Commonwealth Youth Games. Rudd was named as a Great Britain national squad coach for the fourth consecutive year.

Plymouth Diving's GB coach Banks is once again a finalist and deservedly so. Banks' qualities as a coach, friend and mentor were underlined as both Tom Daley and Tonia Couch reached the finals at the World Championships.

Banks also deserves great credit for helping teenager Daley to cope with the death of his father, Rob, in May.

Shannon is another whose name is synonymous with his sport. Among his many virtues is his voluntary work in coaching squash to children at Fort Stamford.

Saltash Karate Club sensei Hollister has been commended, not just for his coaching prowess which resulted in world titles at the World Karate Tournament.

But Hollister also led by example, winning a world crown in the veteran male category in August.