University of Aberdeen Performance Swim Team coach Gregor McMillan has been named Aberdeen’s Sports Awards Performance Coach of the Year after helping two of his athletes reach the Paralympics for the first time.
McMillan, who is based at Aberdeen Sports Village Aquatics Centre, was recognised at Tuesday’s Samsung-sponsored P&J Live ceremony.
He mentored para-swimmer Toni Shaw to a bronze medal in the women’s S9 400m freestyle at the delayed Tokyo Games last year.
The 18-year-old, one of Team GB’s rising starts, would go on to finish fourth in three other events – the 100m free, the 100m butterfly and the 34pts 4x100m medley.
Conner Morrison, one of McMillan’s other pool prodigies, was also at the Paralympics for the first time and reached the SB14 100m breaststroke final, before finishing eighth.
Morrison also came fourth in the same event at the European Championships in Madeira in 2021, and took silver in the British Championships at Ponds Forge, Sheffield.
After winning the Performance Coach prize, McMillan said: “I’m really chuffed. I work with a good group and they’re a fantastic bunch to take forward and take forward to the next level of the sport.
“But it’s just nice – nice to know the plans I’ve put in place allowed them to be successful and deliver high-end performance.
“It was a really strange period of time with Covid and everything, but we got past that and worked consistently through the weeks to try to deliver that upper end, and then reflecting back and looking back at all the things we did is fantastic to see.
Gregor’s performance development squad also contains several other athletes on Scottish Swimming’s elite programme at bronze, silver and gold levels.
He added: “Toni’s obviously left and she’s down in Stirling (at university) now.
“She as an athlete can progress even further in the sport. She’s still in contact and we spend some time together. She’ll be an elite athlete for the next decade.
“Conner is probably going to have a look at what it’s going to take to medal in Paris (next Paralympics in 2024) and that’s our aim.
“I’ve got other athletes as well. Yasmin Perry is hopefully going to be on the Commie Games team and we’ll find out in about a month whether she’s done the standard and is going to make that kind of level.
“So I’m looking forward to seeing what can happen.”
Aberdeen FC Women‘s co-manager Emma Hunter was highly commended in this category.
Business Community Partner of the Year
Sponsored by Atholl Scott Financial
Central Coaches have been named Business Community Partner of the Year at Aberdeen’s Sports Awards in recognition of their work with the Denis Law Legacy Trust.
The transport company have given ‘immense’ support to the trust, supporting their Stronger Families Inside Out/CLUB 10 and Granite City Speaks youth forum.
The first project supports children who are affected by a parent being imprisoned.
It brings together kids who visit parents in prison weekly in the form of a monthly sports club, with aim of helping them ‘build friendships, develop trust and receive support in a fun sporting environment’. It is also said to ‘help reduce the anxiety of visiting a prison and not knowing anyone’.
A ‘lifeline’ for many youngsters during Covid, Central provided free transport to and from CLUB 10 for SFIO kids.
A spokesman for the Denis Law Legacy Trust said: “Central are always only a call away and nothing seems to be too much for them.
“They genuinely care about young people and the communities of Aberdeen that they live in and will go out of their way to offer support in so many different ways. It’s always ‘what can we do to help’, which is refreshing, inspiring and sums up their company ethos perfectly.
“They helped identify gaps and barriers to young people accessing our free sport CLUB 10 sessions, and coordinated ways to ensure these kids and their families would not miss out.
“Central have a special place in our charity’s heart because of their will to work with us and better young peoples’ lives.
“We think Central are fantastic!”
School Innovation Award
Sponsored by sportscotland Active Schools Aberdeen City
Virtual School has won the School Innovation Award at Aberdeen’s Sports Award 2022.
The nationally-shared initiative looks to ensure looked-after children or those with experiences of care have access to physical education, physical activity and sport.
Kids from these backgrounds can struggle to access PE within their schools, meaning they can become inactive and isolated from their peers. This can negatively impact their physical and mental health, while also robbing them of educational opportunities within PE, as well as the chance to develop their leadership skills and other transferable skills from sport.
To combat these issues, Aberdeen City Council and Sport Aberdeen have been working together to create a programme of 1-2-1 and small group activity – offering the young people in question walks in local greenspaces, access to sports, free access to gyms and more. During the Covid crisis and the resultant closure of facilities, sports packs were delivered to more than 100 children and young people.
There is clear evidence Virtual School has helped children, with one such individual going from not attending school at all to beginning college, with the confidence and self-esteem gained from involvement in physical activity and sport a significant contributing factor. Other youngsters, meanwhile, have managed to find employment after working with the project.
To ensure Virtual School continues to have a positive effect, pupils are involved in shaping what is included – in both their own activity and for future users.
This year’s Aberdeen’s Sports Awards sponsors –
