Like many sports fans, Natalie Lawrence has ‘the moment’ – a play which drew her in to football, capturing her imagination, then her heart, setting her on a path which would take her around the world. Paul “Gazza” Gascoigne, EURO ’96 versus Scotland. “It was an incredible goal, with an iconic celebration, and I spent […]

A now or never moment led Jon Andrews on the greatest ride of his career and following seven exhilarating days at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome in Paris he became New Zealand’s most successful Olympic cycling coach. As the Lead Sprint Coach of a small team of four women – daughter Ellesse Andrews, Rebecca Petch, Shaane Fulton […]

For someone who didn’t set out to become a coach, Scotsman Murray Buchan is now well and truly ensconced, his destined career path eventually landing him in New Zealand and into a veritable field of dreams. Plying his trade initially for Snowsport Scotland and GB (Great Britain) Snowsport, Buchan has quickly added his lustre to […]

When Jenny Armstrong was three days old her parents brought a boat for the family and named it “Jenny”.  What began was a life of sailing that has taken Armstrong all over the world and back to her beloved Dunedin where she now lives with her family.   “I guess my fate was sealed as a […]

As he turns 70 years of age, Kevin Smith shows no sign of slowing down. In fact, quite the opposite; in some respects he’s just getting started. Smith has been involved in lawn bowls since he was 17 years old, when he watched his brother pick up a national title. Since then he’s done pretty […]

Somewhat quietly, Gary Stead has put together an impressive record as Blackcaps coach over the past six and a half years. And that’s just the way he would want it. “I like to win but don’t let the results define me,” he says. “The results happen because of a group of people you have around […]

When a struggling young track cyclist reached out to Elyse Fraser for coaching a few years ago, it unexpectedly set Fraser on a new path. The former elite track cyclist and police officer didn’t have cycling coaching on her horizon and now she’s forging a pathway for female cycling coaches. “I was taken aback because […]

Becoming an athletics coach was never part of the plan for primary school teacher Nuree Greenhalgh. Despite coming from a family of coaches and having competed nationally in the 400m and 800m, Greenhalgh was content supporting her daughters from the side lines—until a pivotal moment changed everything seven years ago. Judy Revell-Lewis, the mother of […]

A determined focus as an athlete, sharpened considerably by a constantly enquiring mind where he delved deeply into the process of performance, ultimately led Gordon Walker to becoming the famed coach he is today. In tandem with canoe racing queen Dame Lisa Carrington, “Gordy’’ as he is affectionately addressed by those who know him best, […]

Immersed in the round ball game from a young age All Whites Head Coach, Darren Bazeley, still lives and breathes football. “I grew up in England where football is everything and developed a love for the game which I still have today.” After signing a professional playing contract at age 14, Bazeley says he had […]

The coach within always lurked close to the surface in the make-up of Kirsten Hellier who seamlessly combined self-coaching with being a trailblazer in the competitive arena of women’s javelin in the 1990s. Once her decorated career as an athlete was over, Hellier quickly found her niche in the coaching ranks in a variety of […]

When Donna Wilkins would come off the netball court, she always knew exactly how many shots she had missed, or where she could have improved. She always knew how to read a game, so she hopes the transition into coaching will be a natural fit, as she steps into the role of head coach of […]