1. The parents of swimmers in the National Development and National Potential squads at
Swansea Aquatics wish to nominate Matt Tutton for the 2014 Swim Wales 'Club Coach'
award because of his unswerving commitment to ensuring each of his swimmers - their
children - achieves their individual potential.
Matt coaches the National Development and National Potential squads at Swansea
Aquatics. 2014 has been an extraordinarily successful year for Swansea Aquatics and for
Matt in particular. The 2014 British Gas Swim Wales Summer Nationals was Swansea's
most successful for nearly a decade, and Matt's swimmers scooped many top places in
the younger age groups. He also contributed to the record number of Swansea swimmers
qualifying for the 2014 British Gas National Age Groups, with three of his swimmers
making it into the Swansea contingent in Sheffield (and clocking up 11 NQTs between
them).
The medals, and National Age Group Qualifying Times, however, are only part of the story.
What makes Matt an outstanding coach and leader is that he teaches his swimmers to
measure their success by personal improvements which will not always immediately
translate into glory in the pool, but instead by becoming a better, more skilled athlete, and
thus laying the foundations for longer term success. It is evident to all that Matt takes
enormous pleasure and pride in seeing that his swimmers achieve their personal bests
and goals, whatever they may be.
He is highly regarded within the swimming community in South Wales for his emphasis in
training on the development of a high level of technical proficiency, and rightly so. Matt
works with each swimmer as an individual to focus on particular aspects of their technique.
Pacing up and down the pool, no swimmer escapes his eagle eye! He excels at
communicating to his swimmers the skills he wants to see them develop and why it
matters that they master these proficiently.
He is an innovative coach who uses a variety of techniques and technologies to motivate
and improve performance. His National Potential swimmers routinely use heart rate
monitors to improve their performance. At personal cost, he has invested this year in an
underwater camera to refine stroke and turn technique. Daily email briefings during the
course of major events celebrate technical improvements among his squads and identify
where further work is needed. For the 2014 Summer Nationals, we have even had video
briefs of the day's highlights.
The commitment he has to his swimmers is reciprocated, in turn, by them. When they
race, it is to Matt they turn first for praise or encouraging words - which they always
receive. When necessary, a swimmer will know when the performance - whether in training
or competition - needs to be better, but the moment and the words are always well chosen.
His swimmers clearly respect him, but they are also fond of him, and loyal to him. There is
no better example of the type of community he has fostered than when the swimmers
participated in his very public marriage proposal at the 2014 Summer Nationals!
In summary, we believe Matt Tutton should receive the Club Coach award because he
brings out the very best in his young swimmers and teaches them to believe in
themselves. For us as parents, there can be no better tribute to his skills as a coach.