As a community we have achieved great things in the last 18 months despite all the challenges and we feel that the SCA Recognition Awards really reflects this.

The SCA recognition awards have been in place for many years and we’ve adapted the categories at various times to help give greater recognition to those who deserve it. We’ve had more nominations this year than ever before and of course that means all of these people are deserving of recognition, not just the winners. 

Nominations were open throughout the summer before a panel of volunteers from the SCA Coaching and Development committee and Equality Groups was convened to review all nominations received and decide on the winners. The award winners were all announced after the AGM on 17th November, and we'll be releasing a video each day to give each individual the recognition they deserve.

Our first award is Coach of the Year.

This award is for a coach (whether that’s a volunteer coach or paid coach of any age) that has gone above and beyond their usual role through the pandemic. Perhaps they’ve come up with ingenious ways of coaching through the pandemic, or perhaps they’ve been extra supportive to their paddlers. 

This year our Coach of the Year is Jim Gibson, Head Coach at Moray SUP Club. 

"Jim as the head coach of Moray SUP club is doing an amazing job,. His optimism, his love for the sport and his enthusiasm to coach is infectious. He is never short of kind and supportive words to everybody, and his coaching sessions are packed full of skills to work on and advices for beginners and experienced paddlers alike. he is not sparing his personal time and will always try to offer more (free) sessions if he feels there is some demand from the club members."