KEY POINTS:
Anne Stillwell almost wasn't ready to be named volunteer coach of the year.
The Kaikohe woman - who coaches netball, touch and swimming - won the title at a national awards ceremony in Auckland.
But she nearly tripped before her big appearance on stage.
"I bought myself some sparkly Cinderella shoes as a treat for the awards, but they were giving me sore feet," she said.
"I had the shoes off and was twinkling my toes as they were reading out who won. I thought I'd better put my shoes on just in case they called my name but I never thought they would."
But they did, and Mrs Stillwell walked away with $3000 to spend on sports gear and coach training, and a year's supply of Wattie's Baked Beans.
Mrs Stillwell was up against coaches from around the country but fought off the competition.
"It's great to be recognised and to highlight Kaikohe for a good thing. The children here are all really sporty but it's hard getting the parents involved. Hopefully they'll see that I've won this and it'll encourage them to get active with their kids," she said.
"I coach at a decile one school and I think many of the parents think you've got to be educated to be a coach but it's not the case. Anybody can be one as long as they're enthusiastic."
She coaches Kaikohe Swimming Club, Northland College Netball, the Wanderers Netball club and netball and touch at Kaikohe East Primary.
She and her husband, a volunteer coastguard, have four children and nine grandchildren who are all proud of her achievement.
"It's a real honour but I don't think it's sunk in yet. I'm really grateful for all the support and the people who nominated me," she said.
"I love what I do and I love all the kids. They all appreciate what I do."
And so did the judges, with three of the five national judges placing her in first place in her category. The other two placed her second.
"When you look at the time and commitment Anne puts into coaching several codes it is easy to see why she was such a convincing winner," convenor of judges Ross Bond said.
"She travels huge distances, and really is a one-stop shop for the teams she coaches, but more importantly she is giving the children of Kaikohe opportunities they otherwise may not have had. "It's coaches like Anne who are the backbone of sport in smaller rural communities and are so important to the future wellness of the community."
