After nearly three decades as a gymnastics coach, Sheena Reed’s enthusiasm for the sport shows no signs of diminishing.
“I like working with the kids, I like challenging them,” said the Flinty’s Gymnasts head coach.
“When they are a little afraid of something and they master it, it’s just great. I love to see their confidence grow when they can do more than they ever thought they could.”
Reed’s commitment was honoured last weekend when she received the Jack Mowat Award at a Manitoba Gymnastics Association (MGA) awards ceremony in Winnipeg.
The award recognizes individuals who have made significant long-lasting contributions to the MGA and shown outstanding achievement in the sport of gymnastics in Manitoba.
In her presentation of the award to Reed, Lorie Henderson, a judging coordinator with MGA, said Reed embodied the qualities showcased by the award’s namesake – a prominent coach who focused on helping athletes reach their full potential.
“When I first started working [at the regional level], I heard [Reed] referred to as the ‘guru’ of the North,” Henderson said. “I was soon to find out she was that and much more.”
Henderson went on to note Reed’s accomplishments as both head coach for the Flin Flon team and a coach trainer who has worked with clubs throughout northern Manitoba.
“She has been instrumental in the development and longevity of gymnastics in our northern communities,” Henderson said.
Reed’s journey as a gymnastics coach started about 28 years ago, when local parents put out a call for volunteers to rebuild a program that had folded.
While Reed had never participated in gymnastics herself, she was open to learning the ins and outs of the sport.
“I wanted to help young people,” she said. “I think kids should be involved in sports.”
From the beginning, Reed said she focused on keeping costs down for young athletes, fondly recalling the days when she played sports as a child in Flin Flon and her family paid just $1 for each sport she wanted to play.
Reed said she has been able to keep fees affordable over the years by encouraging a spirit of volunteerism within Flinty’s Gymnasts.
“I think we are the only club in Manitoba that doesn’t pay our coaches,” said Reed, noting that of the current eight coaches at the club, “just about everybody there has been a gymnast in our club – except for me.”
Reed said athletes are asked to start volunteering as junior coaches around age 12 or 13, and many continue to support the club when they reach adulthood.
That train of volunteers seems likely to stay on track as interest in gymnastics grows locally, with some 65 members in the current club.
“It’s become a very popular sport,” Reed said, adding that local gymnasts are attaining much higher levels than they did when the club re-launched.
When asked what it felt like to receive the Jack Mowat award last weekend, Reed said it was both an honour and a thrill. For a coach who has dedicated much of her life to supporting local athletes, the honour is much deserved.
