Tina Stam is now training students for this October's Kapiti Special Olympics.
Community Spirit category
As Tina Stam sits in her Paraparaumu home rifling through a stack of photos dating back as far as 2001, she introduces each individual in the images, proud as she explains their journeys.
"This is James, and this was his first time at the Olympics," she says, pointing
at the beaming face of a man with a gold medal draped around his neck.
"I taught him for 10 years, and when he first came to me he was so scared of water he screamed the pool down, but he loves it now."
James, one of many students taught to swim by Mrs Stam over the past 18 years, is blind and disabled.
A volunteer swimming instructor for special needs students on the Kapiti Coast, Mrs Stam has been recognised for her one-on-one lessons at the Coastlands Aquatic Centre in Paraparaumu. She takes students through a range of activities including breaststroke, freestyle, kicking techniques and aqua walking.
