NZ award to Midway coach Sutton

SURF LIFESAVING EXCELLENCE: Midway coach Matt Sutton with the Gisborne/Tairawhiti area awards he was presented for coach of the year. Sutton was announced winner of the national award in this category at the Surf Life Saving New Zealand awards on Saturday night. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell

MIDWAY coach Matt Sutton’s commitment to surf lifesaving was acknowledged with one of the premier honours at the Surf Life Saving New Zealand national awards on Saturday.

Every year national and local awards are presented to surf lifesaving club members to recognise them for their dedication to the sport and to keeping people safe on New Zealand’s beaches.

The Coach of the Year was awarded to Sutton for his passion for surf life saving and his rapport with athletes of all ages.

Midway stalwart Sutton is also assistant coach of the New Zealand youth team.

One of his most recent successes was in helping Midway rising star Olivia Corrin achieve selection for the Black Fins open team who represented New Zealand in Poland at the World Games this year.

Club members from around the country gathered in Auckland on Saturday night for the presentation of lifesaving, sport and service excellence awards.

Sutton was not able to attend. He was busy coaching his young Gisborne athletes although he did take time out to watch his daughter Ella race in her first swimming competition.

Having competed to international level, Sutton has been coaching for the past four or five years.

“I really do enjoy it,” he said. “The awards are neat, and I know it’s a bit of cliché, but I don’t coach to get awards. It's nice to be recognised, though, and that's a testament to what we do here in Gisborne.”

Waikanae’s Cory Hutchings, Wainui’s Dion Williams and Sutton form a triumvirate of surf lifesaving coaches no other region can match.

“Our involvement in surf lifesaving, and what we’ve done. No other region has that expertise,” he said.

Sutton is, in many ways, following in father Glen’s footsteps.

“He’s one of the most passionate guys I know involved in coaching. He’s from the old school of surf lifesaving coaching. He’s down at the beach throughout winter for the love of it.”

Sutton is also grateful for the support of his wife Kylee, who runs the household.

As founder and owner of surf craft manufacturing plant Sonic Surf Craft NZ, he finds coaching helps him do something other than work.

“The coaching is good for me. The way we run this business, I could be here until 7pm but coaching gets me out of here.

“It keeps me active and it keeps me involved. I’m passionate about what I do here and I’m passionate about coaching.”