Sheldrake retired from Port Ahuriri School in 2002 to boost the hours spent at the Omni centre, where she started coaching in 1976 after flirting with sport as a pupil at Napier Intermediate and Solway College in Masterton.
"It's a wonderful recognition of work over the years," she said of the annual award Sport Hawke's Bay presents to volunteer coaches in the region.
"I've put an enormous amount of work in and there was support, especially from my family, to allow me the time to do that."
The Omni centre has 420 club members with a team of 22 volunteer coaches. Sheldrake is also a New Zealand judge, a commitment she will fufil during the national championship in Blenheim from tomorrow.
A minority code in this country, Sheldrake says she opted for gynmastics as it's "the most important sport of all fitness for other sports".
Sheldrake said most major codes often had elite athletes who had gymnastics as a foundation for development.
"They are also putting their children through it now," she said, adding it offered people balance, flexibility, strength, courage and excitement.
The last high-flying gymnast from the Bay was Renee Baarspul, who missed out on a Commonwealth Games stint after picking up an injury during the trials.
She also played for the Hawke's Bay Tuis rugby team and now works for the Napier Aquatic Centre.
Two other gymnasts from the Bay have travelled to trials in Auckland with Games and Pacific Alliance ambitions.
Sheldrake lauded the gymnastics community for making her job enjoyable.
