Two coaches, who call Kelowna home, have been recognized by Gymnastics B.C. for their love and dedication to the sport of gymnastics.
Jesse Jakins and Norihiko Horie were honoured at the 2013 Gymnastics B.C. annual awards banquet held recently in Burnaby.
Jakins earned the ProMOTION Plus Emerging Gymnastics Leader of the Year award which is given to a female recipient under the age of 25 who has shown great dedication and leadership to the sport of gymnastics.
Jakins has been coaching at Okanagan Gymnastics Centre since 2006 and prior to her coaching career was a competitive athlete with OGC since 1994. Jakins represented Team BC at Canadian Championships as an athlete and is now a Level 3 coach and national level judge. She coaches over 100 athletes from competitive athletes in the Women’s Artistic program as well Pacific Sport Ignite athletes and the Canadian Sport School gymnastics classes. She also teaches the teen girls class and is a great role model for these young ladies. Jesse coordinates and coaches all dry land training for many different ski, snowboard and ringette teams who come to train at OGC.
Jakins recently travelled to Bali to take her level 1 yoga instructors course and uses many of her newly-acquired techniques and knowledge with the multitude of athletes she coaches in the gym.
Horie is the recipient of the Stan Wilkes Provincial Level Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. This award is presented to the highest ranked men’s artistic coach based on the success of their club’s provincial level athletes (Level 1-4) throughout the season. Stan Wilkes was a leader in the BC Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Program with gymnasts at all Provincial and National Levels. He also helped shape BC’s Men’s Artistic Gymnastics system and its committee organization.
Nori is the Men’s Artistic Program Coordinator at Okanagan Gymnastics Centre and dedicates his heart and soul into the young men he coaches. Nori is currently coaching athletes from the National level down to Level 1 and a pre-competitive team.
In 2013, his level 2 athlete Brady Clegg won the gold all around in the Level 2 category. Nori also had four athletes qualify to Western Canadian Championships where one of his athletes, Shane Hiscock earned three individual medals leading him to the all around title in the Level 4 competition which led Team B.C. to a silver medal finish. Horie also coached another athlete to Canadian championships.
