Professor Sean Wins the 2020 Community Sports Hero Award for Coaching

I’m honoured and excited to to find out I won the 2020 Community Sports Hero Award for coaching from PacificSports Okanagan.

Check out this touching write-up PacificSports did for me:

Sean has been a tremendous contributor to not just the martial arts community, but to the physical literacy community in the central interior, showing great resiliency and a true community sport leader. When his club was restricted due to the Provincial Health Orders, Sean went out of his way to draw attention to other quality local businesses who were struggling, and used his social media presence to support them.

He is viewed by the school and local regional multi sport community as a great coach and mentor to youth. In the words of one of his own athletes, “he has built a place that has accommodated an awesome community that I've grown to love. Sean made an invaluable contribution to the community because he kept it going and amidst all this turmoil with COVID and the shutdown he created a Whatsapp group, used social media, found ways to keep the training and the motivation going throughout this year for families.”

Sean is well-loved in both the school, sport camp, and martial arts world, and has worked incredibly hard to stay positive in light of adversity. COVID 19 has dealt a challenging blow to the martial arts community, and Sean’s ingenuity and sense of family was so appreciated by the athletes and families who had customarily come to rely on his leadership and sense of humour. “Sean has created a community for us. I get to watch myself and my kids learn the art of Jiu Jitsu. As well as learning how to be a better person, and that all happens through the respect and leadership that Sean brings to the gym.”

For his tenacity, caring leadership, and respect for participants both in and outside the martial arts, we recognize Sean McHugh as one of our valued Community Sport Heroes in 2020.