Lottie Martin has been selected to win the first ever Howden Grassroots Heroes competition, with thanks to nominee Courtney Onens, Worcester Crocodiles have won £500.
This was the first time Howden had run this competition to celebrate the unsung heroes behind every athlete. Run across all sports, players were asked to nominate their coach and explain why they were their hero. This is Courtney’s description of Lottie –
”In my opinion Lottie is the best coach I’ve every had as she’s an inspiration to us all, we all really look up to her, not only as a coach but also as a player. Lottie has given me my confidence back and has made me that player I am today, I am going to be forever thankful for that. Lottie always believed in me even when I didn’t. When she takes training she always makes it fun and if we don’t understand anything she will take the time to explain it. Lottie saw the true potential in me when nobody else did she helped me so much and she will continue to help other people just as much as she helped me. We as Crocs are incredibly proud to have Lottie as a coach.”
When asked about her nomination and win Lottie explained what it meant to her – “Having recently qualified as a Swim England Water Polo Coach (Level 2) and be recognised for my coaching ability by Courtney has massively boosted my confidence and enjoyment of coaching. To receive recognition for my coaching methods and knowing they are helping improve the younger generation at grassroot level is amazing. Having been a player at both a young age and today, I understand the importance of having a supportive role model. I hope to provide this to every player I coach, especially females in water polo who tend to be a minority.”
Worcester Crocodiles are very proud of both Lottie and Courtney and will be using the money to purchase a new set of home and away hats. We hope this is a sign that 2024 will be a good year for the club and our “home” pool will reopen soon enabling all teams to return to training.