Queen's Birthday Honours: Northampton trampoline coach 'overwhelmed' by MBE - BBC News

2022-06-04 01:50:52 By : Ms. Mary Du

An Olympic trampoline coach said she was "overwhelmed" to become an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

Tracy Whittaker-Smith, from Northampton, coached Great British athletes to medals in Rio and Tokyo.

The 57-year-old is now head trampoline coach at British Gymnastics and has been honoured for her contribution to the sport.

She said she see the honour as "everybody's as so many people contributed" to her career.

Ms Whittaker-Smith was also an integral part in the growth of the Northamptonshire Trampoline Gymnastics Academy.

The centre, in Northampton, sees 1,000 members through its doors a week as well being used for training by the Great Britain teams.

She said the academy "changed the landscape in Great Britain" by having recreational members all the way up to elite athletes.

"It's been instrumental in pushing the sport forward," she said.

Ms Whittaker-Smith has been coaching for 40 years and said when she starting trampolining "was just a school activity" that has now grown into an Olympic sport.

"It feels like a whole journey from recreational sport to high performance," she said.

She said when she received the letter informing her of her honour "I was just truly shocked, overwhelmed, I thought 'what's all this for?'".

Ms Whittaker-Smith said she was now in her sixth Olympic cycle and would be looking to replicate the success the female trampoline team had with the men's programme.

Also appointed MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours:

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Northamptonshire Trampoline Gymnastics Academy (NTGA)

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