Gymnastics coach of 50 years awarded BEM

Linda Forrister has coached hundreds of gymnasts and has also been a national judge

A woman who has been coaching gymnastics for more than 50 years has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for her services to the sport.

Linda Forrister, 78, from Leek, Staffordshire, has coached hundreds of gymnasts over the years, several of whom have represented their country in high level competitions.

“The sport offers so many things – it offers discipline, it gives a purpose, it’s a most enjoyable sport,” she said.

Ms Forrister established a school gymnastics club in the early 1970s and later set up another club in Stoke-on-Trent.

She is now a coach at Uttoxeter Gymnastics Club, after previously being a maths teacher and deputy head, at a middle school in Leek.

A number of the gymnasts she coached have gone on to compete at national championships and have been very successful at high-level competitions, she said.

During her time, Ms Forrister became a high performance coach and also a national judge, a role she held for almost 30 years.

A citation issued by the government announcing her honour said she had been an essential figure of the West Midlands gymnastics coach education structure, both as an examiner and a tutor.

'Complicated learning curve'

“It’s a difficult sport but you can enjoy it at all levels,” she continued.

“To be a national judge is quite a complicated learning curve.

“You have to know every single move that is in the women’s code of points – which is like the bible of gymnastics.

“You have to know them just as you see them, you have to know what level they are, how many points you can give for each one – and you are doing that while the girl is doing the routine.”

She said she enjoyed judging at high level and more recreationally, and still spends many hours coaching each week.