Top windsurfing coach, Grant Beck, was named New Zealand sailor of the year at Yachting New Zealand's 2011 Annual Awards.

Grant Beck was a student at Westlake Boys High School from 1969 to 1972 and is the most successful New Zealand Olympic Coach, ever. His twenty five year Olympic Windsurf Coach record includes seven Olympic medals, with three of those coming in Gold.

Beck has been the coach for all New Zealand's windsurfing medals going back to the 1984 Olympics with Bruce Kendall and continuing with Bruce and Barbara Kendall, Aaron McIntosh and most recently Tom Ashley (also a Westlaker) who won a Gold medal in the event in the 2008 Olympics in Qingdao.

This award won by Beck on 28 October 2011 is the premier award in New Zealand Sailing, for outstanding contribution to yachting, and is given to someone who has demonstrated absolute world class abilities over their career.

Not only is Grant Beck recognized tonight for his talent and dedication as a coach, he is recognized for his wide impact throughout the NZ Yachting Community. His experience and judgement is being harnessed as an Olympic Selector in several classes and his role at Adhesive Technologies proves his worth to the wider marine industry of NZ.

To this day, Grant Beck continues to make a major contribution to youth sailing in New Zealand with a variety of roles including coaching, advising and managing youth teams to compete internationally. In fact, he was spotted just a couple of weeks ago teaching some beginners to windsurf at Wakatere Beach on Auckland's North Shore.

Source:

http://www.voxy.co.nz/sport/grant-beck-named-sailor-year/5/105788

http://www.sail-world.com/NZ/Top-Olympic-Windsurfing-Coach-wins-NZ-Sailor-of-the-Year/90057