Coach of the Year 2019
The results of the eighth annual Coach of the Year poll were officially presented during a gala evening held on February 6, 2020 in the cinema hall of Prague's Lucerna. The presence of the complete generality of Czech sport, including J. Kejval, M. Hnilicka, K. Kovář and M. Jansta, was to be a sign that the coaching profession is crucial for the development of physical abilities and that the professional sports community perceives this. About eighty minutes long program included mainly the announcement of laureates of different types of coaching levels. For example, coach discoverer or coach influencer. Six coaches were inducted into the Hall of Fame and the program concluded with the announcement of the winners in the main categories. That is, Coach of the Year in individual sports and Coach of the Year in team sports. The results were known in advance, and even if they weren't, it probably wouldn't have been a big surprise that judo and basketball succeeded. Petr Lacina is a likeable heartthrob tied with our current sports icon, judoka Lukas Krpálek. They both came across as pleasant and authentic, and it's clear that they have done an incredible amount of work for their sport, which has borne fruit in the form of a visible increase in judo's popularity. Israeli Ronen Ginzburg, the coach of the Czech national men's basketball team, was the expected winner, especially thanks to his media-visible sixth place from the World Championships in China. I, as a member of the UPT (Union of Professional Coaches) also nominated both of them for their proven contribution to Czech sport. The dramaturgy of the evening included, besides a few deaf and unfinished spots, a number of touching moments full of emotions, funny stories, pleasant musical interludes performed by dulcimer player Anička Múčková, a quality accompanying speech by Marek Eben (with only one slip against good taste) and skillfully composed entries by representatives of the sponsor of the evening, Uniqa. There was no curling, so perhaps next time there will be a reason to nominate one of the curlers.
photo from left: Petr Lacina, Ronen Ginzburg