McDermott wins UK Sport award
The BBSA’s Ed McDermott was named Support Staff of the Year at the UK Sport PLx (Performance Learning Exchange) awards this week.
McDermott was recognised for his work with both the skeleton and bobsleigh teams at the annual event in Leeds.
The BBSA’s Head of Performance Support has been with the British Skeleton programme since 2012 and began working across the bobsleigh set up earlier in this Olympic quad.
He was specifically recognised for his role in overseeing and implementing the closer relationship between the two sports over the past year in particular and for developing and delivering a highly successful skeleton team race strategy following the introduction of the new Olympic event.
"Ed has been a driving force in British Skeleton since 2012, first helping create a world-leading Starts programme with Danny Holdcroft, then leading Strength and Conditioning through three Olympic medals in Pyeongchang 2018. His leadership has built a sustainable coaching pipeline, developing future experts and ensuring Britain remains home to the world’s fastest starters,” said the BBSA’s Executive Performance Director, Natalie Dunman.
Ed has also tackled new performance challenges head-on, notably leading preparations for the 2026 Mixed Skeleton Team Relay. Partnering with Mike Muckelt, he designed a pioneering reaction-start strategy that has already earned four World Championship medals and positioned Britain as a medal contender once again.
“He has also played a key role with the British Bobsleigh team since the two sports began working closer together and the impact he has had in on these athletes - particularly throughout this summer - has been substantial."
McDermott received plenty of praise from athletes in both programmes, too, with the below a selection of their comments after learning of his nomination for the award:
Kya Placide, British Bobsleigh athlete:
“My experience working with Ed has been amazing. He’s someone I can speak to about anything. We joke because he always knows the answer to any questions I have!
He’s changed me in many ways, mentally and physically. Coming into bobsleigh as a newbie to elite sport, he’s really helped me understand the mental side of things and that’s had a massive impact on my performance and I’m very grateful to him for that.
“Physically, I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in thanks to Ed. He’s taught me new ways to train, he tells when I need to slow down and when I need to ramp things up. He’s really honest, too, and that’s the best part about him.”
Marcus Wyatt, British Skeleton athlete:
“Ed joined the programme just before me, so he saw me when I’d never tried skeleton before and he’s since turned me into one of the best pushers in the world.
“I’ve seen him take on wider roles over the years and he’s helped other staff members grow, too. He plays such a big role in this team, and he’s been a lynchpin across all my years in the sport.”
Leon Greenwood, British Bobsleigh athlete:
“I already feel that I’m another level up from last season. I always have this view of ‘what can I do to be better’, and a big part of that was to get Ed on board. That’s made me the athlete that I am and I’m more and more confident that I can be a really big part of this Olympic team, so thank you Ed!
Taylor Lawrence, British Bobsleigh athlete:
“Working with Ed has been hugely beneficial. Having an S&C coach like Ed who knows the nuances s of bobsleigh and can program accordingly has been really helpful.
He’s one of the most knowledgeable people I know. You can ask him absolutely anything and he’ll either know the answer on the spot, or he’ll go back and get the answer pretty sharpish for you.
“Before my injury, I’d been in the best shape I’d ever been in and Ed was the main driving force behind that.”
McDermott is currently focussed on helping both bobsleigh and skeleton athletes win medals at February’s Olympic Winter Games in Milan Cortina – the third Games he will have travelled to after PyeongChang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022.
“It’s great to be recognised and give the whole team a timely boost with Milan-Cortina just around the corner,” said McDermott.
There are loads of amazing support staff out there and it was humbling even to be nominated, let alone go on and win it.
"We don’t go into these roles for the recognition - we want to give people the best opportunity to achieve their dreams, but to have a little bit of recognition along the way is a nice feeling.”
James Howard and Ed McDermott were recognised at PLx
The BBSA’s James Howard was also shortlisted for an award, having been nominated in the Pathway Coach category.
Although Howard missed out on the award itself to British Cycling’s Stuart Blunt, staff and athletes were equally forthcoming in their praise of British Skeleton’s Lead Development Coach.
Natalie Dunman, BBSA Executive Performance Director:
"Over the last three years, Jimmy Howard has led the British Skeleton coaching approach through our talent and development programmes with a specific focus on the development of our female athletes,” said Dunman.
“This has required a creative training and competition programme to gain the necessary experience across multiple tracks, alongside an unwavering belief that with the right coaching and support that meets the athletes’ needs, athletes can be medal competitive in 2026.
“Jimmy’s work ethic, commitment to learning, creativity and sense of humour set him apart from others and he is a credit to British Skeleton and the UK high-performance system."
Amelia Coltman, British Skeleton athlete:
“I’ve been working with James for nine years now. When I started skeleton, he’d just started his coaching role with the team so we’ve really grown together.
He’s really helped me develop into an elite athlete, turning me from just a decent athlete into someone who has elite behaviours. He has a really strong focus on doing everything well on the ice but also doing all the other stuff off the ice that’s just as important.
“When Tabby, Freya and I made the step up to the World Cup circuit, he was really helpful. He makes me feel like a can share anything with him and, as an athlete, when you have burdens, it’s really useful to be able to do that.”
Matthias Guggenberger, British Skeleton Head Coach:
“Jimmy is a great person and we really appreciate him in this team. He has a key role for the development of the young athletes. Amelia, Freya and tabby have all won races and we know that they are potential medal candidates for the Games and Jimmy has played a huge role in that.
He’s so easy to work with: he’s a team player and he’s always around if you need something.
“We’re very lucky to have him in the team and I know that everyone feels like that. With him on our side, I’m confident that we’ll have success over the next few years.
Matt Weston, British Skeleton athlete:
“Jimmy was one of my coaches when I first joined the programme. He was one of the people that set a really good foundation for me.
A lot of the lessons I’ve learned from him and the ways of working I’ve learned from him, I still use today. I’m very thankful for the work Jimmy put in with me over those years.
“He’s one of the key members of our World Cup squad. He’s always willing to go the extra mile for you (unless it’s first thing in the morning!)”
