Mid West Academy of Sport executive officer Darren Winterbine moves on, passing the torch to Dan Hunt

Walking into his role in 2017, Darren Winterbine set out to build a training environment in the Mid West that gave athletes the opportunity to pursue their sporting dreams from their home towns. Now moving on from his time as the Mid West Sport Academy’s executive officer after eight years, Winterbine is passing on the baton, and reflecting on his journey. During his tenure, Winterbine has taken academy numbers from 12 athletes to more than 100. He is proud to say this level of expansion is a testament to the MWAS team’s hard work. “We’ve basically expanded from where we started, where there was 12 athletes — we are now dealing with 120-plus each year,” Winterbine said. “The team also gained a bunch of coaches that we didn’t really have initially, and now they deal with probably 500 athletes in the community and in the region. “We have expanded massively.” Winterbine’s greatest pleasure he has taken from the role is the impact he and the team have had on athletes, allowing them to achieve their goals in sport and life. “Just to be able to really impact athletes on a day-to-day basis, to try and bring the best out of them,” he said. “So the fact that we’ve had some go on and play professionally and things like that is great, and that’s excellent that kids from this region can see that it can happen, and they don’t have to move from the region to be able to achieve their dreams. “You learn a lot of life lessons — you know, resilience, teamwork, all the things — so kids that go through our program that don’t achieve to that professional level, hopefully we’ve given them some life skills that they’re more employable, they’re able to take forward.” Winterbine will not be lost to regional sport, taking on a role at Basketball WA as the high-performance country lead coach. The man filling the role Winterbine leaves behind is a well-known face in the Mid West, with decades of experience in the local sporting scene. Basketball WA’s former regional development officer for the Mid West Dan Hunt comes from a background in the sport, having played professionally in Germany and Australia, with most of his career with the Geraldton Buccaneers from 1989-2003. Hunt’s previous role included co-ordinating and managing Basketball WA’s high-performance programs in the Mid West, as well as managing State performance programs and preparing regional athletes for State trials. Even with his experience, Hunt says it will be a challenge to raise the bar Winterbine has set. “They will be tough shoes to fill,” he said “I’ve always known what a great job Darren’s done. “It’s obvious in the programs that he’s running and stuff, and the feedback you get from the people, but it’s a massive challenge.” Hunt hopes to put his own twist on the role and is excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. “I am excited just about getting on the ground with these elite athletes in different sports,” he said. “Darren has done a great job so I will be looking to continue his great work and put my own little twist on it, whatever that looks like.”