Bilston Swimming Club in mourning over death of coach Pauline Trout
A swimming coach who developed hundreds of youngsters into competitive swimmers has died aged 66.
Pauline Trout coached at Bilston Swimming Club for the last 35 years specialising in preparing seven and eight-year-olds for their first races.
She led in excess of 8,000 training sessions – all as a volunteer – and in 2014 was made a life member at the club.
She died on August 22 following a short illness. Her son, Luke Trout, who is the current Head Coach at the club, paid tribute to his mother and 'mentor.'
He said: "She just loved teaching the seven and eight-year-olds and loved getting them ready for competition, seeing them develop and then watching them race in their first year of competitive swimming.
"It is fair to say she has been a really good mentor to me and a lot of the coaches who have been at the club. She taught me a lot."
Mrs Trout was born in Wolverhampton and attended Old Fallings Girls School where she was Head Girl in 1965.
After leaving school, she went to work at Guy Motors as a Comptometer Operator where she met her husband, Peter.
The pair married in 1972 and had three boys – Adam, Mark and Luke – who all swam at Bilston Swimming Club.
In her time at the club, Mrs Trout served as acting head coach on three separate occasions and fulfilled several roles on the club's committee including team manager and fixtures secretary.
In 2000, she was presented with an Award of Merit by Wolverhampton's Sports Advisory Council, recognising her outstanding contribution to swimming in the city.
Latterly she was assistant coach and fulfilled the role until June this year. She had expressed her desire to continue coaching for a further four years.
Mrs Trout's funeral will be held on Tuesday from 2.15pm at Bushbury Crematorium, in Underhill Lane.
Donations are welcomed and will go to St Giles Walsall Hospice.
