A sporting chance

When Terry Morris found himself in hospital with a heart attack and the prognosis of six months to live, he set out to prove his doctor wrong in the most impressively bloodyminded fashion imaginable.

Eight months later, after hiking up hill to his hospital appointments and coaching sports teams against all advice, he had done it. “You’ve done NOTHING I told you to do!” complained his specialist “I could have sworn I’d have ‘deceased’ stamped on this file by now!”

That’s just the way Terry does things. Ex Otago gymnastics representative and sports coach for the last 25 years, Terry has a mindset geared for success against the odds which has served him well. “I believe everything is achievable, even when you’re down in the gutter and being kicked by your critics - everything is obtainable and worthwhile”.

Once back to full health and armed with a new lease on life, Terry decided to turn his passion for coaching into a profession and recognised the Diploma in Sport Management and Coaching (Level 5) and the Diploma in Sporting Performance (Level 5) at Otago Polytechnic’s Sports Institute as the perfect vehicle to launch his career.

After six weeks he was ready to quit but, with the encouragement of his lecturers and the staff at the Learning Centre, pulled through, passing his first year with flying colours. “Unless you have a qualification you can’t get a job. I’ll be able to do what I enjoy doing and get paid for it! And the advantage I’ll have is I love it! I get an immense satisfaction out of seeing a child achieve the smallest things“.

Now in his final year of study, having proved all his own doubts and those of others wrong, Terry’s philosophy remains confidently intact. Seems even the coach got coached.