Willowbrook coach named Illinois High School Association NFHS Girls Gymnastics Coach of the Year

For more than 30 years, the buzzing lights and chalk dust-filled air of gymnastics facilities have been a second home for gymnastics coach Annette Nocek.

She has coached high school gymnastics for 12 years, including the Willowbrook girls and boys teams for the last seven years. And the countless hours she has spent in the gym recently paid off, as Nocek was named as the 2014-15 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) NFHS Coach of the Year for girls gymnastics. She will be honored during a ceremony in January 2016.

“I was shocked,” Nocek said of when she was told about the recognition. “My first reaction was, ‘I don’t belong in the same category as these other coaches.’”

As a recipient of that award, Nocek is in the running to be named as the National Coach of the Year. Along with coaching, Nocek also has served as a judge at gymnastics competitions for more than 30 years.

“What I love about coaching is working with the kids,” Nocek said. “Nothing can compare to the joy and pride I feel when I see the look on their face after they learn a new skill.”

Although there have been many memories through the years, Nocek said highlights that stand out were getting to coach two of her daughters for 15 years, accompanying an athlete to the IHSA Girls Gymnastics State Meet last season, changing the culture of Willowbrook gymnastics and the success of the Willowbrook Boys Gymnastics Team last year. The team finished in 4th place at the IHSA Boys Gymnastics State Meet. The boys also joined forces with the Addison Trail Boys Gymnastics Team and the Hinsdale South Boys Gymnastics Team to win the John Brinkworth Senior All-Star Meet.

“Gymnastics is such a unique sport,” Nocek said. “In gymnastics, you’re asking kids to do things that are incredibly challenging physically and mentally. There’s no other sport quite like it.”