Bill Tancred

After the family moved to Ipswich from Felixstowe he would find roads with adjoining fields to throw into and would often lose the discus in the long grass.

He saw Bob Beamon set the long jump record, recalled talking to athletes about a new high jump method called the Fosbury flop, witnessed the Black power salute of the American sprinters and found himself competing against his idol, Al Oerter, already the three time Olympic discus champion who won his fourth gold medal in Mexico, which he reportedly said was one for each of his daughters.

Of his own performance, Tancred has said that he felt he ought to have thrown better but a combination of over training and lack of experience in such a big arena as the Olympics were his downfall.

The discipline of waiting long periods between throws was something he had not appreciated and found hard to reconcile to a more explosive approach that he employed.

One of the nineteen occasions that he broke the British record was at the AAA Championships in Crystal Palace 1972 where he won a windproof jacket as an event prize with the sponsors name on it (Nationwide Building Society).

This remained the best thrown by a British athlete until Richard Slaney bettered it on 1 July 1985, in Eugene, Oregon, United States, although unofficially.

Continuing his education he received a NATO Fellowship to study for a doctorate in sports management in the United States (West Virginia University).

After his retirement from competition, Tancred remained actively involved in sport and served on several committees, including being chairman of the International Athletes Club and president of Sheffield University's World Student Games Directorate.

Professor Carson of the hugely successful Choosey Kids programme (standing for Choose Healthy Options and Start Young).

After watching and studying this fun learning experience for young children to develop good motor skills and exercise with laughter and happiness, he decided to launch a similar programme in England when he returned to help promote healthy lifestyles and curb childhood obesity.

[17] Also, during 2007, Bill published articles to promote health and well-being amongst regional committees, taking a prominent lead role against childhood obesity.

He also instigated the then novel idea of having a sports bus to serve many communities across the county and engage pre-school children in fun exercises.

This project was designed to reach socially disadvantaged and thus cut off from the bigger facilities in towns and cities..[18] In 1989, Bill was awarded a Winston Churchill Study Fellowship to visit both the USA Olympic Training Academy in Colorado and the Australian Sports Institute in Canberra with a view to recommending that the British Government set up a British Institute of Sport based in Sheffield.

Through Bill's vision and ambition, the Institute has today firmly cemented the UK as a world-class showcase for international sport in preparation and competition.

[19] During 1980-1992, Bill Tancred conducted on behalf of the British Amateur Weight Lifting Association (BAWLA) numerous teachers, leaders and instructors award courses.

[9] In addition, he is a popular and respected speaker within the local community, organisations, societies including the sporting memories charity and to the cruise industry.