U.S. Para Dressage Chef d’Equipe Michel Assouline has been named 2020 Paralympic Coach of the Year by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. He was one of eight coaches from across all Olympic and Paralympic sports recognized by the USOPC in its annual Coach of the Year program.
Michel joined the U.S. Equestrian Federation as head of Para Equestrian Coach Development and High Performance Consultant in 2017, after 12 years as head coach for the successful British para dressage program. Under his guidance, the U.S. Para Dressage Team in 2020 became the top squad on the FEI’s ranking list for the first time in the program’s history. At the same time, U.S. athlete Roxanne Trunnell is the top-ranked individual FEI para dressage athlete across all grades.
Michel has focused on building a strong foundation for the future of American para dressage through outreach to dressage and equine-assisted therapy programs, bringing new coaches and riders into the para dressage arena and improving the pipeline to the internationally competitive level. He launched the USEF Para Dressage Coach Certificate Program in 2019, which has brought 32 new qualified coaches into the mix. In 2020, he successfully leveraged virtual coaching, online judging, and other technologies to help athletes continue to work toward their goals at home during the pandemic.
“The USOPC’s Paralympic Coach of the Year’s award is a huge honor not only for me but also U.S. Para Dressage,” said Michel.
“It truly reflects on everyone’s efforts and successes: a team effort. It is also a notable recognition of the equestrian discipline among all Olympic and Paralympic sports. This could never have been achieved without the drive, involvement and vision of every single athlete, groom, owner, sponsor, and our USEF support staff. In other words, it takes the whole team. Thank you, USPOC, and thank you to the entire U.S. Para Dressage community. Let’s continue the journey and propagate our coaching excellence.”