It almost goes without saying that most dads are proud of their sons. It goes with the territory.

Most boys are pretty proud of their fathers too, although that is often shown in less obvious ways.

So it’s refreshing when someone gets in touch with The Local Answer to laud the achievements of someone they knew as ‘daddy’ in their early years.

That’s exactly what Ashley Spicer did and to be fair to the 35-year-old he has every reason to be bursting with pride, because father John recently won Swim England’s national Coach of the Year award “for his enthusiasm and commitment to water polo”.

It’s the highest accolade that Swim England – formerly the ASA – can bestow on a coach and the award couldn’t have gone to anyone more deserving.

Spicer senior, who is chief junior water polo coach at Cheltenham Swimming and Water Polo Club, saw off the top coaches across the country from all the other pool disciplines – swimming, diving and synchro – to win the award which was presented to him by Cheltenham’s celebrated Olympic diver Leon Taylor.

“I’m very proud of my dad,” said father-of-two Ashley. “He fully deserves it because he does loads of work. He’s spent a lifetime dedicated to water polo and is totally committed.

“He focuses on getting the best out of young players, I couldn’t be more pleased for him.”

It’s been a pretty special 12 months for John with the coach of the year award coming hard on the heels of a couple of other notable achievements.

“I won the coach of the year award for the south west earlier in the year and that’s what got me my nomination for the national award,” he said.

“And I was also given the Award of Merit at Cheltenham Swimming and Water Polo Club, which is given to the person who is judged to have achieved the most meritorious performances throughout the year.”

And while those two awards are pretty decent, it is the national award that lifts the 63-year-old to another level.

And what made it just that bit more special was that the award was presented to him by Leon Taylor.

“When I walked up to collect the award I was thinking back to more than 20 years ago when I’d see him at the recreation centre in Cheltenham,” Spicer chuckled.

“When I got on stage, he said he recognised my tie – I was wearing my club tie – and I reminded him how I used to kick him out of the diving pit so that the water polo players could get in!”

Olympic medal winner Taylor is one of Cheltenham’s favourite sons, of course, and such were his achievements in his formative years that he won his hometown club’s Award of Merit nine times before going on to become a superstar on diving’s world stage.

Spicer, too, has won the Award of Merit before although the previous occasion was some time ago – in 1970 when he was a member of the club’s under-19 water polo team that won the national title.

He was a pretty decent player in those days, playing for Cheltenham after earning his spurs in the club’s under-18 side that were crowned national champions three years in a row, the last with him as captain.

Playing or coaching, water polo has been a big part of Spicer family life for many, many years now.

John’s dad Leslie was big into his swimming, while John’s older brother Phil was a top water polo player and dedicated coach.

And Ashley had a feel for it as well, winning national titles several years running at age group level with Cheltenham at the end of the last century.

And who was their coach?

Yep, you guessed it… John Spicer!