​Taranaki sports awards this Friday

Nominees for the Taranaki Sportsperson of the Year Awards will feature a number of school athletes in the junior categories, it has been revealed this week. 
 
Held on Friday night, the annual event has 21 junior sportsmen, 16 junior sportswomen and 10 teams in the junior sports team categories. Each year many nominees are selected by their sporting organisations before the nominees are announced.
 
The entire evening recognises outstanding performance and service to sport by people in the Taranaki region between 1 October 2015 and 30 September 2016.
 
The three junior categories are just a few of many in the event including game official of the year, coach of the year, volunteer of the year, master’s sportsperson of the year, senior sportswoman of the year, senior sportsman of the year and senior team of the year. All the winners of those categories will then be into win the overall sportsperson of the year for 2016.
 
The junior sportswomen categories feature many prominent athletes from a wide variety of sports including notables like Hannah O’Connor (athletics, cross country and surf lifesaving), Louise Waite (tennis), McKenzie Barry (football), Isabella Cook (basketball) and Libby Houghton (indoor and beach volleyball). These current school girls will be up against the likes of recent school leavers Olivia Eaton (surf lifesaving/athletics) and Zoe Hobbs (surf lifesaving/athletics) who have been favourites to win the category in recent years.
 
The junior sportsman category is filled with 21 promising young athletes with the judges having a hard role to pick a winner. Kaylum Boshier (rugby), Bradley Slater (rugby), Thane O’Leary (basketball), Matthew O’Connell (basketball), Felix Webby (croquet) and Aiden Zittersteijn (indoor bowls) are just a few of the nominees.
 
Finally, in the junior team of the year, the nominees feature a number of teams who have competed well on the national stage out of Taranaki high schools. Central 1st XV (Stratford High School 1st XV), New Plymouth Girls High School football team, Opunake High School Girls basketball team, Girls High A junior volleyball team, Jenna Barrett and Aimee Daniels, Girls High volleyball team, Girls High sailing team, New Plymouth Boys High School First V basketball team, Boys High cross country team and the Taranaki Scholastics surfing team are the ten teams running for the event. 
 
The guest speaker at the event is former Spotswood College student, former Breakers player and currently Breakers CEO Dillon Boucher. Boucher joins many notable speakers who have attended the event including Olympic gold medal winner Sarah Ulmer and Warriors CEO Jim Doyle.
 
All Junior nominees
 
Junior Sportsman
Junior Sportswomen
Junior Sports Team

Kaylum Boshier (Rugby)
MacKenzie Barry (Football)
Central Rugby U19 team (Stratford 1st XV)

Niall Clancy (Athletics/Rugby)
Lee Boon (Road Cycling)
NPGHS Football team

Daniel Farr (Surfing)
Isabella Cook (Basketball)
Opunake High School Girls Basketball team

Jonathan Fidow (Rugby League)
Maya Dickson (Indoor and Beach Volleyball)
Jenna Barrett and Aimee Daniels (Surf Lifesaving)

Bodine Dowman-Gehlhaar (BMX/Rugby)
Olivia Eaton (Athletics/Surf Lifesaving)
NPGHS A Junior Volleyball team

Joshua Gilbert (Swimming)
Zoe Hobbs (Athletics/Surf Lifesaving)
NPGHS Beach Volleyball team

Emerson Gray (Rugby League)
Libby Houghton (Beach and Indoor Volleyball)
NPGHS Sailing team

Jesse Mahony (Equestrian)
Joellen How (Basketball)
NPBHS First V Basketball team

Elliot Lundon-Moore (Swimming)
Claudia Hurley (Equestrian)
NPBHS Cross Country team

Matthew O’Connell (Basketball)
Tilly James (Football)
Taranaki Scholastics Surfing team

Thane O’Leary (Basketball)
Isabella Kelly (Cross Country/Adventure Racing/Surf Lifesaving
 

Stephen Perofeta (Rugby)
Caitlin O’Connell (Basketball)
 

Ajeet Rai (Tennis)
Hannah O’Conner (Athletics/Cross Country/Surf Lifesaving)
 

Zac Reid (Surf Lifesaving/Swimming)
Bayley Ransfield (Basketball)
 

Bradley Slater (Rugby)
Ella Toa (Rowing)
 

Tom Spencer (Orienteering/Rogaining/Adventure Racing/Mountain Trail Running)
Louise Waite (Tennis)
 

Cameron Trethway (Basketball)
 

Morgan Trott (Basketball)
 

Fleix Webby (Croquet)
 

Angus White (Distance Running/Cross Country/Track
 

Aidan Zittersteijn (Indoor Bowls)

READ MORE RECENT ARTICLES HERE
 

 
 
 

---