YOUNG’S most outstanding sportsmen and women of 2014 celebrated their achievements at the 22nd Young Sports Advisory presentation dinner on the weekend.
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Around 140 guests gathered at the Young Services Club auditorium on Saturday night for the annual awards.
Attendants were treated to the presence of guest speaker Gerry Hewson - a former local and Australian Paralympic wheelchair basketball champion.
A successful sportsperson himself, it was only fitting Hewson presented the town’s most anticipated sports awards.
Nominees of the Junior Sportsperson of the Year for 2014 included Millie Felix-Vonarx (tennis and soccer), Ethan McEvoy (swimming), Hermione Cobcroft (snow sports), Mollie Hogan (soccer), Harry Fitzpatrick (rugby league), Tom Sargent (go kart racing), Ben Schofield (golf) and Jasper Cobcroft (snow sports).
Two winners - Jasper Cobcroft and Thomas Sargent - were announced for this category.
Jasper, a representative of the Windermere Valley Ski Club in the BC Alpine Race Series, was unable to attend the presentation as he was on his way to Whistler in Canada to compete on the NSW team.
Year 8 Hennessy Catholic College student Thomas took out the Rookies class of the NSW Closed State Sprint Kart Championships at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Kart Raceway in July.
The Closed State Championships is one of NSW’s premier karting events, last year attracting 221 of the best karters from across the state to the 1024 metre high speed circuit.
The Intermediate Sportsperson of the Year for 2014 was hotly contested on Saturday night, with Jonte Powderly (cricket), Jake Walker and Casey Wall (rugby league), Tahlia Wells (horse riding), Malcolm Ward (soccer), Will Canellis (rugby league), Monique Dorman (tennis), Angus Crichton (rugby union), Nathan Burt (clay target shooting), Shannon Robertson (gymnastics) and Edwina Hobson (triathlon) vying for the title.
It was clay target shooter Nathan Burt who took out the intermediate category.
Having only taken up the sport 12 months prior to the nationals, Burt was right at home in winning the 2014 National Title with a strong performance in the Single Barrel, winning with a score of 95/100.
The pointscore event gave Nathan another taste of success in the Sub Junior category as he placed second with a confident score of 298/306.
But that wasn’t all for Young’s clay target shooting representatives, with Kate Edwards named the town’s Senior Sportsperson of the Year for 2014.
Kate was among 10 other nominees for the award, including that of Eden Stoddard (soccer), Tom West (tractor pulling), Jack McMillan (rugby union), Peter Shephard (hockey), Tyler Kimber (equestrian), Joel Shields (golf), Justin Nowlan (lawn bowls), Scott Druett and Sandra Veness (squash), and Nathan Lynch (martial arts).
Kate brought home three national titles in May last year while competing at Wagga in the Australian Clay Target Association Trap Nationals, alongside approximately 500 shooters from across Australia.
Kate took out the Double Rise with a score of 91/100 - her first women’s title for the week.
She backed this up with a strong performance in the Single Barrel event, with her score of 97/100 resulted in another national women’s title and first place in A Grade.
After placing second in shoot offs for both A Grade and women’s, Kate’s final score of the week (700/725) resulted in her third national title for the week in the A Grade High Gun and the coveted Women’s High Gun.
Kate also qualified equal first place in the Australian Women’s Team for the International MacKintosh postal competition. Her second international team in consecutive years.
The Special Sportsperson of the Year award was to be chosen from three nominees, that of Duke Smith-Maloney (swimming), Zoyie-Lee Newham (RDA carriage driving) and Alexen Berry (athletics).
It was Duke who caught the judges’ eye.
Duke, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, qualified for the award after having a smashing year in the water.
The youngster qualified for Speedo Sprints Finals at the Olympic Pool at Homebush in March, 2014.
In qualifying for the sprints, Duke received a bronze medal in the boys 10-year-old 50 metre butterfly and a gold medal for equal first in the Boys 10-year-old 50 metre freestyle.
He is an all-rounder when it comes to sport, also competing in athletics, cross country and football, and participates in many interschool programs.
Come time to announce the recipient of the Team of the Year for 2014, it was Kumiai Ryu School of Martial Arts who took out the award.
The school competed at the 25th National Martial Arts Championships where they placed second overall.
Shidoshi Nathan Lynch was also awarded the Adult Overall Grand Champion at the event.
Nominees for the Team Award for 2014 included Young Swimming Club Speedo Sprint Team, Young District Little A’s Team, Cherryatrics Masters Rugby League Team, Young Under 17s Representative Netball Team, Young Cherrypickers Under 13s Junior Rugby League Team, Young High School Open Touch Football Team, Young and District 14s Girls Netball Team - jointly with the Young High School Under 13s Rugby League Team, High School Girls Tennis Team in conjunction with the Young Yabbies Junior Rugby League Team, Young Snow Sports Team, Croquet Gateball Team and the Young Services Club Walk/Cycle for Life Team.
Young’s home-grown soccer star Malcolm Ward was awarded the Inaugural International Recognition Award.
Malcolm was a scholarship recipient at the Australian Institute of Sport for soccer.
He was among the 23-player squad selected to represent the Australian Joeys at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under 16s Championships and 2015 World Cup qualifier in Thailand from August 30 to September 19.
According to judges the Veterans Sportsperson Award for 2014 went to a very worthy recipient, that being Peter Shepherd.
Peter is a member of the Australian gold medal winning hockey team. He competed at the Masters in the Netherlands where he scored the winning goal of the match.
Another worthy award recipient, unable to accept her award on the night due to being on a much-deserved holiday, is Wenona Longhurst.
Wenona was the chosen nominee for the Service to Sport Award for 2014.
Wenona has been strongly involved in rugby league in Young since 1995.
By 1998 Wenona was so involved in the club and the Under 6s, her squad was named Wenona’s Warriors and has kept that name ever since.
Now, 19 years on, Wenona has been formally recognised for her commitment to sport in Young.
Another of Young’s sporting identities was recognised at the presentation, for his outstanding dedication to many sports in town, and his willingness to participate in any way asked of him.
Over the past 20 years Paul Cameron has excelled in organising many charitable events in the Young community.
As a result of this dedication he was named Lion of the Year in 2007, Service to Sport award from the Young Sports Council in 2008, and last year was presented a Football NSW state award by NSW Minister for Sport and Recreation Stuart Ayres at the event held at the Rosehill Gardens grand pavilion in November.
