Patrick named Ruapehu sports person of year

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 562, 15 November 1994, Page 1

Patrick named Ruapehu sports person of year

Ohakune skier Patrick Cooper won the Ruapehu District Sports Awards sportsperson of the year prize last Friday. The award was presented at a function at the Taumarunui Cosmopolitan Club, organised by a small committee led by Graeme Cosford (deputy mayor of the Ruapehu District). Patrick was one of 15 top Ruapehu District sports people to be nominated for the premier award. Patrick was a triple gold medallist at the Paralympics at Lillehammer this year, winning the downhill, giant slalom and slalom events. He is the national open disabled champion and was placed sixth at the nationals for able bodied skiers. The Lillehammer effort was his second Paralympics medal winning spree. Other awards he has received include New Zealand skier of the year for 1994. The award was sponsored by Ruapehu Construction Limited and presented by Ruapehu mayor Garrick Workman. Top junior Another Ohakune skier, Todd Haywood, won the junior sportsperson award, from a field of 10. Todd is a young skier who is setting his sights on the World Junior Championships. The 1993 National Junior Champion has gone to win the National Points Slalom and the Haensli Giant Slalom and was placed 3rd in the New Zealand Slalom this year. He has raced against European peers finishing 24th in the slalom at the FIS Citizen Race in Italy and 26th in the giant slalom at the Arnold Lunn World Cup in Austria. The junior sportsperson award was sponsored by Maata

Supplies Mitre 10 (Taumarunui). Top club Ohakune Squash Club won the sports club of the year award. The Ohakune Squash Club has provided the community with a half mil - lion dollar facility which had its first full year of operation in the 1993/94 period. The^4^^ HHh club has offered tensive activities Turnto JjT **0 ^ P*9*2 _

Ruapehu District sports awards

FROMPAGE1 both for its own members as well as the wider community. It is utilised to the full and is making its stand by winning both mens and womens regional divisions this year. It is an asset to the community with a continuing commitment to develop, compete and provide an outstanding facility to the community at large. The sports club award, accepted on behalf of the club by John Laurenson, is sponsored by the Ruapehu Bulletin. Top administrator John Laurenson also accepted the Sports Administrator award, for his service to "skiing/all sports". John is actively involved in the administration of sport in Ohakune and is the dri ving force behind indoor soccer, soccer, squash, the Ruapehu College and Community Gymnasium and the Waimarino Community Sports Education and Development Trust. The New Zealand Secondary School Skiing Championships which John co-ordinates is a testament to his administrative ability. The competition has developed into a three day event involving over 1000 participants and is now recognised as having a huge impact on competitive skiing in New Zealand. In accepting the award John said the statements (quoted above) were "a bit generous", but that he gladly accepted the award. (Sponsor : Robert B lackman Holi - day Shoppe, Taumarunui). Top team Sports team of the year was the Taumarunui Cosmopolitan Club Super Sports Team of Gary Taiaroa and Robert Goyle who "have developed their team game in Super sports which involves darts,

snooker and indoor bowling. They won the King Country Pairs Championships for the 2nd consecutive year and won the New Zealand championship for New Zealand Chartered Clubs pairs team event this year." Sponsor of the sports team award was the Ruapehu Press. Top coach Val McKay of Taumarunui won the sports coach of the year. Val's knowledge of netball together with her skills as coach and her people skills have motivated many women to play netball. She has coached representative teams but is now dedicating her energy as coaching director for the Athletics Netball Club, coaching the Premier League Team as well as three junior teams and two high school teams along with coaching umpires. This award was sponsored by Peach Comwall and Partners, Raetihi and Taumarunui. Top referee/umpire The sports referee/umpire award also went to Val McKay. Val is a qualified New Zealand National Umpire. She has conducted umpire classes for many seasons motivating, teaching and encouraging women to achieve the goals they set for themselves. It is through her quiet and supportive nature that she has fostered a high standard of umpires to attempt umpire examinations each year from local level to New Zealand level. The referee award was sponsored by the Whanganui River Maori Trust Board. Top fair player The fair play individual award was presented to hockey player Claire Edwards. Claire is an enthusiastic and skilful senior

hockey player. She was nominated by a hockey umpire because she readily accepts decisions and provides assistance to junior players and teams she plays against. Her award was sponsored by Firestone Taumarunui. Top service The service to sport award was won by Taumarunui athletics stalwart Maureen Bleasel. Maureen has been fully involved in officiating, coaching, managing and administering athletics at club, provincial and national level for 43 years. Maureen has performed every function at the Taumarunui Amateur Athletics Club and has represented the club at provincial level. Her abilities have been recognised with her appointment to officiate at athletics meetings up to and including national championships as well as her appointment to the position of manager of the Waikato Womens Team to the national championships. She has been made a life member of the club and was appointed its patron and received a long service award from Athletics New Zea-

land. The service to sport award was sponsored by King Country Energy. Other nominees were: sports club, Taumarunui Cosmopolitan Club, Taumarunui Muzzle Loaders Association; sports team, Taumarunui Under 15' s Rugby League Team, Taumarunui Championship Golf Pennant Team, The National Park School Ski Team, Taumarunui High School Ist XV, Taumarunui High School Mountain To Sea Team; sports coach, Tom Hullena (rugby), sports administrator, Val Mckay (Netball), Rex Donald (hockey), Alex de Thierry (golf), Maraku Cribb (rugby), Albie Carmichael (rugby), Lana Pokai (basketball/netball); sports referee/umpire William Topille (basketball), The Byelich Family (golf); fair play, Nicola Rankin (kayaking), John Bowles (golf), Lana Pokai (netball); service to sport, Murray Anderson (basketball), Richard and Sharryne Cooke (harriers) Jane Brown (golf), John Laurenson (all sports), Lana Pokai (basketball/netball), Val McKay (netball), Ken Malcom (polocrosse), Tui

Gordon (rodeo), Albie Carmichael (rugby), Rex Donald (hockey); junior sports person Nicola Rankin (canoeing), Andrew Hall (rugby), Mark Byelich (golf), Donna Cranston (badminton), Charmain Oh (athletics), Uru Hepi (athletics/touch/rugby ) T amsyn Leevey (squash), Sherry Hansen (rugby), Chanelle Davey (equestrian); sportsperson Nicola Rankin (canoeing) Mark Byelich (golf), LanaPokai (netball), Russell Josiah (motorcycle racing), Celia Jones (golf), Uru Hepi (athletics / touch / rugby), Dean Anglesey (rugby), Chanelle Davey (equestrian), Todd Haywood (skiing), Suzann Burnard (bowling), Tamsyn Leevey (squash), Jannette Jonathan (darts), Annika Haywood (skiing), Tui Gordon (rodeo). Sports awards chairman Graeme Cqsford acknowledged the sponsors, Mike Maguire of Sport Waikato and the other judges (Waimarino judge was Glyn Hubbard), district marketing manager Bruce Rollinson, guest speaker Brenda Lawson and her sponsor ECNZ and all sports people of the district.