Bay life savers recognised

Surf Life Saving ambassador and lifeguard Jamie McDell. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Bay of Plenty surf life savers are getting set to celebrate the Surf Life Saving season and members' achievements at this year's Awards of Excellence.

The 2014 Bay of Plenty/Coromandel Awards of Excellence will be held at Trinity Wharf in Tauranga on Saturday July 12 from 6pm.

Singer-songwriter and Surf Life Saving ambassador Jamie McDell would kick-off the night by playing some of her hit singles and, later in the evening, there would be a special mystery service award.

Surf Life Saving eastern regional manager Chris Emmett said it took a lot of commitment to be a lifeguard and the awards being presented next Saturday were proof of that.

"Local volunteer lifeguards put in 60,621 hours of service over the 2013/14 season, keeping beaches safe across the Eastern Region and this is the night for them to be recognized for their achievements," he said.

The three big lifesaving awards for the night would be Lifeguard of the Year, Volunteer of the Year and Rescue of the Year.

However, this year, there was a new awards format to reflect the growth in lifesaving in both the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty areas. The lifesaving awards had been split between the two respective areas which allows for the recognition of more volunteers.

Surf Life Saving Clubs in the BOP/Coromandel area includes Hot Water Beach, Tairua, Pauanui, Onemana, Whangamata, Whiritoa, Waihi Beach, Mt Maunganui, Omanu Beach, Papamoa, Maketu, Pukehina, Whakatane and Opotiki.

Finalists for Bay of Plenty lifesaving awards:

Bay of Plenty Patrol Captain of the Year: Jason Carswell (Omanu), Ross Cowdrey (Papamoa), Dani Shepard (Mt Maunganui)
Bay of Plenty Instructor of the Year: Kayla Cronin (Opotiki), Gary King (Mt Maunganui)
Bay of Plenty Examiner of the Year: Gary King (Mt Maunganui)
Bay of Plenty Lifeguard of the Year: Thomas Yule (Omanu), Dani Shepard (Mt Maunganui), Shaun Smith (Papamoa)
Bay of Plenty Innovation of the Year: Mount Monster (Mt Maunganui), Event Safety (Papamoa)
Bay of Plenty Volunteer of the Year: Ross Edwards (Papamoa), Paul Treanor (Mt Maunganui), Jono York (Omanu)
Bay of Plenty Rescue of the Year: Whakatane (August 10, 2013) Mt Maunganui (January 23, 2014) Mt Maunganui (March 22, 2014)

Finalists and winners of the Pacific Medicare Coromandel and Bay of Plenty Patrol Club of the Year and the overall Club of the Year will be announced on the night.

Finalists for Bay of Plenty/Coromandel sports awards:

U14 Female Sportsperson of the Year: Isabella Akroyd (Mt Maunganui), Emily Rose Julian (Whakatane), Ella Pollock (Omanu)
U14 Male Sportsperson of the Year: Lochlainn O'Connor (Waihi), Flynn Kelly (Omanu), Daniel Shanahan (Mt Maunganui), Mitch Cowdrey (Papamoa)
U16 Female Sportsperson of the Year: Libby Bradley (Mt Maunganui), Maia Bryant (Papamoa)
U16 Male Sportsperson of the Year: Kane Sefton (Mt Maunganui), Jake Cowdrey (Papamoa), Sam Pasley (Omanu)
U19 Female Sportsperson of the Year: Katie Wilson (Mt Maunganui), Natalie Peat (Papamoa)
U19 Male Sportsperson of the Year: Perry Farrell (Mt Maunganui), Ben Johnston (Papamoa), Ben Cochrane (Omanu)
Open Female Sportsperson of the Year: Natalie Peat (Papamoa), Olivia Eaton (Mt Maunganui)
Open Male Sportsperson of the Year: Andrew Newton (Mt Maunganui), Max Beattie (Omanu), Kodi Harman (Papamoa)
Masters Female Sportsperson of the Year: Jol McGarvey (Omanu), Deborah Reardon (Mt Maunganui)
Masters Male Sportsperson of the Year: Ian Glover (Omanu), Damian Munro (Mt Maunganui), Scott Verran (Whiritoa)
Surf Official of the Year Finalists: Craig Lacey (Mt Maunganui), Ross Merrett (Papamoa), Denise Bracken (Pauanui)
Emerging Coach of the Year: Justin Martin (Papamoa), Gary Waller (Whakatane), Mark Gordon (Pauanui), Rikayla Richardson (Waihi)
Coach of the Year: Bjorn Battaerd (Whangamata), John Bryant (Mt Maunganui), Simon Wills (Omanu), Kurt Wilson (Papamoa)
International Sports Performance: Hamish Millar (Mt Maunganui), Ben Johnston (Papamoa)
Sports Team of the Year: Waihi U/19 Surf Boat Crew, Papamoa U/19 Board Relay Team, Mt Maunganui U/19 Women's Surf Team, Whangamata U/14 Tube Rescue Team.