Bay of Plenty Sports Awards Holland Beckett Law Sportswoman of the Year Samantha Charlton. Photo / Getty Images
Bay of Plenty Sports Awards Holland Beckett Law Sportswoman of the Year Samantha Charlton. Photo / Getty Images
Every sports team has a mixture of personalities who mould together in their fight for success.
At the Bay of Plenty Sports Awards in Rotorua on Friday evening, it was one of the Black Sticks Women's quiet achievers, an engine room work horse, who took centre stage.
Tauranga's Samantha Charltonmade her debut for the Black Sticks in 2010 and has since racked up nearly 250 appearances, including 19 in the previous 12 months. She was recently named in the squad who will be vying for places at next year's Olympics.
Unable to attend the event, her award was accepted on her behalf by hockey umpire Kelly Hudson - her second trip to the stage after being named Advocate Print Official of the Year earlier in the evening.
Hudson spoke glowingly of Charlton's influence on the Black Sticks side, saying it was nice to see her recognised because she is not "the flashiest player" but is always consistent and leads by example on and off the field.
Speaking to sports reporter David Beck the next day, Charlton said she had been nominated for the award a few times so to finally win it was a bit of a surprise but she was "stoked".
She said she had learned a great deal during her time in the side so far.
"I think when I first came into the team, I was 17 or 18 and I was probably quite naive about what I thought it took to be a Black Stick, it was definitely a lot harder than I thought it was going to be.
"You go through a period where you try to find your feet for a few years and figure out what you can bring to the team. I still feel like I'm still getting there - I have a long way to go and a lot more I can give but I'm feeling more comfortable as I spend more time in the group."
Black Sticks star Samantha Charlton, pictured playing against Argentina earlier this year, was named Holland Beckett Law Sportswoman of the Year at the Bay of Plenty Sports Awards. Photo / Photosport
In terms of being a leader, she said it was not something she necessarily thought about all the time.
"I think it's just a natural sort of thing, it's kind of in my personality to try and lead by example. I'm a relatively talkative person on the field and in training but I like to try and set standards about how hard we should be working and all those sorts of things.
"I'm probably someone who sort of likes to lead by example rather than by what I say so I suppose [Hudson] may be right in that respect."
It was a good night for Tauranga Hockey with Charlton and Hudson winning awards and another Black Stick Rose Keddell also a finalist for sportswoman.
When asked why she thinks Bay of Plenty produces so many great athletes, Charlton suggested it may be an ingrained thirst to prove themselves.
"I think when you come from a small region you have to work a little bit harder to get noticed. I think back in the day people probably didn't recognise people from places like Tauranga so you had to work really hard to put your hand up and be noticed.
"It's probably reflective of our nature and what we do down there, we're always playing and out there competing against each other. I remember playing against Gemma [McCaw] when I was a bit younger and she always gave me a good run around.
"It's really nice [for hockey to get some recognition], it's reflective of Tauranga Hockey growing over the last five or 10 years. We've never been the biggest hockey region but if you look at the Black Sticks now there's quite a few of us from Tauranga which I guess is a bit surprising considering how small it is."
It was a year of many ups and downs for Bay of Plenty Sports Awards Supreme Award winner Sam Cane. Photo / Getty Images
Meanwhile, All Black Sam Cane's remarkable return from breaking his neck in a victory over the Springboks that had the potential to end his career, is what has made him stand out as Bayleys Real Estate Sportsman of the Year and the Supreme Award winner.
His seemingly impossible comeback after the injury, recovering from surgery and going on to be part of the Bledisloe Cup-winning side, captain of the All Blacks in Argentina and play in the Rugby World Cup saw him claim the top prize.
Unable to attend the event, his awards were accepted by his sister Lia who spoke of the mental strength her brother showed in his battle to return to the field.
