Editorial: Celebrating our sporting success

This evening I will have the pleasure of attending the annual Hawke's Bay Sports Awards at the Pettigrew-Green Arena.

This is a showcase of all the sports talent we have in our province and it is always a great night, superbly organised by Sport Hawke's Bay. Tonight promises to live up to the high standards of the past because the MC is sports journalist Phil Gifford and the guest speaker is recently-retired Black Caps cricketer Kyle Mills.

But for us at Hawke's Bay Today, this year is extra special because the newspaper and Radio Sport - both part of New Zealand Media and Entertainment - are the major sponsors of the evening.

It was an easy decision for us as a company to step up our involvement because that is what we do - we support local events.

A few weeks ago we had a very successful Country2Coast walk/run and we are proud of all the events we support.

Judging by the local sporting achievements there is a lot to celebrate.

It is amazing if one looks back at all the top sports people this province has produced.

This production line of talent is certainly set to continue well into the future because of the commitment to grassroots sports.

I wrote recently about the scenes on a Saturday morning at the Regional Sports Park in Hastings. I will be there again this morning and it will be amazing to see once again how many kids are out and about giving it a go. Who knows how many future champions are waiting to be discovered in the Bay? But tonight is all about recognising present talent and good luck to all the finalists. What a line-up we have, with two world champions up for the top award, Sportsperson of the Year. Champion rower Emma Twigg needs no introduction and neither does multi-medalled cyclist Regan Gough, who was one of our finalists in the Hawke's Bay Today Person of the Year last year.

But the Sports Awards are not just about the top award and it will be good to see all those who do so much for sport here honoured for their work. It is quite incredible how many people give up so much time for their chosen sport. Tonight it will all be about the participants, coaches and administrators.

They deserve their moment in the limelight.

We will have full coverage of the event in Monday's paper and on our website:

hbtoday.co.nz.