Rowing: Jenkins' win a treat for mum

Hawke's Bay's world champion rower Thomas Jenkins couldn't have given his mother more on her 60th birthday than he did on Saturday night.

Jenkins, 19, won the Hawke's Bay Sportsperson of the Year award at a Pettigrew-Green Arena-hosted function attended by more than 450 people.

Earlier in the evening, Jenkins and Andrew Potter had won the junior team award in recognition of their gold medals in the pair and four and silver in the eight at the Youth Olympics in Sydney back in January and Jenkins won the junior award in the wake of his gold medal in the Kiwi coxless four at the Bulgaria-hosted junior world championships last August.

"I was a bit shocked. I thought Thomas and Andrew had a chance in the junior team award but that was all. It certainly made all the work we had to do to get Thomas to the function worthwhile," Jenkins' mother, Kathy, said.

She was referring to the fact her birthday celebrations at Pacifica Restaurant in Napier had to have an earlier start time than originally scheduled.

"Thomas thought this meant he could go out partying with his mates in the evening. We had to fess up earlier in the day that there was a chance he could be in for some success at the awards," she said.

Jenkins was obviously in a hurry to get into party mode as he was reluctant to spend too much time behind the microphone after winning the premier award.

"Just run the story you ran after I won the secondary schools award," Jenkins quipped at the post-function media conference.

A boat-building course student at Auckland Unitec, Jenkins, said he could not have had the success he experienced during the past year without the support of his various crewmates. "I can't do it alone."

Jenkins said he would be out of action for the next six months as he is scheduled to have an operation on his left shoulder. His first regatta back is likely to be in February.

It was appropriate Jenkins should hog the limelight on Saturday night as there was a strong rowing theme to the evening. Jenkins and Potter's Hawke's Bay Rowing Club won the Club Performance of the Year award. "It starts at the Clive River and finishes at the Olympics," club president Duncan Barr said when collecting the award.

Hawke's Bay's Emma Twigg joined fellow Olympic Games rower Eric Murray of Waikato as the guest speakers.

Both Murray and Twigg mentioned how tough their coach Dick Tonks was.

"Obviously Dick has got the results but I'm sure there are other ways of doing things," Murray said.

Twigg said she now had Gary Hay of Christchurch coaching her.

"I'm going to give the single one more shot and if I don't achieve what I want to I might hop in another boat or try something else."

When MC Phil Gifford asked her if she had any plans to follow Murray into the boxing ring, Twigg replied:

"I'm keen to give it a go but not against Jamie Ridge or Valerie Adams."

Jenkins is the fourth winner of the junior category to win the premier award after cyclist Jeremy Yates in 2000, fellow rower Twigg in 2005 and Magpies and Crusader rugby winger Zac Guildford in 2010. He is also the first to win the premier award during the same year he won the Hawke's Bay Secondary School Sports Awards premier award.

Jenkins and Guildford are the only premier award winners to feature among three winning categories on the same night.