Triathlon: New national award for IronMaori pioneer

Hawke's Bay's pioneer of the IronMaori triathlon movement Heather Skipworth has again been recognised at national level.

A 2011 recipient of the Sir Peter Blake Leadership award and two-time winner of Ngati Kahungunu's sports administrator award, Skipworth won Triathlon New Zealand's Outstanding Contribution to Triathlon in Schools award at a Triathlon New Zealand awards function in Hastings on Tuesday night.

It was one of two national awards to come to the Bay as the Hawke's Bay Multisports Club, which Skipworth is a member of, won Triathlon New Zealand's Club of the Year award for the second time in four years.

Although Skipworth, who with another key IronMaori toiler Missy Mackey won the health category at TVNZ's Marae Investigates Maori of the Year 2011 Awards, received twice as many votes as the next nominee for Tuesday night's award she said she was still taken by surprise.

"It's definitely an honour and because I won it in that manner it made it more humbling," she said.

The award recognised Skipworth's passion in establishing the Iron Tamariki/Iron Rangatahi event which attracted 300 children when run in conjunction with IronMaori.

The event has worked both ways.

Participation of parents in IronMaori has meant tamariki are now participating in IronMaori. Participation of tamariki in IronMaori means parents are participating - whole families are committing to healthy lifestyles and exercise.

Skipworth praised her relationship with the Hawke's Bay Multisports Club and described it as "a wider part of the whanau".

A former Hawke's Bay women's rugby representative and club netballer and rugby league player, Skipworth said she was encouraging youngsters away from contact sports to triathlon so they could keep injury free and healthier longer.

Although she is busy as an organiser, Skipworth still manages to compete in three or four triathlons a year and her next one will be the IronMaori Quarter event in November.

Hawke's Bay Multisports Club development manager Brendon Lodge said winning the club of the year award for the second time in four years was "great recognition" for the club and followed the club's winning of the club operations award at the 2013 Hawke's Bay Sports Awards function last month. Hawke's Bay was one of nine clubs vying for the national award.

"Triathlon in New Zealand is going from strength to strength and all clubs are doing a fantastic job. We didn't know where we stood with other clubs in terms of increasing membership and other criteria so it was good to be recognised in this way," Lodge said.

Unlike previous years, in 2012/13 all Tri NZ-affiliated clubs were invited to complete a nomination form highlighting the work they were doing, and the processes they had in place, across a number of areas. These included the areas of leadership, membership, youth and coaching.

"This new approach to the Club of the Year really gave the clubs a chance to tell us about the great job they are doing for triathlon in their community and they all made the most of the opportunity," Tri NZ's Community Sport Manager Brett Reid said.

"The amount and quality of work being done across the country through the triathlon clubs is amazing. The sport is extremely well served in many communities thanks to the hard work of many selfless people who are passionate about triathlon," Reid added.

Meanwhile, earlier in the week Hawke's Bay club member and defending champion Ali Hollington was fourth in her 45-49 years age group at the ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships in France. Cool water temperatures forced the event to be reduced to a duathlon.