Western Heights High School Senior Boys' Beach Volleyball Team pairing Daniel Michael (left) and Tyran Gillespie celebrate their top Bay of Plenty Sport award. Photo/Supplied.
Western Heights High School Senior Boys' Beach Volleyball Team pairing Daniel Michael (left) and Tyran Gillespie celebrate their top Bay of Plenty Sport award. Photo/Supplied.
Western Heights High School Senior Boys' Beach Volleyball Team won a coveted Secondary Schools Award at the annual Bay of Plenty Sports Awards last night.
Hosted by Sport Bay of Plenty, the 2016 Bay of Plenty Sports Awards were a superb gala evening held at ASB Arena, in Mount Maunganui with the Rotorua school team taking home the Secondary Schools Boys' Team of the Year.
The awards brought the region together to recognise and celebrate outstanding achievement by Bay of Plenty athletes, coaches and officials over the previous 12 months from October 1 2015 to September 30 this year.
The Western Heights High School pairing of Daniel Michael and Tyran Gillespie had an exceptional year - including winning the 2015 Senior Boys' National Secondary School Beach Volleyball Tournament.
Michael was also a member of the NZ junior men's Team that competed in the South East Asian Games and named in the BOP under-19 men's squad who won the New Zealand Under-19 Interprovincial Championships Title.
Whilst Gillespie was named in the BOP under-17 Men's Squad who placed second at the New Zealand Under-17 Interprovincial Championships.
Rotorua was also represented with a special presentation on the evening to Sir Gordon Tietjens for his contribution to sport in the Bay of Plenty.
Rotorua's Sir Gordon Tietjens (right-pictured with Sonny Bill Williams)was awarded for his contribution to sport in the Bay of Plenty last night. PHOTO/FILE.
Sir Gordon was gifted a taonga by Bay of Plenty Rugby Union president Graeme Crossman and Sport Bay of Plenty chairman Paul Wollaston on behalf of the Bay of Plenty community.
And locals - Olympian swimmer Kane Radford and NZ Sevens captain Scott Curry, along with Ruby Tui, were presented with their Olympic pins as recognition of attending the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games. The gold pins were presented by Korne de Pape on behalf of the New Zealand Olympic Committee and are engraved with their unique NZ Olympian number: Tui - 1356, Curry - 1263 and Radford - 1338.
Local Olympian swimmer was presented with an Olympic Pin as recognition of attending the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games. PHOTO/FILE.
Meanwhile, Olympic champion Peter Burling received the prestigious Supreme Award after an exceptional year including winning a gold medal in the 49er class at the Rio Olympics, being awarded World Sailor of the Year, going unbeaten in the major 49er regattas and being helmsman for Emirates Team NZ at the America's Cup World Series.
As always the competition was exceptionally tight and the judges found it difficult to separate the fantastic achievements.
"The calibre of nominations never fails to amaze me, and it is fantastic what Bay of Plenty athletes, coaches, officials and administrators are achieving," Sport Bay of Plenty sport manager and judging convener, Megan Cleverley, said.
"This year has highlighted the number of athletes performing on the international stage, and in particular the wide variety of sports and schools doing well."
Earlier in the evening Burling was awarded the Bayleys Real Estate Sportsman of the Year award, leading an outstanding field of category recipients including Lisa Carrington who took out the Holland Beckett Sportswoman of the Year award.
International hockey umpire Kelly Hudson won the Bay of Plenty Times Official of the Year after officiating an Olympic Games quarter-final and the final of the FIH World Champions Trophy.
The Farmer AutoVillage International Sportsperson of the Year was presented to Mahe Drysdale, who won Olympic gold, his third medal in three Games.
The Radio Sport Club of the Year was awarded to the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service who were awarded Club of the Year at the BOP Coromandel Surf Lifesaving Awards of Excellence and were Eastern Region Champions and National Champions for both the Surf Life Saving NZ Beach Events and Pool Championships.
"As illustrated at the recent Olympic Games, the Bay of Plenty has a depth of sporting talent and the sports awards are a wonderful opportunity to recognise this annually," Sport Bay of Plenty CEO Heidi Lichtwark said.
"It is a privilege to be able to honour our top athletes, officials and coaches again in 2016. We look forward to following their continuing achievements in the future, while also celebrating their contributions to date.
"We are proud to continue to host the Bay of Plenty Sports Awards, which have been celebrating sporting excellence since 1969."
The Dudfield Bryce Printers Service to Sport category acknowledged people who have been involved in their chosen sport for at least 10 years and have made a significant contribution at either regional or national level.
The recipients came from a wide variety of sports including badminton, bowls, rugby, football, hockey, netball, tennis, sailing and disability sport. The opportunity to recognise these stalwarts of the sporting sector was a highlight of the evening as they were unaware until the award was presented on the night.
The gala evening, which combines both the secondary school sports awards and the open categories, is a great celebration of the sporting prowess across all schools and codes with the six secondary school categories providing inspiration to the region's up and coming athletes.
All the winners of the 2016 Bay of Plenty Sports Awards, an annual event since 1969, joined an illustrious group of past winners and become part of the Bay's sporting history.
