Blake, Rachel win Rouse Hill Times Local Sports Star awards
WATERSKI champion Blake Tickell was crowned the Rouse Hill Times Junior Sports Star award during a glittering presentation night at the Local Sports Stars at Epping Club on Thursday.
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WATERSKI champion Blake Tickell was crowned the Rouse Hill Times Junior Sports Star award during a glittering presentation night at the Local Sports Stars at Epping Club on Thursday.
The 13-year-old reigning Australian under-13 champion said he was stunned to win the coveted title after receiving the award from Olympic medallist and world champion Jessica Fox.
“Wow, I don’t know what to say ... I am stunned because I didn’t expect to win this,” the Rouse Hill teen said.
Rachel Bardney of Stanhope Gardens took out the Rouse Hill Times’ Young Sporting Spirit Award, her many awards over several sports including athletics, softball and basketball gaining her honour.
“I am very happy to win this award,” said Rachel, who is now preparing for the 10th Pacific Schools Games in Adelaide in December and the Trans Tasman Challenge in January.
Matthew Taylor and John Besley add: Pendle Hill’s Bendere Oboya capped a stellar year on the track when she won the overall Junior Sports Star Award.
The 17-year-old Ethiopian-born athletics ace is sizzling her way towards representing Australia at next year’s Commonwealth Games after a golden 2017.
Oboya won the 400m at the Athletics NSW Open Championships in February, just a year into training for the sport, and then secured two gold medals at the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas in July.
The Pendle Hill High School student has improved her personal-best time this year by three seconds to 52.69sec.
Now in their 13th year, the Local Sports Star awards — sponsored by Rebel — turn the spotlight on outstanding young athletes with nominees publicised each week in NewsLocal’s community newspapers across Sydney and the Central Coast.
A worthy winner after a standout year on the world stage, Oboya, who arrived in Australia at the age of three with her parents and five siblings, says it’s just the start of her journey to the top.
“I know I can get better with (coach Greg Smith’s) help,” she said. “I love to run. If I had to choose I’d run all the time.
“Ever since I was a little kid I would watch athletes on TV, but I never expected to be one of them.”
In other categories, Paralympics coach Matthew Rawlings won the Service to Sport award, while the Junior Sports Star Team was the South East Magic Women’s U/14 rugby sevens outfit.
Cricketer Riley Brundsen was honoured with the Young Sporting Spirit Individual award, and the team category was taken out by Brothers Try Time (rugby league).
Speaking on behalf of many of the award winners, Northern District Times Junior Sports Star Harry Turner said he couldn’t help but feel a little overawed by the occasion.
NewsLocal would like to thank the sponsors of our program who make it possible to run this program: Rebel, Sports TG, Your Local Club, Rooty Hill RSL and Featherdale Wildlife Club.
FULL LIST OF AWARD WINNERS
JUNIOR SPORTS STAR INDIVIDUAL
Bendere Oboya, athletics (Parramatta Advertiser)
JUNIOR SPORTS STAR TEAM
South East Magic Women’s U/14, rugby sevens (Southern Courier)
SERVICE TO SPORT
Matthew Rawlings, Paralympics coach (Blacktown Advocate)
YOUNG SPORTING SPIRIT INDIVIDUAL
Riley Brundsen, cricket (Penrith Press)
YOUNG SPORTING SPIRIT TEAM
Brothers Try Time, rugby league (Penrith Press)
Ben Harpley from Brothers Try Time. Picture: Danny Aarons
JUNIOR SPORTS STAR
Joshua Curran, rugby league (Blacktown Advocate)
Princess Ibini-Isei, football (Canterbury Bankstown Express)
Kyle Schneider, rugby league (Central Coast Express Advocate)
Amy Chu, golf (Fairfield Advocate)
Carley Thomas, athletics (Hills Shire Times)
Joshua Robins, baseball (Hornsby Advocate)
Carla Traplin, water polo (Inner West Courier)
Tamara Cerne, martial arts (Liverpool Leader)
Jarian Hogan, weightlifter (Macarthur Chronicle)
Tyler Krenkels, swimming, water polo (Manly Daily)
Matilda Kearns, water polo (Mosman Daily)
Jack Hall, gymnastics (Mt Druitt Standard)
Donovan Bradshaw, athletics (North Shore Times)
Harry Turner, rugby union (Northern District Times)
Bendere Oboya, athletics (Parramatta Advertiser)
Christian Hliounakis, kayaking (Penrith Press)
Blake Tickell, water skiing (Rouse Hill Times)
Nikita Strbac, water polo (Southern Courier)
Ned Wieland, swimming (Wentworth Courier)
YOUNG SPORTING SPIRIT
Tia Rose Matthews, athletics (Blacktown Advocate)
Josh Wilkie, swimming (Canterbury Bankstown Express)
Zoe McNamara, gymnastics (Central Coast Express Advocate)
Zac Corr-Johnson, lawn bowls (Fairfield Advocate)
Tristan Morson, swimming (Hills Shire Times)
Edward Parker, athletics (Hornsby Advocate)
Dylan Donnini, skateboarding (Inner West Courier)
Destiny Collier, karate (Liverpool Leader)
Tristan De Maria, rugby league (Macarthur Chronicle)
Wilson Spinks, baseball (Manly Daily)
Veronika Vasileva, fencing (Mosman Daily)
Jeremiah Vaisima, rugby league (Mt Druitt Standard)
Lily Worrall, pole vaulting (North Shore Times)
Hana Chorley, diving (Northern District Times)
Jack McShane, lawn bowls (Parramatta Advertiser)
Riley Brundsen, cricket (Penrith Press)
Rachel Bardney, athletics (Rouse Hill Times)
Zane Greenhalgh, rugby league (Southern Courier)
Holly Palmer, Paralympics (Wentworth Courier)