Local Sports Star celebrates best of Melbourne’s junior and senior sports stars
FOR 40 years Leader Community News has celebrated the extraordinary efforts of athletes across Melbourne. Now we’re on the hunt for more.
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THE best in local sport and the extraordinary efforts of junior and senior athletes across Melbourne have been celebrated for four decades by Leader Community News.
And in 2017 the Leader Local Sports Stars program will become a national celebration.
Leader Local Sports Star medallists will compete against the Local Sports Stars program medallists in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, and national winners will be crowned.
Sports Star nominees will feature in News Limited’s sister community publications in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.
New categories will be introduced such as the Sporting Spirit to ensure we are rewarding all success among our communities from the ones who are Olympic bound to those who are giving their best in a new sporting code for the first time.
The award categories in Victoria include Junior Sports Star Individual, Junior Sports Star Team, Young Sporting Spirit Individual, Young Sporting Spirit Team, Senior Sports Star, Service to Sport and the Jim Dowsley Award for encouragement.
A total of 183 awards nationally as well as Sportsmart vouchers and cash prizes are up for grabs.
The Leader Local Sports Star program has a proud tradition of unearthing sporting talent as they embark on their professional careers, giving them support through in-paper coverage and recognition through the awards.
Previous sports star winners include Cadel Evans, Brooke Hanson, Michael Klim, Shane Warne, Lydia Lassila and Meg Lanning.
Olympic gold medallist Lauren Burns said the awards were a great way to recognise up and coming talent.
Ms Burns said she would never forget the thrill of winning hers in 1999.
“In taekwondo we are a low profile sport so to get exposure for the athletes and the sport is wonderful,” she said.
“It was such an honour to win but the prizemoney helped me enormously as I was able to travel back to Korea and do some training over there before the Sydney Games.”
Ms Burns said while physical and mental strength were pivotal she also encouraged athletes to ask questions to get better.
“One of the best skills an athlete can have is being really proactive about their development,” she said.
“Asking questions and speaking out about strength and conditioning, recovery and good nutrition. These things will give you longevity in your sport.”
Leader Community News has been celebrating local sport with our Leader awards for 40 years, and we’re delighted to do it again, said editor-in-chief John Trevorrow.
Mr Trevorrow thanked our proud partners Sportsmart, Gold 104.3 and SportsTG.
Click HERE to nominate a Leader Local Sports Star.
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