Littlehampton Sports Person of the Year 2016
There is a system in place
whereby an athlete is automatically nominated for the Sports Person of the Year
Awards if you have made a successful application for financial award based on
you previous successes and the events you plan to enter the next year. so Based
on my having won my age group in the World Triathlon Championships in Edmonton,
Canada in 2014 and in Chicago in 2015 I was given some financial aid toward the
expense in competing in expensive races.
My husband would have liked
to have been with me for the Awards evening last night but he is away from home
right now on a trip that was planned before the invitation came. So I did my
best impression of a cat and groomed myself far beyond my usual sporting
standards, washing and blow drying my normally unruly hair and lightly applying
a little make up. Whilst I was in the final stages of glamorisation I was put
in mind of a line from The Prince and the Showgirl Movie with Lawrence Olivier
and Marilyn Monroe years ago when the Mother if the prince claimed that “When a
woman is young she should wear lots of mascara and when one is old one should
wear even more.” I held it down to two light coats.
Littlehampton has an ideal
venue for occasions such as these awards and that is the New Millennium
Chamber, in the Manor House in the town centre. It is a smart and grand as it
sounds, the town Mayor, Ian Buckland did a sterling job of talking to everybody
in a jolly and friendly fashion. The dining tables were well spread with wine
and appetisers and more food was served in the interval. The hugely successful
GB swimmer Sharon Davies was there to present the awards and half way through
the evening spoke extremely well, giving her personal potted history, she was
most interesting and very funny and entertaining. She also threw herself open to
questions and answers and responded with dignity and humour.
I was seated on a most
successful table, sitting next to me was Christine Merrington-Trice of
Littlehampton Croquet Club and we never stopped talking until the ceremony
began, I did enjoy her company and might even take her up on her invitation to
go to one of their club meetings. I was
completely thunderstruck when I was announced as Sport person of the year
again. I had not given it a thought that it was even possible to win twice but
there my name was on two of the little shields around the smart oak shields. Christine
won Coach of the Year and was equally astonished. Sharon Davies here with the adorable little junior Arruner, Mikey Hodgson, who loved every moment.
At the risk of being boring
I have already begun my training for my intended main goal for next season, the
World Championships in Rotterdam, Holland in September 2017 and have entered
two qualifying events along with my husband, who is hopeful of gaining a place
on the GBR team as he has so many times before. How serious we both are is
reflected in our display of very forward planning. If I could manage another
age group win, it would be my 10th Age Group World Championship and
that is what my main focus is fixed upon.
By winning my Age Group at
Worthing Triathlon in August I am also qualified for the European Triathlon
Championships in Kitzbuhel ,
Austria next
year. We all have our disappointments when an injury pops up or a nasty bug
strikes and prevents us from doing all that we had planned. I suffered a bug
that I could not shake off mid season this year that even though I had
travelled to Poland
to compete, on the day it was clear that I was not up to it and rather than
bring myself down further the decision was made to drop out of that race. It
was a bitter blow but better to safe yourself for another day if you have any
sense.
The challenge I had in mind
was to try to become the oldest athlete to complete an Ironman 70.3 race,
probably better known as a half Ironman. In the past I have competed in
eighteen full Ironman races and feel that I have no case to answer to as to why
I do not feel the need to enter any more or that gruelling distance. Yesterday
I mentioned Jonathan Livingstone Seagull and one of the quotes from that book
was that there is no shame in trying and failing, the only failing is to stop
trying to achieve your aim. My husband also thinks that I should give the half
distance another shot. We have both looked at Elsinore , Denmark .
The mind instantly connects that to Shakespeare’s Hamlet of course.
Below is the full list of
results for the awards, kindly sent to me by the ever helpful and kind Becky
Holloway who is the Events & publicity manager.
Littlehampton Sports Forum Sports Awards
Held at the New Millennium Chamber, Manor House, Littlehampton. Hosted by
Chair of the Sports Forum Cllr Billy Blanchard-Cooper. Guest speaker, former Olympic
& Commonwealth medalist - Sharron Davies MBE
Littlehampton Sports Forum, Sports Awards Winners
Coach of the Year – Sponsored by C&M Trophies
Christine Merrington-Trice of Littlehampton Croquet Club
Administrator of the Year – Sponsored by Going Spare
Alan Pyant & Chris Staight of Littlehampton Cricket Club
Contribution to Disabled Sport – Sponsored by FA Holland & Son
Sandy Fell – works with all of the Littlehampton Schools to create sporting
opportunities for children with special educational needs and physical
disabilities.
Contribution to Youth Sport – Sponsored by Dizzy: Support for Diabetes
Kaminari Kickboxing for their work with young people in Littlehampton
Young Sportsperson of the year – Sponsored by Littlehampton Traders
partnership
Jessica Baker – Former Dance Industry student, who has been accepted to the
Doreen Bird College of Dance. (Award accepted by her parents)
*Certificate of commendation to Madison Walker – Littlehampton Swimming
Club
Sports Team of the Year – Sponsored by Mewsbrook Park
Café
Littlehampton Badminton Club men’s Combi team
* Certificate of commendation to Arunners
Youth Sports Team of the year – Sponsored by Bah Humbug Sweets
Arunners Jrs (Including Mikey Hodgson)
Unsung Hero Award – Sponsored by Mewsbrook
Park Café
Ben Horley – Littlehampton Sports field Groundsman
Sports person of the Year Award – Sponsored by the Coco
Lounge
Daphne Belt – 9 times world champion triathlete for her age group. Also won
the award in 2014
Mayor’s Award for Lifetime Contribution to Sport in Littlehampton
John Shepherd – Littlehampton Badminton and Squash Club for his years of
hard work and dedication to make the club the success it is today.
The Sports Forum meets four times a year and is open to all Littlehampton
Sports clubs and teams, The next meeting is on Monday 7th November.
Contact: ltc@littlehampton-tc.gov.uk
for information.
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