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Otago Daily Times
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Awards chance for Central Otago sports community to celebrate year
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott. PHOTO: SUPPLIED The finalists for the 2025 Central Otago Sports Awards have been announced for the formal awards dinner at the Lake Wānaka Centre on Thursday. The 2025 finalists include world champions, Olympians, and emerging stars across disciplines as varied as alpine skiing, kayaking, athletics, rugby, mountainbiking, rodeo, tennis, rowing, and snowboarding — as well as the often unsung heroes in coaching, officiating and community sport. The awards are to recognise the outstanding achievements of athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and teams from across Central Otago over the past year. The finalists in this year's awards reflect the depth of talent, passion and community spirit that drives sport in the region. Sport Central Sport and Active Recreation adviser Jo Knight said the calibre of this year's nominations spoke volumes about the strength of sport in Central Otago. "The level of competition made it incredibly difficult for our judging panel to select finalists, let alone winners. It's a wonderful reflection of the dedication and talent that exists across Central Otago." Sport and Active Recreation adviser Ben Hamilton said the awards night promised to be a special celebration for everyone involved in the Central Otago sports community. "The Forsyth Barr Central Otago Sports Awards are about more than just celebrating individual success — they're a chance for the whole sporting community to come together and celebrate an amazing year." The dinner will be held at the Lake Wānaka Centre on Thursday. 2025 award finalists Gary Anderson Sound and Vision Sportswoman of the Year Alice Robinson — Alpine Ski Racing Zoi Sadowski-Synnott — Snowboard Big Air and Slopestyle Sophie Winter — Ice Swimming Central Lakes Construction Sportsman of the Year Finley Melville Ives — Free Ski Halfpipe Rocco Jamieson — Snowboard Big Air and Slopestyle Finn Butcher — Kayak Cross Luca Harrington — Free Ski Big Air and Halfpipe Gallaway Cook Allan Junior Sportsman of the Year Mason Clarke — Cricket Levi Casey — Squash Luke Harrold — Free Ski Halfpipe James Weber — Athletics Lewis Laird — Mountain Biking Charlie Manser — Rowing Noa Milburn — Tennis Dan Milburn — Tennis Health 2000 Wānaka Junior Sportswoman of the Year Phoebe Laker — Athletics Brooke Hansen — Freeride Snowboard Mathilda Watterson — Alpine Ski Racing Sky Sanders — Rodeo Heidi Winter — Ice Swimming Eva Small — Freeride Skiing Siena Mackley — Running Zara Hazledine — Equestrian Rosa Dawson — Gymnastics Bella Breen — Rowing Jennian Homes Team of the Year Upper Clutha Rams — Rugby Wakatipu U18 Coxed Quad Scull Wakatipu U17 Boys Double Scull Wakatipu Boys U18 Double Scull Sky City Stampede — Ice Hockey Wānaka Football Club Otago Polytechnic Para Athlete of the Year Mac Denniston — Athletics Adam Hall — Para Skiing Workplace First Aid Coach of the Year Alex Dickson — Upper Clutha Rams Michael Beable — Athletics Dan Bogue — Para Skiing Hamish McDougall — Skiing Sean Thompson — Snowboard Nils Coberger — Alpine Ski Racing Murray Buchan — Freeski Cam Frear — Stampede Duncan and Kelly Good Ray White Real Estate Junior Spirit of Central Award Charlie Nisbet — Gymnastics Eli La Rose — Swimming Liam King — BMX Ryan Enoka — Athletics, Ki Uta, Rugby Eva Small — Freeride Skiing, Mountain Biking, Multi-sport Mathilda Watterson — Ski Racing Wānaka Physiotherapy Senior Spirit of Central Award Roger North — Wānaka Yacht Club Jess Lake — Cromwell Athletics Shane Norton — Central Otago Football Findex Official of the Year Flick Wallace — Snow Sports Craig Anderson — Rugby Adam Nagy — Ice Hockey — APL
Otago Daily Times
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Sports noms haul for Queenstowners
The Whakatipu is well represented in the finalist list for this year's Central Otago Sports Awards. To be announced at a formal dinner on May 8, at the Lake Wānaka Centre, the awards, sponsored by Forsyth Barr, recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and teams from across Central Otago over the past year. Sport Central sport and active recreation adviser Jo Knight says the calibre of this year's nominations speaks volumes about the strength of sport in the region. "The level of competition made it incredibly difficult for our judging panel to select finalists, let alone winners. "It's a wonderful reflection of the dedication and talent that exists across Central Otago," Knight says. In the sportswoman of the year category, Queenstown ski racer Alice Robinson's a finalist, alongside Wānaka snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and Alexandra ice swimmer Sophie Winter. Robinson's head coach, Nils Coberger, is a finalist in the coach of the year category, as is SkyCity Stampede coach Cam Frear, Queenstown-based snowboarding coach Sean Thompson — other finalists in that category are Upper Clutha Rams rugby coach Alex Dickson, para skiing coach Dan Bogue, skiing coach Hamish McDougall, all of Wānaka, and national freeski coach Murray Buchan (Scotland/Lake Hawea). Frear's Stampede ice hockey team is a finalist in team of the year, as are the Wakatipu under-18 coxed quad scull rowers, the Wakatipu U17 boys double scull and the Wakatipu boys U18 double scull. Other finalists there are the Upper Clutha Rams rugby team and the Wānaka Football Club. Queenstowners also dominate the junior sportsman of the year — our finalists are Mason Clarke (cricket), James Weber (athletics), Lewis Laird (mountain biking), Charlie Manser (rowing), and brothers Noa and Dan Milburn (tennis). They're up against Cromwell's Levi Casey (squash) and Wānaka's Luke Harrold (freeski halfpipe). In the junior sportswoman category, Queenstowners Brooke Hansen (freeride snowboard), Siena Mackley (running), Zara Hazledine (equestrian) and Rosa Dawson (gymnastics) are all finalists, alongside Wānaka's Phoebe Laker (athletics), Mathilda Watterson (alpine ski racing) and Eva Small (freeride skiing), Cromwell's Sky Sanders (rodeo) and Bella Breen (rowing) and Alexandra's Heidi Winter (ice swimming). And in the official of the year category, Queenstown ice hockey ref Adam Nagy will be up against Wānaka's Flick Wallace (snowsports) and Central Otago rugby ref Craig Anderson. Tickets for the awards night cost $75, via The event includes dinner and a presentation from Wānaka's Dougal Allan, a world champion multisport and adventure racer and Team New Zealand cyclor.
