Latest news with #MeritAward
Scoop
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
New Zealand's Places, Spaces, And People Honoured At 2025 Parks Awards
Press Release – Recreation Aotearoa A record crowd gathered in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland tonight for the annual Recreation Aotearoa Parks Awards, a celebration of the people, places, and spaces shaping Aotearoa New Zealand's recreation sector. This year's event also welcomed the New Zealand Cemeteries and Crematoria Collective (NZCCC) Ngā Rau Hotu, who joined the celebrations to honour leaders in the cemeteries and crematoria sector with the biennial Cemeteries Awards. The evening kicked off with the 'Active Park / Sportsground of the Year' award, recognising adventure parks and sportsgrounds that support active, healthy lifestyles. The finalists were: McLean Park Skatepark, Kāpiti Coast District Council Motutawa Skatepark, Convic Te Wāhi Tākaro o Motupōhue Adventure Park, Invercargill City Council Convic's Motutawa Skatepark in Lower Hutt took out the top honour, while Invercargill City Council received a Merit Award for Te Wāhi Tākaro o Motupōhue Adventure Park. Next was the 'Healthy Park of the Year' award, which celebrates parks that enhance community wellbeing and social connection. Finalists included: Kaipātiki Reserve, Resilio Studio and Auckland Council Kōpūrererua Valley, Tauranga City Council Te Awahou Riverside, Horowhenua District Council Kaipātiki Reserve, a collaboration between Resilio Studio and Auckland Council, claimed the title, with a Merit Award presented to Tauranga City Council for Kōpūrererua Valley. The 'Playspace of the Year' awards followed, recognising excellence in playgrounds and recreational playspaces, with separate categories for projects under and over $500,000. Seven finalists were named: Kaipātiki Reserve Wāhi Tākaro, Te Poari o Kaipātiki ki Kaipara, Resilio Studio and Auckland Council Rānui Domain Playground, Auckland Council Raumanga Scenic Reserve Playground, Whangārei District Council Papatakohe Park, Waipā District Council Te Papa Tākaro o Matua Iwi, Tauranga City Council Waitaha Reserve, Tauranga City Council Waterfront Playground, Tauranga City Council Tauranga City Council dominated the category, winning both awards. Te Papa Tākaro o Matua Iwi was named 'Playspace of the Year (within $500,000)', while the city's new Waterfront Playground received 'Playspace of the Year (over $500,000)'. Merit Awards in the over $500,000 category went to Tauranga City Council's Waitaha Reserve and Kaipātiki Reserve Wāhi Tākaro, delivered by Te Poari o Kaipātiki ki Kaipara, Resilio Studio and Auckland Council. The final award of the night, 'Parks Person of the Year', honours individuals who show outstanding leadership, innovation, and commitment to public parks. This year, the accolade was shared by two recipients: Simon Alefosio-Tuck from Rotorua Lakes Council and Howell Davies from Auckland Council. Kieran Smith, Parks, Play and Open Spaces Programme Manager at Recreation Aotearoa, said the awards reflect the growing importance of open spaces in supporting thriving communities. 'Across Aotearoa, parks are more than playgrounds and sports fields — they're places for communities to gather, connect, and recharge. This year's finalists and winners set a powerful example of how these spaces can enhance wellbeing, sustainability, and community pride,' Smith said.
Scoop
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
New Zealand's Places, Spaces, And People Honoured At 2025 Parks Awards
A record crowd gathered in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland tonight for the annual Recreation Aotearoa Parks Awards, a celebration of the people, places, and spaces shaping Aotearoa New Zealand's recreation sector. This year's event also welcomed the New Zealand Cemeteries and Crematoria Collective (NZCCC) Ngā Rau Hotu, who joined the celebrations to honour leaders in the cemeteries and crematoria sector with the biennial Cemeteries Awards. The evening kicked off with the 'Active Park / Sportsground of the Year' award, recognising adventure parks and sportsgrounds that support active, healthy lifestyles. The finalists were: McLean Park Skatepark, Kāpiti Coast District Council Motutawa Skatepark, Convic Te Wāhi Tākaro o Motupōhue Adventure Park, Invercargill City Council Convic's Motutawa Skatepark in Lower Hutt took out the top honour, while Invercargill City Council received a Merit Award for Te Wāhi Tākaro o Motupōhue Adventure Park. Next was the 'Healthy Park of the Year' award, which celebrates parks that enhance community wellbeing and social connection. Finalists included: Kaipātiki Reserve, Resilio Studio and Auckland Council Kōpūrererua Valley, Tauranga City Council Te Awahou Riverside, Horowhenua District Council Kaipātiki Reserve, a collaboration between Resilio Studio and Auckland Council, claimed the title, with a Merit Award presented to Tauranga City Council for Kōpūrererua Valley. The 'Playspace of the Year' awards followed, recognising excellence in playgrounds and recreational playspaces, with separate categories for projects under and over $500,000. Seven finalists were named: Kaipātiki Reserve Wāhi Tākaro, Te Poari o Kaipātiki ki Kaipara, Resilio Studio and Auckland Council Rānui Domain Playground, Auckland Council Raumanga Scenic Reserve Playground, Whangārei District Council Papatakohe Park, Waipā District Council Te Papa Tākaro o Matua Iwi, Tauranga City Council Waitaha Reserve, Tauranga City Council Waterfront Playground, Tauranga City Council Tauranga City Council dominated the category, winning both awards. Te Papa Tākaro o Matua Iwi was named 'Playspace of the Year (within $500,000)', while the city's new Waterfront Playground received 'Playspace of the Year (over $500,000)'. Merit Awards in the over $500,000 category went to Tauranga City Council's Waitaha Reserve and Kaipātiki Reserve Wāhi Tākaro, delivered by Te Poari o Kaipātiki ki Kaipara, Resilio Studio and Auckland Council. The final award of the night, 'Parks Person of the Year', honours individuals who show outstanding leadership, innovation, and commitment to public parks. This year, the accolade was shared by two recipients: Simon Alefosio-Tuck from Rotorua Lakes Council and Howell Davies from Auckland Council. Kieran Smith, Parks, Play and Open Spaces Programme Manager at Recreation Aotearoa, said the awards reflect the growing importance of open spaces in supporting thriving communities. 'Across Aotearoa, parks are more than playgrounds and sports fields — they're places for communities to gather, connect, and recharge. This year's finalists and winners set a powerful example of how these spaces can enhance wellbeing, sustainability, and community pride,' Smith said.
Associated Press
01-04-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
NYC, Baltimore research scientists receive grants to study cardiovascular/diabetes connection
( NewMediaWire) - April 01, 2025 - DALLAS — A New York City-based physician scientist who explores ways to improve health by looking at the ways in which cells and molecules impact disease and an epidemiologist from Baltimore who has devoted her career to identifying ways to improve screening, diagnosis and patient care for people with diabetes are the most recent American Heart Association Merit Award recipients. Over the next five years, each researcher will receive a total of $1 million in funding from the Association, a global force changing the future of health for all. The American Heart Association's Merit Award is one of the most prestigious competitive research awards given by the Association, the largest non-government funder of cardiovascular research in the United States. The Merit Award supports scientists who have consistently performed highly promising, novel research with the potential to move cardiovascular science forward quickly, with high impact. The recipients of the 2025 award are: Ann Marie Schmidt, M.D., the Dr. Iven Young Professor of Endocrinology in the Department of Medicine, the Holman Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism and a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and the Department of Pathology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City; and Elizabeth (Liz) Selvin, Ph.D., M.P.H., FAHA, Director of the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research and a professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. She holds a joint appointment in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 'Each year, the American Heart Association recognizes recipients of the Merit Awards as investigators with established track records of success in major research challenges in the areas of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health. Their scientific exploration has the potential to produce unusually high impact toward the Association's mission to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives,' said Keith Churchwell, M.D., FAHA, American Heart Association volunteer president, an associate clinical Professor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut and adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at the Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee. 'Diabetes is one of the major controllable risk factors for cardiovascular disease and as prevalence of both conditions rise, it's become imperative that we learn all we can about the ways they're connected. This year's recipients are already renowned for their work in identifying the important connections between cardiovascular disease and diabetes and I'm excited to see where their future exploration will take us in learning how to better manage these chronic conditions that take the lives of too many people each year.' Schmidt's research will focus on the large white blood cells that are part of the body's immune system and are known to contribute to diabetic complications. Her research team will expand on their discovery of a protein molecule called the 'receptor for advanced glycation end products' (RAGE) that may be one of the ways that diabetic white blood cells damage the body. Studying diabetic and non-diabetic mouse and human white blood cells, the team will look for ways to disrupt this damaging molecular process and, in turn, potentially develop new treatment therapies. 'Diabetes damages the body head-to-toe and this happens slowly over many years. We know people with diabetes have more strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, blindness and kidney problems, yet the reasons for this connection are not fully known,' Schmidt said. 'We surmise that learning how large white blood cells in diabetes cause damage will show us new ways to stop their bad actions and decrease harm to the body. As diabetes robs people of good health and years of life, our work may help to fulfill the American Heart Association mission to improve health, especially for people with diabetes.' Selvin's research will focus on improving cardiovascular health in people with diabetes. Her seminal studies on the association between hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and diabetes complications helped establish the scientific foundation and clinical criteria for using HbA1c to diagnose diabetes. This Merit Award will support new research focusing on wearable continuous glucose monitors and their association with cardiometabolic risk in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. 'An important part of our work will be providing opportunities for trainees to engage in research with direct implications for policy and clinical practice,' Selvin said. 'Helping to grow the next generation of scientists is critical to our ongoing work to save lives through improvements in the screening, diagnosis and treatment of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.' Funding scientific research and discovery through initiatives like the annual merit awards is a cornerstone of the century-old American Heart Association's lifesaving mission. The Association has now funded more than $5.9 billion of scientific research since 1949 , making it the single largest non-government supporter of heart and brain health research in the U.S. New knowledge resulting from this funding continues to save lives and directly impact millions of people in every corner of the U.S. and around the world. About the American Heart Association The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities, the organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public's health, and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy, and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.
USA Today
28-01-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Tom Watson gets emotional recounting final round with his dad
Tom Watson gets emotional recounting final round with his dad Show Caption Hide Caption Tom Watson says what helped him win the 1982 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Tom Watson tells a story about what helped him win the 1982 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Tom Watson was on the verge of tears. On Wednesday, the 75-year-old eight-time major champion attended the PGA Show in Orlando and was honored by the National Golf Course Owners Association with its Merit Award, the association's highest honor. He participated in an hour-long fire side chat with NGCOA CEO Jay Karen and touched on some of the highs and lows of his career, sprinkling in a few swing tips with advice on the business of the game that attendees could bring home to their clubs. But it was during the tail end of the session when Karen opened the questioning to members of the audience that one attendee asked what seemed like an innocuous question that struck a chord with Watson. 'What's your favorite memory you have about the game of golf whether it's playing or anything else that you can share with this room?' Watson went silent for 10 seconds. 'Excuse me,' he finally said. Another 10 seconds of silence in the room as Watson tried to control his emotions. 'It was the last time I played with my dad,' he began. 'I'll tell you the story.' Raymond Watson was a retired insurance salesman and former club champion at Kansas City (Mo.) Country Club, who stuck a cut-down, hickory-shafted 5-iron in his son's hands in 1955 at age six and immediately taught him the correct grip and stance. A scratch handicap player, Raymond died of a heart attack in 2000 at age 80 while in Hawaii to watch his son compete in a PGA Tour Champions event. 'My dad had a stroke when he was 78 years old but he loved to play. He'd go out in those 38-degree days with a stocking cap on, gloves and his long handles and corduroy pants and he'd go out with six clubs in a little bag and he'd walk around the golf courses and play nine holes,' Watson said. 'I'd always ask, 'What did you shoot, dad?' He'd say, 'Ah, I shot a newspaper 50.' 'Newspaper means to guess what you'd shot when you picked up. I gave myself a 7. I kept asking, 'What did you shoot?' He'd say, 'A newspaper 94.' Before he had a stroke he shot in the upper 70s, shooting his age at 78 years old. We'd go up to Michigan by Long Lake. We would spend 2-3 weeks up there every summer. His favorite course up there was Belvedere Golf Club in Charlevoix, beautiful (Willie) Watson course up there. And we're up there, this is 1999. The last round of golf we played in that trip was Belvedere. We got to the first tee and I said, 'All right, dad, here's the deal: No pick ups today.' The reason I said that was he hadn't broken 90 since the stroke. He got off to a great start. He was 3-over-par after 8. He's got this wired. Nine, he makes a double bogey, damn, but still, he's out in 41.' Watson figured his dad could make 48 on the back side, no problem, but then he started making some double bogeys on the way to the house. 'We get to the last hole and he needs to make a bogey to shoot 89,' Watson continued. 'He hits a perfect drive, just smokes it out there. But the second shot, the stroke got him. He had a right-hand problem and he lost the club and the ball hit off the toe of this hybrid and went straight right and underneath a tree in fescue rough and bare dirt. Oh, shoot! 'I didn't have the heart to go over there. He took some club out and I'll never forget his last swing, whoosh, he couldn't take a full swing because of a tree limb that stopped his follow through but there's dust and the ball comes rocketing out and lands about 20 yards short of the green and rolls up like this (hands held close together). He's got it! I'm walking up there and I contemplated giving him the putt but knowing my father I knew he wouldn't accept it. I made him putt it and he missed it.' But Raymond Watson still finished with a bogey for 89 and broke 90 for the first time since suffering a stroke. 'Walking off the green, he probably reacted just how I would've reacted,' Tom said. 'Dad, you know what you shot? Yeah, son, I know what I shot. He was pissed that he missed that short putt. That was the last round of golf I ever played with my dad.' Watson's favorite memory involving golf had nothing to do with any of his greatest accomplishments but rather a round with his dad, the man who introduced him to the game. And everyone in that room at the Orange County Convention Center that hung on Watson's every word at the NGCOA conference closing luncheon will never forget the Hall of Famer's emotional response to a softball, open-ended question.
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tom Watson gets emotional recounting final round with his dad
Tom Watson was on the verge of tears. On Wednesday, the 75-year-old eight-time major champion attended the PGA Show in Orlando and was honored by the National Golf Course Owners Association with its Merit Award, the association's highest honor. He participated in an hour-long fire side chat with NGCOA CEO Jay Karen and touched on some of the highs and lows of his career, sprinkling in a few swing tips with advice on the business of the game that attendees could bring home to their clubs. But it was during the tail end of the session when Karen opened the questioning to members of the audience that one attendee asked what seemed like an innocuous question that struck a chord with Watson. 'What's your favorite memory you have about the game of golf whether it's playing or anything else that you can share with this room?' Watson went silent for 10 seconds. 'Excuse me,' he finally said. Another 10 seconds of silence in the room as Watson tried to control his emotions. 'It was the last time I played with my dad,' he began. 'I'll tell you the story.' Raymond Watson was a retired insurance salesman and former club champion at Kansas City (Mo.) Country Club, who stuck a cut-down, hickory-shafted 5 iron in his son's hands in 1955 at age six and immediately taught him the correct grip and stance. A scratch handicap player, Raymond died of a heart attack in 2000 at age 80 while in Hawaii to watch his son compete in a PGA Tour Champions event. 'My dad had a stroke when he was 78 years old but he loved to play. He'd go out in those 38-degree days with a stocking cap on, gloves and his long handles and corduroy pants and he'd go out with six clubs in a little bag and he'd walk around the golf courses and play nine holes,' Watson said. 'I'd always ask, 'What did you shoot, dad?' He'd say, 'Ah, I shot a newspaper 50.' 'Newspaper means to guess what you'd shot when you picked up. I gave myself a 7. I kept asking, 'What did you shoot?' He'd say, 'A newspaper 94.' Before he had a stroke he shot in the upper 70s, shooting his age at 78 years old. We'd go up to Michigan by Long Lake. We would spend 2-3 weeks up there every summer. His favorite course up there was Belvedere Golf Club in Charlevoix, beautiful (Willie) Watson course up there. And we're up there, this is 1999. The last round of golf we played in that trip was Belvedere. We got to the first tee and I said, 'All right, dad, here's the deal: No pick ups today.' The reason I said that was he hadn't broken 90 since the stroke. He got off to a great start. He was 3 over par after 8. He's got this wired. Nine, he makes a double bogey, damn, but still, he's out in 41.' Watson figured his dad could make 48 on the back side, no problem, but then he started making some double bogeys on the way to the house. 'We get to the last hole and he needs to make a bogey to shoot 89,' Watson continued. 'He hits a perfect drive, just smokes it out there. But the second shot, the stroke got him. He had a right-hand problem and he lost the club and the ball hit off the toe of this hybrid and went straight right and underneath a tree in fescue rough and bare dirt. Oh, shoot! 'I didn't have the heart to go over there. He took some club out and I'll never forget his last swing, whoosh, he couldn't take a full swing because of a tree limb that stopped his follow through but there's dust and the ball comes rocketing out and lands about 20 yards short of the green and rolls up like this (hands held close together). He's got it! I'm walking up there and I contemplated giving him the putt but knowing my father I knew he wouldn't accept it. I made him putt it and he missed it.' But Raymond Watson still finished with a bogey for 89 and broke 90 for the first time since suffering a stroke. 'Walking off the green, he probably reacted just how I would've reacted,' Tom said. 'Dad, you know what you shot? Yeah, son, I know what I shot. He was pissed that he missed that short putt. That was the last round of golf I ever played with my dad.' Watson's favorite memory involving golf had nothing to do with any of his greatest accomplishments but rather a round with his dad, the man who introduced him to the game. And everyone in that room at the Orange County Convention Center that hung on Watson's every word at the NGCOA conference closing luncheon will never forget the Hall of Famer's emotional response to a softball, open-ended question. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Watson tells the story of the final time he teed it up with his dad
