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The Sports Awards
SPORTS AWARDS
2020 certainly has been a very different year for sport across the board. The first lockdown landed just before our summer season really got off the ground, and the second pretty much stopped any form of winter sport happening. However, we did have some success to celebrate in between lockdowns and alert level restrictions, and also had a number of girls who achieved selection at international level.
The Sports Awards, held in the Arts Centre auditorium on 30 October, celebrated those results we were able to achieve. We are so proud of the resilience and determination the girls have shown throughout this crazy year.
First up, badges were awarded to this year’s Sports Council who have done a great job staying motivated throughout the year. These were followed by premier team badges, awarded to all our athletes who made and competed in a premier team this year. Then a number of special awards were made before the ceremony finished with recognition of our national representatives.
SPECIAL AWARDS
Fuji Xerox Staff Contribution to Sport Award
In any school, staff are crucial to the success of its sports programme, and this award recognises outstanding contribution by a staff member – this year the very deserving winner cricket manager extraordinaire Bryan Haggitt. His ability to set a positive and supportive atmosphere within the team is highly valued by all members of the cricket 1st XI.
The Dio Sport Student Official of the Year
This year’s winner, for the second year in a row, was Gabby de Latour. Gabby has been the go-to umpire for Diocesan netball for the past two years and has been an incredible asset. Our lead umpire on Tuesdays and Saturdays, Gabby also assists many of our junior umpires and encourages them to be confident and positive. The Dio Sport Student Coach of the Year
This year there were joint winners – Olivia Clark and Laura Whitley. Olivia is an exemplary student coach for our Years 7 and 8 water polo programme, is our code captain for water polo and has always made time to give back to the sport by coaching our younger students. Laura has also been an outstanding student coach within the water polo programme. She has coached multiple teams across various age groups and has allowed the girls’ passion for the sport to develop while also challenging them to be their best while still having fun.
The Spraggon McFarlane Cup
This is awarded each year to an outstanding sports captain. This year’s winner is equestrian Francesca Masfen. An accomplished rider herself, Francesca is a phenomenal role model to our younger riders, setting a culture of enjoyment and inclusiveness in the equestrian team that has seen the sport grow to its biggest numbers during her two years as code captain.
National representatives, from left to right: Back row Chantelle May, Lena Jacob, Aimee Crosbie; middle row – Ella Russ, Zoe Dawson, Katie Crawford; front row – Georgia Hair, Prudence Fowler, Sienna French, Sarah Young, Jessica Finnegan. (Absent from photo – Alice Rabbitts, Lizzie Shapland, Morgan McDowall)
NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
These students were selected for national teams but were not able to compete this year due to COVID-19.
Prudence Fowler
Prudence was named in a 13-strong team to contest the UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships that were to be staged in Cairo, Egypt, in August. She would have been a part of the endurance team on the track.
Lena Jacob
Lena qualified for the Asian Junior Fencing Championships in Jakarta (Indonesia), and also for the World Junior Championships in Salt Lake City (USA). Both competitions have been tentatively delayed but are likely to be cancelled.
Chantelle May
Chantelle was selected to compete for New Zealand in a number of international fencing competitions this year, including the Asian Cadet Championships, Asian Junior Championships, World Cadet Championships and the World Junior Championships.
Ella Russ
Ella was selected for the U-17 World Cup Football Qualifiers in April. Due to the cancellation of the event, the New Zealand team was automatically awarded the Oceania spot to compete at the 2021 U-17 Women’s World Cup in India next year.
Alice Rabbitts
Alice qualified into the senior international stream for New Zealand gymnastics, which is an 18+ category. Alice was meant to travel to Arizona in July to represent New Zealand.
Sienna French
Sienna was selected to represent New Zealand in Australia at the Pacific Rim Championships, a biennial event that gathers the best of artistic, rhythmic and trampoline gymnastics from the Pacific nations.
Sarah Young
Sarah was selected to represent New Zealand at the 2020 Australian Gymnastics Championships, yet another COVID cancellation.
Lizzie Shapland
Lizzie performed outstandingly well at youth trials held at Manly Beach in October, again winning the Youth Females category with her sailing partner. In a normal year they would have gone on to compete in the Youth Worlds in Brazil in December, but due to the pandemic this event has been cancelled.
Jessica Finnegan
Skier Jessica was selected for the New Zealand Youth Team to compete in Europe (December/January 2019) and Canada (March 2020), her second season with the team. After some more racing during the year, Jessica has again been selected for the NZ Youth Team and is number 2 seed.
Aimee Crosbie
Aimee represented New Zealand at the 2019 McDonald’s Queensland Championships in Brisbane (December 2019) and is a member of the 2020 Swimming New Zealand National Development Gold Squad. Aimee was also selected for the High Performance Sport New Zealand Pathway to Podium Programme, and as a Target2024 Squad Athlete, targeting the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Georgia Hair
Earlier this year Georgia received the great news from TRI New Zealand that she had been selected as part of the team to compete at the World Championships ITU Grand Final in Edmonton, Canada, in August.
Morgan McDowall
Morgan was selected in the New Zealand Women’s Water Polo team due to play in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Trieste, Italy, in May, her fourth with the NZ Women’s team. The team is now awaiting confirmation that this tournament will go ahead in January 2020.
We had two student athletes who were lucky enough to represent New Zealand and compete in their chosen fields this year.
Zoe Dawson
Zoe was able to compete in some sailing competitions this year, including the Harken Youth World Match Racing Championship in February. She also competed in the NZ Open Teams’ Racing Nationals in May/June. She has been selected to represent New Zealand at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Young America’s Cup in Feb/March of 2021, a World Sailing WC grade event.
Katie Crawford
Katie was selected for the New Zealand Winter Youth Olympic team to represent the country in Alpine Ski Racing and competed at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland, in January. She placed 30th in Slalom and 31st in Giant Slalom from a field of 78. Katie won the 2020 Slalom National Junior Champion Title (U-21) and placed second in Slalom at the 2020 National Alpine Championships (open grade) – both competitions in September.
The full Sports Awards list can be found on our website
