Kapiti News
2010 Kapiti Sportsperson of the Year Award
Now is the time to honour our top sports people, our coaches, administrators, teams and personalities, athletes with disabilities, officals and emerging sportspeople.
Kapiti has a great number of very committed sporting people and now is the time to nominate them for the Kapiti Lions Club Award evening, to be held at Southwards Theatre early may. Endties close 5pm Wednesday March 31, and must be on the offical form so down load a copy from here and make sure the people in your club are honoured.
Click here for application form
BIKE WISE HAPPENINGS - PEDAL TO THE PICNIC
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Maryanne Monstra, who runs the Kapiti Kids Connect website with lots of information about active things for families in Kapiti, pedaled all the way from Raumati South with one year old Lucy and two and a half year old Abbey warm and dry in their cycle trailer. A feature of the gathering were the Te Ra School unicyclists who had a great time on the jumps and ramps and took part in the Mayoral Cycle Challenge with some of them riding the full 10km loop. They came back rather wet and bedraggled but beaming from ear to ear - "it was awesome to go for a good long ride."
The youngest rider was 3 year old Anna Woodman Aldridge competently riding her two wheeler without training wheels. Her proud father Peter Woodman Aldridge said "she started learning to ride on one of the push along balance bikes and made a very easy transition to confidently riding a two wheeler. So maybe that is the solution, if your youngster is still needing trainer wheels - remove the pedals, lower the seat and let them get their balance by scooting along and progress to pedals.
Oliver Fisher-Young was the winner of the longest jump from the ramps and the general consensus of the varied activites was that it was a great concept and as always the wet sponge event was a real draw card.
Other BikeWise happenings include the 50+ adventure ride in QE Park, trying out the newly constructed part of the cycle trail that will eventually give an easy gradient route from one end to the other. Funding for this path was applied for under the Government Cycleways project but was unsuccessful. Meeting at Mackay's Crossing, the group were awarded a free entry into the $600 raffle for a cycle or cycle gear from 'On Yer Bike Avanti Plus'. Most primary schools have been visited and children who have ridden bikes to school on the day of the visit are also entered into the draw. The "Be Seen Out and About on Your Bike" raffle tickets continue until 5 March so increase your chances by being seen out and about on your bike.
Sport Wellington Kapiti helps celebrate successful community sporting events such as the one mentioned below...
Junior Touch Academy Day
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It was a fantastic day, and all the children were very attentive and happy to take direction from the young teenages who passed on their great skills. They were especially proud to be wearing their new KJT Academy tee-shirts, making them all feel part of a team.
A big thank you to the Kapiti-Horowhenua Touch module for supporting us!
SPARC Coach of the year - Thanks Coach
We all know that volunteers are thebackbone of sport in NZ and here on the Coast is no different from anywhere else. Recently acknowledged for their contribution to sport are, Bryan Thompsonfor his role coaching junior rugby and Holly van Schooten for her contribution to coaching netball at Paraparaumu College.
These two were nominated in the SPARC Volunteer Coach of the Year scheme. From the Greater Wellington area of Kapiti, Wairarapa, the Hutt valley, Porirua and Wellington City there were 300 nominations and 30 of these were from the Coast. Good on you, those people who took the time to submit nominations. It is one way we can say "Thanks Coach". Holly was one of three finalists in the student category and Bryan was a finalist in the general category.
The finalists were all acknowledged in the "Thanks Coach" breakfast held at Pelorus House in early October. Bryan was able to attend but for Holly exams prevented her attending so her award was made at a recent Senior Assembly at the college.
Volunteer of the Month
Sport Wellington also runs a Volunteer of the Month Award and September's Volunteer of the Month is Allen Thomas. He is well into his sixties and according to his nominator he is the oldest referee still actively taking part in supporting the game of rugby. "He has great communication skills and runs the games with a fair and firm hand said the nomination. "A real top guy" Good on you Allen.
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Congratulations to Otaki Surf Life Saving Club member Donald Whiterod who was recently given a Services to Lifesaving Award. In his long time with the club he has been a lifeguard for 17 years plus been involved with re building the club rooms after it was destroyed by fire. Following this effort he was involved in building maintenance and with the recent building extension. Well done Don you are really living the Lifesaving motto of "in it for life".
Click here Donald Whiterod Media Release
Medal's in China
Kapiti's Reyon Kay took a silver medal at the recent speed skating championships held in China. This silver medal was in the 42km marathon event and he was also part of the team that won bronze in the road relay. Reyon also participated in the 20km road elimination race in which he gained a top 10 finish plus a 13th place in the 1km track event. Now a member of a German based professional team though he spends much of his time training and racing in Columbia he is home for a few weeks catching up with friends and family. Reyon says he really enjoys life as a professional speed skater and is going to continue skating as long as he can.
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When the Paekakariki Surf club members aren't at the beach they are in the pool winning medals. Paekakariki Surf Lifesaving Club took out third place in the recent national swimming championships. In all Paekakariki won 20 medals, 11 as individuals and 9 team event medals. Three of the younger gold medalists were Katie Trott who won the under 11 girl's 50 metres swim, Mitchell Logan who is only 16 won the under 19 men's 50 metre freestyle with fins and another gold medal winner was Chris Andrews who won the under 14boys 50 metre with fins events.
Matt Warren, participating in the masters age group took three medals, two golds and a silver. Nicola Trott, and Susannah Lynch won silver medals in individual events and Blair Reeve Smith won bronze in an individual event.
As Matt Warren, senior club member said "this shows there is real depth in the local Paekakariki Surf Club".
Tour of Waikanae
The rain disappeared hurray hurray, the sun came out and so did the cyclists - 515 in fact for this year's Tour of Waikanae. There were people in their seventies and children aged eight and many ages in between were represented. Jayne Parsons (our well known blind athlete) rode on her tandem with her partner Brent. At the end of 100 kms Jane looked as if she had been out for a doddle and Brent confessed he was rather weary "she kept telling me to go faster" he said.
There was a family with a double tandem with kids on board plus top level cyclists such as Sam King Turner and Andy Hagan who cracked out 100km in around two and a half hours - others took a more leisurely four and a half hours to complete the 100km course.
Whatever the time taken and whatever the course ridden this event started by the Waikanae Rotary carried on by Sport Wellington and now in the capable hands of Kapiti Cycle Challenge ably assisted by the Kapiti Cycling Club again provided something for every one. Plans are afoot to include a mountain bike event next year
To see who took part go to www.tourofwaikanae.co.nz
While you are there follow the link to Kapiti Cycle Challenge and start training for the big round the block ride - up the Paekakariki hill, over Haywards, up the "Akas" and down, yes a down hill finish to Waikanae.
