Thanet Sports Network Sports Awards 2009
Held at Margate’s Winter Gardens on Wednesday 11 November, the awards were organised by the Thanet Sports Network, a group of public, private and voluntary sector organisations, who are working together to increase sporting opportunities in Thanet. Awards were handed out in 11 different categories and the guest speaker was Jack Green from Maidstone, who is number four in the world for 400 metres hurdles at under 20 level.
A blind swimmer who competed in this year’s national championships, a pair ranked in the top 10 in the country for dance sport and a woman who helps to support 20 sports team were amongst the winners at the first Thanet Sports Awards.
Award winners:
- Club of the Year - Thanet Swim Club which is currently Thanet’s most successful Swimming club, finishing in the top three in Kent this year and with over 200 members.
- Coach of the Year -Neil Leach, head coach at the Isle of Thanet Boxing Club, who started the club two years ago and has had success this year at county and regional level.
- Disabled Sports Person of the Year - Thomas Rust, who is registered blind, competed in the national championships. He often competes in able bodied events and made the GB paralympic squad, but was unable to finance the costs. He hopes to qualify for London 2012.
- Individual Sporting Achievement - Paul Ayers, who overcame tragic family losses at an early age, and now competes in a range of sports, including Rugby, Athletics and Fencing.
- Long Service Award - John Websper, who helped create the Thanet Indoor Cricket League in 1976 and secure the indoor Cricket facility at the Marlowe Academy, then the Conyngham School.
- Team of the Year - Ian Sharpe and Victoria Lawrence, who compete as a pair in Dance Sport, and are ranked top 10 in England for both ballroom and Latin dancing and regularly compete in national competitions having come 2nd in the European Championships.
- Unsung Hero - Maureen Fiander, who helped to form Hugin Vikings FC in 1995 and works behind the scenes to support all 20 teams at the club.
- Young Sportsperson of the Year - Charlotte Davis, who swims for Thanet Swim Club, is Kent champion in two events and gained a silver medal for Kent in an international competition.
- Young Team of the Year - Hugin Vikings FC U15 Girls, the only girls team in Thanet to be playing in the Kent Girls and Ladies league and league and cup winners last season.
- Sportswoman of the Year - Kara Gibbs, who won the pole vault at
the Kent Indoor championships and then took bronze at the South
East of England championships. She is ranked 17th for pole vault
in the UK for her age group.
adies league and league and cup winners last season. - Sportsman of the Year - James Goodbun, who competes at national level in Golf Croquet. He finished fifth in an international U21 tournament in Cairo.
Martyn Cassell, Chair of the Thanet Sport Network, said: “These awards allow us to celebrate some of the great achievements that have been made in sport in Thanet over the last year. You just need to look at this year’s winners to see how much variety we’ve got in the area in terms of sporting opportunities and also the high number of talented performers. Hopefully these awards will act as further encouragement for all people in Thanet to get involved in sport whether it be playing, coaching or volunteering behind the scenes.”
