Gippstar Awards News

Tom Siinmaa and his father Greg, also a Gippstar nominee

Top performances in two World Championship events earned BMX racer Tom Siinmaa the Gippstar Senior Award for 2010.

The Junior Gippstar Award was shared between two talented young sportswomen, basketballer Alex Sheedy and lawn bowler Lisa Phillips.

For all three Gippstar champions the Awards recognise their ventures and achievements in national and international sport.

Tom’s World Championship results were a fourth place in the 17 to 24 year Men's category and a sixth in the 17 to 24 year cruiser class. He has since secured a Victorian title and further top class results in a number of national events.

Tom's father, Greg, an active over-50s BMX racer, was also a contender for the Gippstar Award.

The two co-winners of the Junior Gippstar Awards share a great deal in common. Basketballer Alex Sheedy and lawn bowler Lisa Phillips, who are both 17, have recently been selected into national teams to represent Australia.

Alex has advanced her basketball career since she commenced training with the WNBL side, Dandenong Rangers, two years ago.

Last year Alex Sheedy won a regular place in the Dandenong Rangers team. She was also selected, into the Victorian under-20 side which were runners-up at the Australian Championships. More recently Alex has been given a place in the Australian Gems under-19 team, playing against the Thailand and Malaysia, with further international tournaments scheduled.

Lisa Phillip's outstanding bowling has won her selection for the Australian Youth Commonwealth Games Squad for next year’s Games in the Isle of Man. The Games place follows from her successful representation of Australia in the Trans Tasman Test against New Zealand. Lisa was one of the most successful players, winning all her singles matches in the series.

The Gippstar Awards also acknowledged a number of individuals who had made significant contributions to their sports. John Bryant (motor sports), Cyril Metcalf (football), Jenny Mills (netball) and Howard Williams (volleyball) were all recipients of the Gippstar Special Achiever Awards.

In another tied Award the Lakes Entrance senior women's surf boat team and Maffra Fire Brigade Juniors shared the Teams Award.

The Surf boat team had won the World Masters Games 160-years women's title (based on the crew's combined ages). They also finished fourth in the Australian titles against much younger competitors. Crew members are Carmel Henderson, Derena Carroll, Pip Timms, and Denise Terjersen with Ron Stott as their sweep.

The fire brigade team have had an outstanding year, travelling to several state or interstate championships and consistently achieved top places.

Runners feature in June Gippstars, 5 July 2010

International-level distance runners were the winners of the June Gippstar Awards.

Stony Creek runner Kaila McKnight, has begun a European tour with the hope of impressing selectors for her inclusion in the Commonwealth Games team for India.

Sam Quirk leading a group of runners at the
World Championships

Kaila is already the Australian 1500-metre champion but at the time she had not achieved an "A" qualifying time.

Arriving in France, Kaila has quickly found her form with two race wins, one being inside the Commonwealth standard. Kaila can now reasonably expect to be included in the team.

Sam Quirk from Mirboo North has had a solid year of results in Athletics Victoria road and track competitions with a string of medals, awards and team selections. He takes out the Junior Award

The highlight of Sam's year was his selection in the World Schools Cross Country, held in Slovakia. In a field which included many strong European runners, Sam finished 11th. A strong performance by the Australian team saw them finish in third place with Sam and other team members awarded a bronze medal for their result.

Young women champions win May Gippstars, 4 June 2010

Two promising young Gippsland sportswomen have been announced as winners of the May Gippstar sports awards.

Phillip Island surfer Nikki van Dijk had won the Girls National title in the 16 and under age group at the Rip Curl Grom Search Finals. A regular on the Rip Curl Pro circuit, Nikki has also competed internationally.

Most recently Nikki was runner-up in the under-18 Australian Championships and a competitor at the Oakley Trials in Sydney, where she was eliminated by World Champion Stephanie Gilmour.

Nikki’s surfing career has been a work in progress for more than 5 years when she was already a promising young surfer. Nikki was won the May Junior Gippstar Award.

The Senior Gippstar was won by Meagan Boast from Won Wron, who is a clay target shooter with the Morwell Gun Club.

Meagan recently finished second in the ladies National Champion of Champions title. Earlier in the year she had also been runner up in the same event in New Zealand where she also achieved placings in other major championships.

At Australian team selection trials Meagan also secured places in both the Australian open and juniors teams.

Gippstars shining even more brightly, 4 May 2010

Alex Sheedy and Charlotte McShane are former Gippstar Award month winners, and both have been announced April winners. Alex won the Junior Award and Charlotte the Senior.

Alex is a Moe basketballer who, two years ago, at age 15, came to the attention of the Australian Gems under-19 selectors and was invited to join their training squad. She was also training with the Dandenong Rangers WNBL team at the time.

Under the guidance of coaches from both squads Alex has progressed and was a member of the Victorian under-20 women's team which won a silver medal at the Australian titles in February.

Alex has since been offered an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship in Canberra with a place in the Gems team. She looks forward to the Gems’ forthcoming contest against New Zealand for a place in next year’s under-19 World Championships.

Charlotte McShane, now 19, has also packed a lifetime of intensive training and achievement into a short time span. After a successful run of triathlon results Charlotte turned professional a year ago and has continued to be one of the consistent top finishers in her events.

Charlotte’s most recent result was a top ten placing in the Oceania Championships in Wellington, New Zealand.

She is about to head for Europe to compete in a World Cup Triathlon event in Scotland. She will follow up with another four months of European competition from training bases in France and Spain.

Outstanding female champions win March Gippstars, 24 March 2010

Two of Gippsland's most promising young women sports champions have been announced as winners of the March Gippstar Awards.

Swimmer Stephanie Morgan and lawn bowler Lisa Phillips have been announced as respective Senior and Junior Gippstar winners. Both are now established as champions of growing stature at state and national levels.

Stephanie Morgan with World record holder, Christian Sprenger, and Lisa Phillips in NSW last year

Stephanie started this year in impressive style with wins in Victorian 100 and 200-metre 17/18-year butterfly events and has since followed up with a second place in the 50-metre butterfly sprint title.

Stephanie's current good form follows her successes last year when she was selected by Swimming Victoria into their Target 2012 Swimming Squad.

As a Victorian team member Stephanie competed in the Queensland short course championships last September and won a silver medal in the 200-metres butterfly.

Lisa Phillips, at 17, is an outstanding lawn bowler whose career achievements are growing year by year.

Lisa recently represented Australia in the under-18 Junior Trans Tasman Series against New Zealand in Auckland. She won all of her singles games in each of the three tests.

Recently selected in the Australian squad for the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games, Lisa has now affirmed herself as one of our region's most promising young champions.

Four January and February Gippstar winners announced, 22 February 2010

Swimming, tennis and motor sports competitors have been announced as winners of the Gippstar Awards for January and February.

Brett Hayward won the January Senior Award after his win in last year's Australian Hill Climb Championship at the Bryant Park track near Moe.

James Petch's successful 2009 car pictured here in 2010 trim.

Georgia Tsebelis, Victorian 12 years champion.

Hayward's win followed up a previous success in the Victorian Championship. His results were all the more outstanding as Hayward drove a car which he had designed and built himself.

James Petch was the other motor sports winner after taking out the Victorian speedway super sedan championship last year.

Petch recently won speedway's Victorian Driver of the Year Award which compares drivers from all categories of speedway racing.

Petch's consistent season with podium finishes at all meetings clinched him the award. Petch is the Senior Gippstar winner for February.

Georgia Tsebelis won the Gippstar Junior Award for January after a year of exceptional swimming performances in the 12-year age group. She capped off the 2009 year by winning the best swimmer award for her age group at the Victorian Championships in December.

Georgia then won a best swimmer award again, at the Country Championships in January, this time in the 13-year age group.

The February Junior Gippstar Award winner was 13-year old tennis player, Alastair Salerno.

Alastair was a member of the regional team which won the John Fitzgerald Cup late last year where his performances clinched selection to represent Victoria in the Foundation Cup, held during last month's Medibank International Tournament in Sydney.

Sports stars win overseas recognition, 21 December 2009

Port Welshpool weightlifter Adam Kok and Churchill soccer player Stephen Maselli have a lot in common. Both of them are seriously dedicated to their sports and have now achieved recognition at an international level.

Nineteen year old Kok, and Maselli, 18, have also been respectively named as senior and junior Gippstar winners for December.

Back in September Kok, lifting in the 105 kg class, won his third consecutive Australian weightlifting title. Earlier this month he was invited to compete in the South Pacific Championships in New Caledonia, his first overseas trip.

Kok is now on the list for selection to a spot in next year's Commonwealth Games.

Maselli has been a key player in Churchill United's senior team and he took an opportunity to train and play with the Genova International Soccer School in Italy during the year. On-field performances resulted in Maselli being signed to Vicenza Calcio for the Seria B second level Italian league.

Maselli hopes his first appearance with Vicenza will be in a major tournament being held in February.

Other contenders for the Awards were
Senior: Charlotte McShane (triathlon) Jenny Float (netball), Jenny Bland (netball), Daniel Milner (motor cycle racing), Rob Zwierlein (triathlon), Mandy Hanratty (basketball).
Junior: Angela Byrne (athletics), Jacqueline Vogt (soccer), Patrick Ryan (weight lifting), Kelly Laity (surfing), Lisa Phillips (lawn bowls), Sam Martin (BMX), Bowen Gough (swimming), Lisa Browning (show jumping).

November Gippstars for archery and volleyball hotshots, 11 December 2009

Two Gippsland sports stars who had competed at an international level have been announced as winners of the November Gippstar Awards.

Peter Bennett won the Senior Award as a result of two fine archery performances at the World Masters Games in Sydney.

Peter started off with a second place in the field event and followed this three days later with a win in the clout. He was delighted with the results as he had to strong contingent of overseas competitors each time.

Peter is one of the state's top archers and was Victoria's team captain at the national championships in March.

The Junior winner was Eliza Smith, the Lakes Entrance volleyball player who recently was selected to play for the Australian Junior Team in a series against New Zealand.

Last year Eliza was selected to play in the Australian Youth Team - a younger age division - and toured New Zealand. Now moving up to the Junior Team, Eliza is one of the youngest in the squad.

During the series one of the matches was played Gippsland and Eliza had the honour of wearing the green and gold in front of friends while Australia triumphed over New Zealand.

Other contenders for the Awards were
Junior: Bryce Woszczeiko (ten pin bowling).

Up-and-coming champions win October Awards, 27 October 2009

Stephen McShane was selected as the Junior Gippstar Award winner for October after his outstanding performance at the World Mountain Running Championships.

The race was held at Campodolcino, a high altitude ski resort in the Italian Alps and Stephen competed in the under 20 age group.

The two-lap 8.7-kilomtre course was so tough that most runners were reduced to a hands-on-knees walk on the steep sections. Stephen finished 28th outright and was the second of the four Australian team members.

Stephen, 16, was one of the youngest competitors. With 3 more years in the under-20 event he has the potential to further improve his mountain running performances.

Earlier in the year Stephen had won a Victorian triathlon title and has also represented Victoria in cross country and athletics events.

The Senior Gippstar winner was Samantha Crawford as a result of her taking out national and Victorian indoor archery titles.

Samantha has been with the Twin City Archers Club at Morwell for two years and shoots in the recurve barebow category.

Despite being a relative newcomer to the sport, Samantha has a formidable record and is undefeated in her event at any level of competition.

Other contenders for the Awards were
Senior: Merv Grinstead (archery) Daniel Arbuthnot (power lifting), Alex Hawkins (power lifting).
Junior: Stephanie Morgan (swimming), Bryce Woszczeiko (ten pin bowling), Annie Pepper (swimming), Georgia Tsebelis (swimming), Fischer Richardson (snow boarding), Wilding Richardson (snow boarding), Harry O'Reilly (soccer), Sam Quirk (athletics), Matt Moffatt (bocce), Hannah Kaser (basketball), Matt Ling (archery).

Awards for international achievers, 2 October 2009

International performances by Kathryn Ewels and Taylah Somerville won them Gippstar Awards for September.

Kathryn was a member of the Australian team at the World Orienteering Championships in Hungary last month. She competed in the sprint race, which covered approximately 4-kilometres distance. Kathryn finished fifth and was first Australian home. Her placing gave her a podium finish.

Kathryn has achieved outstanding results over the last year in a variety of running events and was recently crowned as Gippstar Senior Award winner for 2008-09. Winning the September Senior Award now puts Kathryn in the running for next year's 2009-10 Award.

Taylah was selected for the Junior Award. She won a Victorian archery title in the under 14 girls compound class in March and has followed up recently with a second place in the World Indoor Archery Challenge. Taylah regularly shoots at Morwell where she is regarded as an extremely talented young archer.

August Awards for returning champions, 25 September 2009

Former Gippstar Award winners Jeremy Meyer and Greg Siinmaa again claimed the spotlight by winning the August Junior and Senior Gippstar Awards.

Jeremy achieved a fine third place in the Australian Short Course Swimming Championships in Hobart in the 200-metre breaststroke final. He took 6 seconds off his previous best with an internationally competitive time. Jeremy's recent performances have also secured him a place at the Australian Institute of Sport next year.

Greg previously won an Award for winning a masters age Australian BMX title. Most recently he achieved a 7th place at this year's World Championships in the 45+ age group. Between the two events Greg had spent some time out of training due to injury, but his recent performance shows a great return to form. Greg is now in training for next year's World titles in South Africa.

Awards for two young bike champions, 24 August 2009

Shannon McCurley won the July Junior Gippstar Award after being announced as Victorian Female Track Cyclist of the year.

Two cycle champions: Tom Siinmaa, BMX, and Shannon McCurley, road and track

Shannon had been an outstanding performer over the last year in open and under-age events, with places in four events at the Victorian track titles earlier in the year.

Shannon, 17, has continued her top level performances during the winter season with recent wins in the Victorian Masters Series in both the individual time trial and road race events.

Tom Siinmaa's fourth place in the World BMX Games in Adelaide earned him the Senior Gippstar Award. Tom had previously won an Australian title in the 17 - 24-year age group.

Tom, just 19, again competed in the 17 - 24 age group. He also won a 6th place in the cruiser class.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Senior: Greg Siinmaa (BMX)
Junior: Lani Murdoch (soccer).

Gippstar Annual Awards for Jeremy Meyer and Kathryn Ewels, 23 July 2009

Jeremy Meyer winning the 200-m breaststroke, Aust Age titles, 2009.
Photo by Delly Carr / Sportshoot.

Jeremy Meyer won the Junior Gippstar Award for the second year running following an extraordinary year of swimming achievements. Jeremy's results included Victorian and Australian titles and 8 Victorian age records.

Jeremy has also been a member of several Australian teams which included competitions in the USA last month. Jeremy's successes have been mainly in breaststroke events but he is also very strong in the individual medley.

The Senior Award was won by Kathryn Ewels after a season of athletic achievements across several events. Kathryn is the current Australian Orienteering Sprint Champion and was selected to represent Australia at the World Championships for her fourth year.

She has extended her tough terrain running to mountain running, in which she is the current Victorian champion and, again, a member of an Australian team for World Championships. Kathryn is also a successful distance runner and recently won the Victorian 15-kilometre championship.

Traralgon Bowling Club Ladies won the Gippstar Teams Award for their win in the Victorian Team Championship. The event required three groups of fours and the Traralgon Ladies won several elimination rounds at local and regional levels in order to make the finals. Approximately 600 clubs were involved.

The Gippstar Awards also acknowledged five special achievers: Robyn Walker, golf; Brian Ford, swimming; Rod Lucas, football; Brad Spunner, gymnastics; John White, cricket. All of the Special Achiever Award winners have shown a sustained dedication to outstanding service to their sport.

The Gippstar winners were announced last night at the annual award presentations where the monthly senior and junior winners also received their awards.

Left, Senior month winners: Kathryn Ewels, Alan Fraser, Avril Gill, Craig Huffer, Charlotte McShane, Rob Zwierlein, Keith Ferguson.
Right, Junior month winners: Meagan Boast, Jarryd Blair, Mia Ross, Harrison Savage, Reanna Matthews, Jeremy Meyer, Lisa Phillips, Luke O'Dea.

Kathleen and Merv win June Gippstar Awards, 22 July 2009

The June Gippstar winners have been announced with a seasoned champion and a promising new one being announced.

The junior winner was Kathleen Gannon who was selected to represent Victoria in level 8 gymnastics Australian championships. Kathleen has had a steady rise through the ranks and now, at 17, is one of the state's most promising young competitors.

Merv Grinstead has again made the Gippstar list after another successful performance in the national championships. He won three gold medals at the titles, and secured three records as well. Merv had already won another three medals in the masters competition a month earlier.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Senior: Camm McKinnon (jet ski), Rhyss Palmer (basketball), Michael Semmens (polocrosse), Emmanuelle Todd (judo).
Junior: Stephanie Treloar (badminton), Jack Burgess (badminton).

National champions win Gippstar awards, 26 May 2009

The May Gippstar Awards have been announced with the winners being two outstanding young Gippsland champions.

The Senior winner was Tom Siinmaa who won the Australian BMX championship in Perth. Tom follows in the footsteps of his father, Greg, who was an Australian senior age champion two years ago and also won a Gippstar Award.

Tom had trained intensively over the last 6 months before his win and is now hopeful of a good performance at the World Championships in Adelaide in July.

The other national winner was clay shooter Megan Boast, but her success was in the recent New Zealand Championships. Megan won three New Zealand titles including the Ladies Champion of Champions.

Megan, then just 15, won her selection to tour New Zealand after a second place at the Australian titles. She was also selected into the National Junior Training Squad.

Gippstar chairman Andrew Walker said he was delighted to announce the winners. "Gippsland has a fantastic history of sporting champions," he said, "and they represent a wide variety of sports."

"Megan and Tom are outstanding young champions who stand on the shoulders of previous greats who provided inspiration for them."

Mr Walker said that both Award winners had also demonstrated the champion's art of hitting top form for important events.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Senior: Alison Caldwell (lawn bowls), Adam Curwood (netball), Rod Barbas (body building)
Junior: Shannon McCurley (cycling), Chase Lurati (yachting), Darcy Boyd Porter (polo), Hayden Stead (athletics)

Sports Internationals win Gippstar awards, 8 May 2009

Two young Gippsland champions who recently commenced international careers have won last month's Gippstar Awards.

Luke O'Dea was the Junior Award winner following his selection in an Australian soccer team for the under-age Montaigu Tournament in France. Luke's selection arose because he is a scholarship holder with the Victorian Institute of Sport and had played in an international competition in Singapore late last year.

In France O'Dea played against some of Europe's top junior sides. Australia was in the same pool as host nation France, and also the eventual tournament runners-up, Germany. England won the competition.

The Senior Award winner was Craig Huffer, who is one of a promising group of young Australian middle-distance runners.

Huffer, 19, finished third in the Australian Open 1500-metres Championship. He had recently returned from an international mile race in New Zealand and, 9 months ago, was an Australian representative at the World Junior titles in Poland.

During April Huffer commenced a tour of the USA. He has been scheduled to compete in a series of major competitions across four states.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Senior: Peter Bennett (archery)
Junior: Lauren Grant (athletics), Daniel Jackson (athletics).

Brilliant Gippsland sportswomen win awards, 26 March 2009

Two brilliant young Gippsland sportswomen have been announced as winners of the March Gippstar Awards

Lawn bowler Lisa Phillips was awarded the Junior Gippstar prize after her win in the Australian under 18 Australian Singles Championship last month.

Lisa, still only 15, has already marked herself as one of Victoria's most promising young bowlers with regular appearances in State junior teams. She also won the Victorian under 25 Singles Championship last October against much more experienced players.

After her win Lisa has been invited to participate in the Australian Squad Draft Camp where she will be under the eye of national selectors.

The Senior winner was Charlotte McShane who, though still only 18, was the 12th woman home in the international Ironman Triathlon at Geelong last month. Charlotte's was easily the best performance for an under-21 woman and just 8 minutes outside of a top five placing. Charlotte complete the event in 4 hrs 31 minutes.

The Geelong triathlon was Charlotte's first as a professional competitor. Her professional decision follows an extremely successful year in 2008 when Charlotte won the World under 20 Xterra Triathlon Championship. The Xterra triathlon format replaces road cycling and running with mountain bike racing and trail running.

Charlotte also won Australian under 20 championships last year in long distance and xterra triathlons last year.

Gippstar chairman Andrew Walker said he was delighted to announce the winners. "Lisa and Charlotte have made extraordinary achievements and both have potential for continuing progress," he said.

"They have achieved so much at relatively early ages and we will follow their careers with great interest and enthusiasm."

Mr Walker said that both had been previous Gippstar Award winners last year and that they had shown great dedication to their sports.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Senior: Matt Zenner (boxing)
Junior: Georgia Tsebelis (swimming).

Five star winners in January and February Gippstar Awards, 26 February 2009

Five sports stars have just been announced as Gippstar Award winners for January and February. They are Avril Gill (karate), Harrison Savage and Reanna Matthews (golf), Brad Knowles (cricket) and Jeremy Saunders (swimming).

Promising young golfers Harrison Savage and Reanna Matthews were joint winners of the January Junior Gippstar Award.

Reanna has been extraordinarily successful over the last three months. She was runner-up in the Victorian Junior U16 Girls Championship, won the Murray River Masters Junior Girls 72 hole Championship, and won the Victorian Junior Summer Competition for Girls.

Reanna is in the Victorian Junior Training Squad from which a State Team will shortly be chosen. Reanna's recent performances will have strengthened her claim to a place in the team.

Late last year Harrison had played well in Victorian and Queensland Junior Championships but over summer he has lifted his game to a new level. During January Harrison finished second in the Stuart Appleby Signature Tournament, then clinched the Huntingdale Junior Championship and the Patterson Lakes Open Junior Tournament as well.

Avril Gill won the Senior January Award after her second place in the World Kyokushin Karate Championships in Isesaki, Japan, late last year. Competing in the female middleweight class, Avril faced serious opposition from professional Russian fighters who were favourites for the title.

However Avril's toughest bout was the final where she was defeated by fellow Australian Shannyn Johnstone. Despite the runner-up trophy, Avril has leapt to no 2 in world rankings, and established herself as one to beat in next year's World Cup in Spain.

Jeremy Saunders won the February Junior Award for his swimming performances at the recent Victorian Championships. He won two individual events and also had a second and a third place.

Jeremy competed in a total of 10 events over three day championships, making the finals of them all, and scored valuable points for his Traralgon club. He also won the Age Championship Award as best 17-18 year male swimmer.

Cricketer Brad Knowles won the February senior Gippstar Award. Brad had previously been dropped by the Victorian Bushrangers after a knee reconstruction four years ago. Now playing in top form in Victoria's Premier League, the fast bowler has attracted the interest of Western Australian selectors.

Brad was invited to try out in a Western Australian Second XI side against Queensland in early February. His convincing 7 wicket haul in that match won Brad a spot in the Western Warriors side for the remaining one day Ford Ranger Cup matches.

Young Champions win December Gippstars, 22 December 2008

There are many things that Danielle Stott and Geoffrey Drakeford have in common.

Neither are strangers to international competition and they both know what it's like to front up to the world's best on foreign soil. And Danielle and Geoffrey both live and train in Gippsland.

Geoffrey Drakeford has won the Gippstar Junior Award for his selection and performances as a member of the Australian Junior Golf Team. In his two team events Geoffrey finished 35th in the Chinese Amateur Open Championship and followed up with a 20th in the Aaron Baddeley International Junior Championship. In the Baddeley, effectively the World championship, 17-year old Geoffrey played against the best juniors from some 20 different countries.

The Senior Award winner, Danielle Stott, has been overseas before. She commenced her international volleyball career 4 years ago when selected to play in a junior side against New Zealand.

Still only 19, Danielle has most recently been selected to the Australian senior women's team to play in Thailand and Vietnam.

In the intervening years Danielle has been a regular in international junior teams and must now be regarded as one of Australia's most promising young players.

International competitors win November Gippstar Awards, 16 December 2008

The November GippStar Awards were won by two athletes who achieved outstanding results in international competitions.

Mick Mayer from Yinnar and District Judo Club won the Junior Award after an outstanding result in the Victorian International Open Age Championships. Mick finished the competition rounds with a silver medal against international and top Australian opposition.

The Senior award was won by Rob Zwierlein for his age group win at the Hawaiian Ironman World Championship triathlon. Rob won the 45-49 year section. He was a previous monthly winner in April this year after outstanding qualifying performances at the West Australian and Geelong Ironman events.

The Ironman competition is an extended triathlon which usually comprises a swim of 3.8 kilometres, a cycle of 180 km, and finishes with a run over the marathon distance of 42 km. Zwielein finished the event in 9 hours 33 minutes.

Three champions win October Gippstar Awards, 27 October 2008

Three champions across three very sports were Gippstar winners for the month of October. Kathryn Ewels (orienteering), Jarryd Blair (AFL football) and Jeremy Meyer (swimming) all have had great seasons which culminated in outstanding recent results.

Kathryn Ewels won the Australian Orienteering Sprint Championship and finished second in the Long Distance title. Her performances have secured her the October Senior Gippstar Award.

The Sprint was a 3.3 kilometre race in which rough surface running and navigation skills were critical to the result. Despite facing a strong field, Kathryn's technical mastery resulted in a 25 second winning margin.

Kathryn was also an Australian representative at the World Orienteering Championships in July. Since returning, Kathryn has had success in a number of running events, including a win in the Victorian Mountain Running Championships.

As vice captain of Gippsland Power, Jarryd has enjoyed an outstanding season of AFL football. A key mid-field player, Jarryd's great season resulted in him being a co-winner of the TAC Cup's Morrish Medal for best and fairest player. Jarryd was also honoured with a place in the TAC Cup Team of the Year.

Jeremy Meyer returned from the World Junior Championships in July and has continued to improve his swimming performances. He recently won the Victorian 17 years short course 100 and 200 metre breaststroke events with a Victorian record for the 200 metres.

Two weeks later Jeremy finished fourth and fifth in the Australian Championship, but again improved his 200 metre record to 2 min 13.62 sec. Jeremy has also been named in the squad for the Junior Pan-Pacific Championships in Guam in January.

In July Jeremy was the 2008 Gippstar Junior winner for outstanding performances during the preceding 12 months. He is now in contention for the 2009 annual Award.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Senior: Kahlia Hillbrich (hockey).
Junior: Meg Cameron (boxing).

Skeet shooting & cross country champions win September Gippstars, 26 September 2008

Defeating Australia's Olympic representatives prior to their departure for Beijing earned skeet shooter Keith Ferguson the September Senior Gippstar Award.

Keith's win was in the Australia Cup which was held in Darwin as part of the shooters' Olympic preparation program. Keith won the Cup and confirmed his status as one of Australia's best skeet shooters.

Keith had been considered for Olympic selection but had not competed in enough events last year. He now has his sights set on next year's World Championships and the prospect of Commonwealth and Olympic Games selection after that.

The Junior Award winner is Mia Ross who won the Australian U14 1500 metre Cross Country title in Geelong late last month. Mia also competed in the 3km race where, as a member of the winning Victorian team, she won a second gold medal. Both events were conducted on the same day.

Mia's talent has been recognised by Athletics Victoria and the Victorian Institute of Sport, with her selection into their AVIS squad, a training squad for talented track and field athletes.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Senior: Kathryn Ewels (orienteering), Avril Gill (karate).
Junior: Aoife Coughlan (judo), Zulaikha de Souza (karate).

Squash and rifle shooting champions win August Gippstar Awards, 21 August 2008

Alan Fraser's extraordinary win in the F-Class Open Target Shooting National Championship in Brisbane secured him the Senior Gippstar Award for August.

The championship was held over three days, but due to equipment problems Fraser was in last place at the end of the first days. However, in the following days with shooting over longer ranges, Fraser was able to take the lead.

Fraser's win was all the more remarkable because F-Class uses low-powered ammunition which was badly affected by the windy conditions. In overcoming his difficulties Fraser has stamped himself as a great rifle champion. His Australian title also follows recent wins in both the Victorian and South Australian F-Class Championships.

Bradley Soutar, at age 17, has established himself as one of Australia's most promising young squash players and a worthy winner of the Junior Award. He recently represented Australia in the World Junior Championships after spending a month training and preparing with some of Europe's best coaches and players.

Bradley represented Australia in the Championships, while his extended stay was organised by former World Champion, Sarah Fitz-Gerald, who is a great mentor and supporter of our best young squash talents.

Bradley is the current Victorian under 19 champion and holds a training scholarship with the Victorian Institute of Sport and was previously with the Gippsland Sports Academy.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Senior: Kathryn Ewels (orienteering), Scott McEwan (boxing), Amie Milkins (aerial skiing).
Junior: Zulaikha de Souza (karate), Josh Ferguson (boxing), Jeremy Meyer (swimming, Brodie Watts (volleyball).

Annual Gippstar Honours Awarded, 1 August 2008

At Wednesday night's Gippstar awards the region's best sporting achievers were honoured.

Jeremy Meyer (right) speaking at the presentations

Jeremy Meyer won the Junior Gippstar or the Year Award. He was nominated in July last year, after his breaststroke performances as a member of the Australian junior team in the Trans Tasman series. Jeremy had scored several wins and placings.

Jeremy has continued to achieve wonderful milestones of success throughout the year. For the second time he won the Australian 16 years 100 metres breaststroke title. Jeremy was then selected into the Australian team to swim at the World Junior Championships at Mexico, in July 2008. His best result was an eighth place in the 200 metres final.

Jeremy has also won several state titles and Swimming Victoria has recently awarded him the Alan Blue Memorial Trophy, for best country swimmer, and the Herald Sun News Pictorial Award for the highest ranked 18-and-under. Both awards are based on the International Point Score Ranking.

Will Tomlinson was the annual Senior Award winner. Will was also nominated in July 2007. As an amateur, boxing in the 62kg class, Will has had a rapid rise to success. He won the Victorian, Australian and Oceania boxing titles in close succession and he has also defeated the Asian Champion.

Will undertook a great deal of his preparation in Sydney and his commitment to boxing has lead Will to the recent decision to move there. Will has also turned professional and he believes that, at his Blacktown base, he will have access to facilities and support that will best serve his future progress.

The Team of the Year Award was won by Gippsland Grammar's Coxed Rowing Team. The team finished 6th in last year's Australian Schools Championship, an event which provided inspiration for the team to do better. This year, despite some changes in their line-up, Gippsland Grammar won the title.

Most of the team's members are in year 12 which means that they face heavy academic commitments. Despite this, the team has been dedicated to their goals and undertook a demanding schedule of training, travelling and competition necessary to achieve success.

The evening commenced with presentations to the monthly winners from July 2007 through to this June. Most have achieved impressive outcomes since their original award nomination and we are likely to hear more of them in the future.

Also at the awards evening several Panel members and long-time supporters of Gippsland sport were inducted into the Gippstar Hall of Fame. They were Maureen Beha, Carolyne Boothman, David Drane, Kevin Hogan and Terry Hunter.

Olympian heads Gippstar list, 24 July 2008

Daniel McConnell's Olympic selection secured him the July Gippstar Senior Award.

Daniel, 22, from Bruthen, was recently selected in the Australian Cycling squad's only place for the men's mountain bike event. His selection was announced after Daniel's 32nd placing in the recent World Championships.

Daniel is currently completing a high-intensity training and acclimatisation program in Melbourne with the Victorian Institute of Sport. He will depart soon to an Australian team training camp in Italy before flying on to Beijing.

The Junior Award winner was Sam Scammell from Traralgon. Sam recently won gold medals in the parallel bars and floor events at the Victorian Championships. Sam was also a finalist in three other events.

Sam now competes at level 8, progressing from level 7 last year at which he represent Australia, in Brisbane, against a New Zealand team. Sam also won the award in August last year.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Junior: Ben Quirk (athletics), Gemma Skeen (basketball). Daniel Gelcic (swimming)

June Gippstar Awards to national level athletes, 2 July 2008

Two national standard champions have been announced as winners of the June Gippstar Awards. They are Yallourn junior basketball player Alex Sheedy and Morwell masters archer Merv Grinstead.

Alex, at 15 years of age has been selected in the Gems Training Squad, the national U19 girls' squad. Her selection is likely to lead to a place in a future World Championship side.

Alex trains with the Gems at the Australian Institute of Sport four times a year. she is also a part-time member of the Dandenong Rangers WNBL squad.

Merv had outstanding results at the Australian Championships when he won 3 events. His overall results gave Merv sufficient points to win Masters and veterans championships as well.

Merv has also won a number of Victorian championships this year, his most recent being the Victorian Clout event in early June.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Senior: Kathryn Ewels (athletics), Rachael Pye (archery).
Junior: Ben Quirk (athletics), Jacquelin Voght (soccer).

Outstanding young achievers tie for May Gippstar Awards, 6 June 2008

The Junior Award was a tie between two promising young athletes, Renee Cook and Jordan Wyatt. Renee, a netball player from Bunyip, and Jordan, a Drouin cricketer, were announced as joint winners.

Renee was selected in the Victorian squad for the Australian under 17 Championships in which Victoria defeated New South Wales. Renee was a leading player in the tournament and was subsequently selected to the Australian squad. She will commence a squad training program at the Australian Institute of Sport next month.

Jordan, an accomplished batsman, was also was selected in a Victorian squad. Victoria finished second at the National Championships for under 15s, with Jordan being the top run-maker. Jordan was then selected for the Australian under 16 team which will tour the West Indies in November.

Craig Huffer was the Senior Gippstar winner. Craig, from Newry, has had a solid summer athletics season and is now Australia's top-ranked under 20 1500 metre runner and second in the 800 metres.

Craig's performances have won him medals at both the Victorian and Australian Championships, and a Victorian Country record (3min 43.9 for 1500 metres). More recently, he has been selected to the World Junior Championships in both distances. The championships will be held in Poland next month.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Senior: Kathryn Ewels (orienteering), Chris Hollis (off-road bike racing).
Junior: Ben Barrett (downhill mountain biking), Matthew Moffatt (bocce).

Shooter and Triathlete win April Gippstar Awards, 9 May 2008

The Gippstar Junior Award winner was Christian Boyle from Maffra. Christian won three junior gold medals at the recent Australian Championships in Brisbane. Christian's wins were in the 25 metre rapid fire, 25 metre sport pistol, and 25 metre standard pistol events. He also finished second in the 10 metre air pistol event.

Rob Zwierlein won the Gippstar Senior Award after qualifying for the World Championships in Hawaii later in the year. Rob has had top performances in the recent Western Australian and Geelong Ironman events. Rob achieved the qualification standard both times.

The Ironman competition is an extended triathlon which usually comprises a swim of 3.8 kilometres, a cycle of 180 km, and finishes with a run over the marathon distance of 42 km.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Senior: Kimberley Stewart (life saving).
Junior: Sophie Bechaz (water skiing), Jerome Bechaz (water skiing), Madeline Fraser (equestrian), Chrissy James (life saving), Ben Lappin (aerobatic flying), Stephen O'Brien (basketball).

Outstanding young athletes win March awards, 20 March 2008

Triathlete Charlotte McShane won the March Senior Gippstar Award after an outstanding performance in the Australian Long Distance Championships at Jervis Bay in February where she won the under 20s female title.

Charlotte competed against top Australian and overseas professionals, all much more experienced, and finished 5th female overall. She covered the 2 km swim, 83 km cycle and 20 km run in just 4 hours 17 min, despite hot conditions.

Subsequent to her award nomination Charlotte has also won the Victorian U20 Olympic Distance Championship.

The Gippstar Junior Award winner was high jumper Cameron Hughes, who won the Victorian U18 championship. Cameron's winning jump was 2.00 metres, a personal improvement of 5 cm.

Cameron convincingly won the Championship, well clear of second the place-getter who cleared 1.90 metres.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Senior: Rob Zwielein (triathlon), Craig Huffer (athletics), Tyron Proctor (motor cycle speedway).
Junior: Luke O'Dea (soccer), Jordan Watt (cricket), Sarah Crowe (swimming).

Four winners announced for January and February, 15 February 2008

Four Gippstar winners have been announced for January and February with Gippsland's highest sports achievers coming from four very different sports.

The January Award winners were Jeremy Saunders (swimming, junior award) and Greg Siinmaa (BMX racing, senior), and for February it was Lisa Phillips (lawn bowls, junior) and Murray French (tennis, senior).

Jeremy Saunders had extremely successful results at the Victorian Championships with wins in the 17-18 age group's 100 and 200 metres breaststroke, and 200 metres individual medley. Jeremy also placed in two other events, and he won an award as top swimmer in his age group.

Greg Siinmaa recently won two Victorian titles for BMX racing. Greg competes in the 45-49 age group, and won the 20 Class and Cruiser Class championships. Last year Greg also won an Australian championship and 3 gold medals at the Australian Masters Games.

Lisa Phillips at 14, is one if the youngest recent Gippstar winners. Lisa has recently been selected to represent Victoria in junior lawn bowls test series against three other states. Lisa has been selected as her squad's number one player, contesting the singles matches, and has been highly successful against older and more experienced bowlers.

Murray French captained the Australian team at the Super Seniors World Tennis Tournament. Murray, 66, won bronze in the singles and gold in the doubles. Australia also won the teams event.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Senior: Craig Huffer (athletics)
Junior: James Godding (go karting), Clinton Jee (basketball), Todd Gallagher (gymnastics) Ryan Buttner (athletics), Samantha Wilkins (swimming), Stephanie Treloar (badminton).

Gippstars for top triathelete and shooter, 11 December 2007

Chris Joustra has won the December Gippstar Award following his outstanding result in the World Long Course Triathlon Championships in Lorient , France.

Chris came sixth in the 40-plus age category and was the first Australian to finish. His time was 4 hours 8 mins after a 3 km swim, 80 km cycle, and 20 km run. Competitors from 28 different countries attended.

Chris is from Mirboo North, and also competes in the longer iron man triathlon events, as well as running and cycling races.

The Junior Gippstar winner is clay target shooter, Michelle Parks, who recently won a Victorian senior title. 17 year old Michelle won the Victorian State High Gun title - an open age event - and was the top qualifier for the Victorian Team at next year's Australian tiles.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Senior: Kathryn Ewels (athletics/orienteering), Brad Matheson (motorcross), Josh Ross (motorcross), Peter Linton (football coach), Judy Wembrige (croquet), Andrew Quenault (football coach), Ben Soumilas (football coach), Scott McEwan (athletics).
Junior: Ryan Buttner (athletics), Thomas Davies (soccer), Luke O'Dea (soccer), Edward Sotherington (soccer), Mathew Gauci (soccer), Connor Reddam (soccer), Chris Georgopolous (soccer).

Water sports winners for November Gippstar, 23 November 2007

Water sports provided the winners of November's Gippstar Awards. The Junior Gippstar Award winner is jet ski racer Joel Barry from Traralgon. Joel recently competed against some of the world's best juniors at the IJSBA 2007 World Finals at Lake Havasu, U.S.A.

Competing in the 13-15 age group, Joel has achieved a number 2 world ranking after top performances in the three championship events. Joel assisted the Australian team to an overall third place out of 30 countries competing.

The Senior Gippstar Award winner is sailor Peter Nikitin from Loch Sport. Peter claimed a gold medal in the Masters Games in Adelaide. Peter sailed his 4.8 metre mosquito catamaran, “Bee Alert” in the 54-64 years age group.

Peter has been sailing for 20 years with the Loch Sport Boat Club, where he is currently commodore.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Senior: Kathryn Ewels (athletics/orienteering), Chris Hunt (cycling), Guy Morton (archery), Peter Bennett (archery), Vivienne Bennett (archery), Merv Grinstead (archery), Paul Rowe (body building), Daniel Milford (body building), and Ben Geard (swimming).
Junior: Sophie Vickers (tennis), James Ingram Robertson (netball), Thomas Henry (motocross), Lachlan Findlay (tae kwon do), Adam Curwood (soccer), Jarrad Sergi(lawn bowls), Tom Davies (soccer), Matt Gauci (soccer), Luke O'Dea (soccer), Madelaine Richardson (soccer), Harley Acheson (volleyball), Tom Couling (golf), and Jeremy Meyer (swimming).

Gippstar winners for October, 18 October 2007

Shannon McCurley won the Junior Gippstar Award for October. Shannon, a Traralgon cyclist, achieved great results at the National Junior Cycling Championships in Canberra. She won a gold medal in the criterium, and took 3 bronze medals in the U17 time trial, road race and teams pair trials.

Shannon has the distinction of being the second female cyclist this year to win a Gippstar Award, following Peta Mullens' win last month. Both ladies are also from Traralgon.

Nick Hider from Maffra was the Senior Gippstar Award winner. Nick is a Maffra footballer who plays mid-field. After an outstanding season Nick won the 2007 Trood Award Rodda Medal as the best and fairest in the West Gippsland Latrobe Football League.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Senior: Adrian Burgiel (AFL football), Carmen Weaver (basketball), and Jamie Lee Pearce (basketball).
Junior: Harley Atcheson (volleyball), Geoffrey Drakeford (golf), Harrison Savage (golf), Olivia O'Connor (equestrian), Dan McConnell (mountain biking), Kayleen Gannon (gymnastics), Jackson Hall (AFL football), and Thomas Coulings (golf).

Michael Green and Peta Mullens win September Awards, 13 September 2007

Michael Green from Leongatha won the Junior Gippstar Award for September. Michael competed in the Australian National Race Walking Championships held in Adelaide where he was a silver medallist in the U/14 boys, 2 km event.

Earlier in the year Michael had placed 2 nd in the both 1500m and 2 km Victorian Walking Championships.

The winner of the Senior Gippstar Award for September 2007 was cyclist Peta Mullens from Traralgon. Peta represented Australia in the national team at the female equivalent of the tour De France (Route de France Feminie).

Peta came third overall in the young rider category and had six top finishes out of 9 stages. In Stage 1 Peta lead out for the eventual stage winner and still able to finish sixth in that stage.

Shortly before this Peta had been an Australian team member in the Oceania Road Cycling Championships in China, where she finished third.

Other contenders for the Awards were
Senior: Ben Geard (swimming), Karen Munro (cycling), Chis Hunt (cycling).
Junior: Michael Ross (football), Harrison Savage (golf), Lara Trevorrow (hockey), Tiana Kramer (hockey), Matt Dinsmore (swimming), Jeremy Saunders (swimming), Alex Sheedy (basketball), Jess Benai (taekwondo), Jackson Benai (taekwondo)

Sam Scammell and Ian Hutchins win August Gippstars, 16 August 2007

The winner of the Junior Gippstar Award for August 2007 was gymnast Sam Scammell from Traralgon. Sam was selected in the Australian Level 7 Open Team that competed against New Zealand in the Trans Tasman Challenge, winning gold. Sam also won bronze on floor, 4th on vault, 5th on high bar and 5th place overall in the level seven open section.

The winner of the Senior Gippstar Award was horse trainer Ian Hutchins from Sale. Hutchins took out Maffra's community Sports Club Cup with Sunset Plaza and in doing so, capped off his best season so far. In this racing year, Hutchins has recorded 16 country winners and seven city triumphs, both the most successes he has enjoyed in a single year and the most metropolitan wins. Hutchins has been training at Sale for the past 11 years since the Epsom Training Centre was closed.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Senior: Clinton Johnson (boxing).
Junior: Madalaine Richardson (soccer), Stephanie Tanter (soccer), Alexanra Gummer (soccer) Chloe Poole (soocer), Melissa Backman (gymnastics), Vanessa Bruce ( karate), Thomas Young (AFL).

Jeremy Meyer and Will Tomlinson score July Awards, 26 July 2007

The winner of the Junior Gippstar Award for July 2007 was swimmer Jeremy Meyer from Sale. Jeremy recently competed in the Trans Tasman championships, in which Jeremy has been competing against much older swimmers on a national scale. Jeremy took first place in Sydney on 200m breastroke, first in 100m breastroke, and second in 50m breastroke in an incredible time of 29.93sec. Jeremy is a member of the Gippsland Sports Academy.

The winner of the Senior Gippstar Award was boxer, Will Tomlinson, from Bairnsdale . Will competes in the 63kg Light Welter Weight division, and is the current Victorian Champion, Australian Champion, Oceania Champion and will be Australia's representative in the World Championships in the USA.

Other contenders for the Awards were:
Senior: Sandra Timmer-Arends (athletics), Clinton Johnson (boxing).
Junior: Dale Simpson (baseball), Sophie Bechaz (water skiing), Chelsea Watson (archery), Brigid Davis (gymnastics), Emily Robinson (soccer), Shanii Hotchkins (soccer).

Annual Winners Announced: Hamish Nelson, Jake & Chase Lurati, 19 July 2007

The 47th annual Gippstar Awards annual presentations were made last night at a function at the Waratah Restaurant Morwell.

Following the presentation of the monthly award winners, the Junior Gippstar of the Year Award was presented to brothers Jake and Chase Lurati , students at Marist Sion College, Warragul. The brothers competed in Queensland in early 2007 and won the Combined Youth World Championship. They competed against a fleet of 77 yachts, and competed in 15 races over 5 days. Jake has only been skippering their Hobie Tiger Catamaran since 2006. Chase accepted the award on behalf of his brother who was unable to attend due to work commitments.

Winner of the Gippstar of the Year award was Wy Yung's Hamish Nelson. 18 year old Hamish is the current Australian U20 Decathlon Champion, and holds the record for the Victorian U20 Decathlon.

Hamish will be representing Australia at the Melanesian Games in August 2007, after attending the Australian Combined events Development Camp in May. Hamish is a member of the Gippsland Sports Academy Athletics Squad, and has been a consistent achiever through his junior years, and now in is first senior year of competition. Hamish's award was accepted by his brother Zachariah, an accomplished athlete in his own right.

The Gippstar Team of the Year Award was presented to the St. Paul's Anglican Grammar School Aerobic Program, in recognition of their success at state and national level over the last 4 years. The students, parents and teachers were thrilled to receive the award as recognition for many years of achieving both state and national titles.

The Gippstar Awards will now be managed by the Gippsland Sports Academy, following a handing-over ceremony at the Awards.

With the continued support of Southern Cross Ten, the Gippsland Sports Academy will provide administrative support for the Awards. Local government authorities have also agreed to support the awards to ensure their future.

Gippstar News

Gippstars honour highest achievers, 15 July 2010