Canoeing dominates awards

Friday 3: Cook Islands Canoeing Association took out top honours at last night’s 2008 national sports awards with the 2008 Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards going to oe vaka siblings Reuben and Tamsyn Dearlove.

The canoeing association also celebrated more wins on the night with CICA president Christina Newport winning the 2008 Sports Administrator of the Year while Ngakau Toa Canoeing Club junior coach Vaea Melvin picked up the 2008 Coach of the Year award.

Canoeing association member Tina Mitchell was honoured with the 2008 Hugh Henry Fair Play award.

The Cook Islands Athletics Association also did well at the awards with Aitutaki field athlete Daniel Tutai picking up the 2008 Junior Sportsman of the Year while fellow athlete and specialty 100m sprinter Patricia Taea won the 2008 Junior Sportswoman of the Year award.

Tutai also won the 2008 Rautea Rangatira Outer Islands Sports Achievement award.

The 2008 Sports Team of the Year went to the Atiu men’s lawn bowls team while Johnny Hosking took out the 2008 Sports Technical Official of the Year award.

The Parekura women’s lawn bowls team won the 2008 Albert and Elizabeth Henry Memorial Sports Achievement Award while the Aitutaki Sports Association was picked as the 2008 Best Administrated outer Islands Sports Association.

Uritaua I Tai Keu Mitchell won the 2008 IOC Personality Award for her work with the Cook Islands Handball Federation while the 2008 Mamia Tunui Savage Memorial Trophy for Women in Sport went to Ake (Mama Mongoose) Hosea Winterflood for her outstanding work in coaching athletics.

Two sporting legends were also inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame.

Atiu ‘master of disaster’ and former boxer Piri Puruto as well as former athletics champion and the first Cook Islander to receive a South Pacific Games medal Kau Pupa. - MW

The 2008 sports awards

winners:

2008 Sportsman of the Year – Reuben Dearlove (Canoeing), 2008 Sportswomen of the Year – Tamsyn Dearlove (Canoeing), 2008 Junior Sportsman of the Year –Daniel Tutai (Athletics/Aitutaki), 2008 Junior Sportswomen of the Year – Patricia Taea (Athletics), 2008 Sports Team of the Year – Atiu Men’s Lawn Bowls Team, 2008 Sports Technical Official of the Year

Johnny Hosking (Rugby Union), 2008 Sports Administrator of the Year – Christina Newport ( Cook Islands Canoeing Association), 2008 Sports Coach of the Year – Vaea Melvin (Cook Islands Canoeing Association), 2008 Hugh Henry Fair Play Award – Tina Mitchell (Cook Islands Canoeing Association), 2008 Albert & Elizabeth Henry Memorial Sports Achievement Award – Parekura Womens Lawn Bowls Team, 2008 IOC Personality Award – Uritaua I Tai Keu Mitchell (Handball), 2008 Best Administrated Outer Island Sports Association – Aitutaki Sports Association, 2008 Rautea Rangatira Outer Islands Sports Achievement – Daniel Tutai (Aitutaki Athletics), 2008 Mamia Tunui Savage Memorial Trophy for Women in Sports – Ake Hosea-Winterflood

(Athletics Cook Islands).