Sports Personality Awards 2007
Citations

Provost, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2007 Falkirk Sports Council sports personality of the year awards. I would like to especially welcome Jullian Peck, sports editor of the Falkirk Herald, who will present the sports council awards. I know that for many athletes, the first mention in the Herald is a really big moment for them and there are many parents and grandparentswho have treasured cuttings of sporting success.

Club Award

Our first award goes to the number one ranked basketball club in Scotland. Currently boasting 20 Scottish internationalists, they are one of only three clubs in Scotland to have six national league teams. They were the Scottish U16 boys league and cup winners in 2007 and runners up in the senior men's league and cup. The cadets were 2nd in a prestigious 23 country European tournament in Belgium, losing only to the Serbian giants of Red Star Belgrade. The senior women were 3rd in the Scottish national league, the junior women 3rd and the cadette women 4th. The club continues to work with Active Schools and Falkirk Council in developing and promoting basketball and two of their former players are playing at the highest level of American college basketball. The winners of the club award for 2007 are Falkirk Fury

Club Team Award

This team were also the winners of the Scottish Gymnastics team of the year as the Great Britain representatives at the Euroteam competition in Gent, Belgium. The winners of the Club Team Award are Falkirk Infinity Gymnastics Club.

School team Award

In a very competitive age group in Scottish Schools basketball, the girls of Falkirk High defeated all teams in convincing fashion on the way to winning the Scottish National Schools cup. Four of the team also play national league club basketball and two are Scottish internationalists The winners of the School team Award are Falkirk High S2 Girls.

Local Service to Sport

The winner of this award started up and runs the Denny Warriors Wrestling club. He has trained a number of children to Scottish and International levels and travels all over the country, taking them to competitions. In the last year, the club has produced two English champions, four Scottish champions, two Welsh champions and two Irish champions. He is also involved in the running and training of the Scottish Junior squad. Local Service to Sport goes to William Airnes.

I would like to ask Jim Conn, President of SALSC, the Scottish Association of Local Sports Councils to present the National Service to Sport Award.

National Service to Sport

The winner of this award joined Falkirk Company of Archers in 1987. Two years after joining, he was persuaded to join the committee as coaching organiser, and over the past 20 years he has served in one capacity or another on the committee and is currently club President. He is an active coach, writing material to support beginners' courses and organising coaching courses. Always encouraging new archers into the club he is one of the first to volunteer with fundraising and come & try events. He has assisted in running the Falkirk outdoor shoot for many years and is the club representative on Falkirk Sports Council The National Service to Sport goes to John McBride.

Coach of the Year Award

In today's ever more challenging sporting environment, the role of specialist coaches becomes ever more important. The winner of the coach of the year is one such specialist. As strength and conditioning coach at the Central Institute for Sport, he has enabled young local sports people from different disciplines to become superb athletes and succeed at international level. To give an idea of the breadth of talent he works with, he has been coach to a Scottish Junior Rugby internationalist, a European Junior badminton medallist, a medallist at the US open judo and the world silver medallist hill runner. Coach of the year is Wai Mun Lee.

Young Coach of the Year

This award is presented in memory of Dora Crudge, who sadly died shortly after last years awards. She was a stalwart of visually impaired bowling in the Forth Valley, being awarded an MBE for services in 2000 and was last year's winner of the National Service to Sport award. Member of her family are present tonight and have donated a trophy to be presented annually. Can I please ask Evelyn Batterham, her daughter to come and present the award? The first winner of this award is a young wrestler who has battled serious injury over the past two years and is currently regaining fitness, with the aim of making Scottish & British teams and eventually the Commonwealth Games squad. As well as his own training, he is a qualified wrestling coach and regularly helps out with the younger members of his club Young Coach of the Year is Michael Airnes.

Veteran

This lady had another outstanding year in 2007, winning the world masters (over 55) 5000 metres in a new European record time. She won the British masters 5000m in a new championship record and was a member of the Falkirk Victoria Harriers ladies teams which won the British Masters road relay and British masters Cross Country relay championships The veteran award goes to Janette Stevenson.

Disability - Individual

The winner of this award is a Scottish champion in the sport of visually impaired bowling. Gold medallist in the totally blind Scottish Singles, he was lead of the Scottish rinks gold medallists and lead of the Scottish Triples championships silver medallists. He played in the Scottish team disability sports in Sidney Australia. Disability Individual award goes to George Gourlay.

Disability - team

As well as individual success, George was also part of a winning team. Skip of the rinks Scottish Championship gold medal team, skip of the silver medal winning triples and Scottish team captain in the bronze winning triple in Sidney was Harry Harris. Disability team award goes to George Gourlay and Harry Harris.

Cadet (Under 14 awards)

In 3rd place is a young athlete. Representing Scotland in hill running at the Knock Dhu mountain race in April 2007, he finished 3rd in the under 17 race, despite being only aged 13. 3rd place goes to Ben Stevenson.

In 2nd place is a highland dancer. In 2007 she won the Central Scotland Open, the North East of Scotland open, the Kingdom of Fife Open and the British open Juvenile Championships. 2nd place goes to Anthea Denise Bundy.

The winner of the U14 award is a wrestler, a consistent winner in 2007, taking gold in the Scottish Open, Welsh Open, Bolton Open, Tryst Open, Irish Open and Aspill International and runner up in the British Open 1st place goes to Taylor Cummings.

Junior (Under 18 awards)

Once again the under 18 award was the most difficult to judge, as you will see from the quality of the winners. In 3rd place is a young lady who broke a Scottish U17 long jump record that had stood for 27 years. She was the Bank of Scotland Women's under 17 athlete of the year having made the final of the World Youth Long Jump, won the U20 district championship and came 2nd in the senior womens' competition. 3rd place goes to Jade Nimmo.

In 2nd place is a wrestler who last year won the British Open Championships for a 6th consecutive year. He is a member of the Scottish and British development teams and has been selected for the Youth Commonwealth games in Pune, India, as well as being part of the long term strategy for the Glasgow 2014 games 2nd place goes to Connor Evans.

It should come as no surprise that the winner of the U18 age group is also a British champion. Despite qualifying to take part in the U16 age group, he won the British Junior Canoe Slalom championship at U18. A member of the Central Institute for Sport, he hope to emulate another local paddler who went on to win Olympic silver. 1st place goes to Alistair Moon.

Senior ( Over 18 awards)

Senior In 3rd place is someone who made a remarkable recovery from an injury that had kept her out for six months. Her comeback included winning the Scottish Senior Judo championship and other wins in the North of Scotland Open and Great Northern Senior Open. At the Canadian Open in Quebec she lost only to the eventual winner. 3rd place goes to Jayne Clason

In 2nd place is the Scottish senior pole vault champion, winning both the indoor and outdoor titles in 2007. He was also a member of the Scottish team which won the indoor Celtic Cup. 2nd place goes to Richard Hurren..

Given the quality of the years winners, its appropriate that the senior award goes to a world champion. Already holding British U21, British Open and European U21 water skiing titles, she became the youngest ever World Senior champion in the history of the sport in Linz, Austria. Although only 21 and having just competed a degree at Stirling university, she is the first water skier to hold world titles at every age group from Junior to senior. 1st place goes to Nicole Arther.

It just falls on me to thank the Provost and council for hosting us tonight, Jullian Peck, Jim Conn and Evelyn Batterham for presenting the awards and all of you for the hard work, dedication and often financial sacrifice required to get here tonight. The price that sport is paying for the privilege of London hosting the Olympics is now becoming clear, and if we are to actually get any of these athletes to London in 2012 or Glasgow in 2014 it will have to depend on support from parents, partners and local funding as central money is diverted to building works.

Once again thank you and goodnight.