Gymnastics Victoria celebrate achievements of 2018 at Family Ball & Awards Night
The Gymnastics Victoria Family Ball & Awards Night was held at Peninsula Docklands on Saturday 9 February 2019, where over 630 people from the Gymnastics community were in attendance to celebrate the achievements of 2018.
ABC News Breakfast Presenter Georgie Tunny was the MC for the evening, setting a professional yet light-hearted tone for the evening.
Awards were presented to athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and clubs who made outstanding contributions to the sport of Gymnastics in Victoria throughout 2018.
In his opening address, Chair of the Gymnastics Victoria Board Michael O’Neill reflected on the growth of Gymnastics over the past few years.
“Who would have thought 6 years ago with only 200 people at a little venue in Albert Park, that we’d have over 600 people here tonight in one of Melbourne’s most fantastic venues,” Michael said.
International Recognition Awards were presented to athletes, coaches and officials who represented the sport at the highest level throughout the year. Shadow Minister for Sport David Hodgett MP presented the awards to Commonwealth Games athletes Alex Eade, Emily Whitehead, Luke Wadsworth and Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva as well as Aerobics athletes Olivia Feaver and Annabel Muttdon who competed at the Aerobics World Championships.
The Paul Horvath SportsLawyer Club of the Year was chosen from the recipients of the Club of the Year awards, with Twisters Gymnastics winning the coveted title.
The final awards of the evening were the Club Awards that recognise the achievements of Victorian Gymnastics Clubs. The HR Plus Small Club of the Year was Swan Hill Gymnastics Club; True Blue Migration Medium Club of the Year was Fisherman’s Bend Gymnastics Club; OZ Trampolines Large Club of the Year was Peninsula Gymnastics and the Rae-Line Mega Club of the Year was Twisters Gymnastics.
Gymnastics Coaches were recognised at the Recreational, Competitive and the High Performance Level. Georgia Bonora and John Hart from Waverley Gymnastics Centre were named the High Performance Coaching Team of the Year. The recreational award for the Gymstar Coaching Team Award was presented to the coaching team from Reach Gymnastics.
The VicHealth Inclusive Initiative of the Year was presented to Leongatha Gymnastics Club and their Disability Programs. The Newest Inclusive Leader was awarded to Knox Gymnastics Club, while the Inclusive Leader of the Year was presented to Taylah Palmer from Casey Gymnastics.
Gymnastics Victoria CEO Jamie Parsons commented on the growth of the event, and how much it means to celebrate outstanding members of the community.
“This is the biggest celebration of Gymnastics in Victoria to date, with over 600 people in the room. It is a fantastic opportunity for the Gymnastics community to come together to celebrate the achievements of the previous year,” Jamie said.
A full list of Award Recipients is available on the Gymnastics Victoria website: http://bit.ly/2018awardswinners.
