Finalists Announced for 2016 Australian Sailing Awards

Off the back of another hugely successful Olympic and Paralympic campaign for Australian sailing, athletes, Clubs, officials and contributors will be honoured at the 2016 Australian Sailing Awards ceremony to be held in Sydney on Saturday October 29.

Last year’s Male Sailor of the Year award winners, Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan have again been nominated for the top gong. The Rio 2016 Silver medallists will face tough competition from fellow Olympic Silver medallists Jason Waterhouse, Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen as well as Rio Gold medallist Tom Burton. Lee Knapton and Ricky Bridge are also nominated, becoming the first sailors to win the 16 foot skiff National Championships and 18 foot skiff National Championships in the same season.

2015 Female Sailor of the Year Lisa Darmanin is again nominated and will be hard to beat after winning Silver alongside Jason Waterhouse at the Rio Olympics. She will face competition from fellow Olympians Ashley Stoddart, Carrie Smith and Jaime Ryan as well as 29er World Champions Annabelle Davies and Hayley Clark and budding 420 stars Nia Jerwood and Lisa Smith.

Australia was the most successful nation at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, winning two Gold and one Silver from the three classes at the Games. The entire Australian Paralympic Sailing Team will be nominated for Sailor of the Year with a Disability, along with each of the athletes in their respective boat classes. Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch won Gold in the Skud18, Colin Harrison, Jonathan Harris and Russell Boaden won Gold in the Sonar whilst Matt Bugg broke through for Silver in the 2.4m. Stewart Cathie is also nominated for his success in the HANSA class.

Finalists for the Youth Sailor of the Year are: 29er World Champion Tom Crockett; Laser Radial State, National and World Youth title holder Conor Nicholas; 420 Australian Champions Nicholas Sharman and James Grogan; Laser Radial Youth Champion Zoe Thomson; and ISAF Youth World Laser Radial Champion Alistair Young.

Finalists for the Sport Professional Award are: Katie Culbert – Program Manager for the Australian Sailing Team; Nick Hutton – Sailing Operations Manager with Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania; and Mark Robinson – Performance Manager – Pathway for Australian Sailing;

Finalists for the Sport Promotion Award are: Nicole Douglass for her intrepid communications business ‘Adventures of a Sailor Girl’; The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club for their Integrated disAbled Sailing Program; and Woollahra Sailing Club for the 2016 Splash Festival.

Awards will also be given for the State nominated Coach of the Year, Official of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Instructor of the Year and Club of the Year.

List of all finalists follows, and biographical information…click here.
History of the awards along with a full list of past winners…click here.

Winners to be announced at Australian Sailing Awards 2016 on October 29 to he held at the Noble Dining Room, Sydney Cricket Ground, Moore Park, Sydney.

MALE SAILOR OF THE YEAR – FINALISTS
Mathew Belcher & Will Ryan
Tom Burton
Daniel Fitzgibbon
Lee Knapton & Ricky Bridge
Nathan Outteridge & Iain Jensen
Jason Waterhouse

FEMALE SAILOR OF THE YEAR – FINALISTS
Lisa Darmanin
Annabelle Davies & Hayley Clark
Nia Jerwood & Lisa Smith
Carrie Smith & Jaime Ryan
Ashley Stoddart
Liesl Tesch

SAILOR OF THE YEAR WITH A DISABILITY – FINALISTS
Australian Paralympic Sailing Team
Matt Bugg
Stewart Cathie
Daniel Fitzgibbon & Liesl Tesch
Colin Harrison, Jonathan Harris, Russell Boaden

YOUTH SAILOR OF THE YEAR – FINALISTS
Tom Crockett
Conor Nicholas
Nicholas Sharman & James Grogan
Zoe Thomson
Alistair Young

SPORT PROMOTION AWARD – FINALISTS
Nicole Douglass – Adventures of a Sailor Girl
The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club – Integrated disAbled Sailing
Woollahra Sailing Club – Splash Festival

SPORT PROFESSIONAL AWARD – FINALISTS
Katie Culbert
Nick Hutton
Mark Robinson

VOLUNTEER AWARD – FINALISTS
Stuart Hamilton (Tasmania)
Louise Hosie (Victoria)
Adrian Nicholson (South Australia)

CLUB OF THE YEAR – FINALISTS
Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (WA)
Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron (Queensland)
Sandy Bay Sailing Club (Tasmania)

OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR – FINALISTS
Stephen Aulich (Victoria)
Rosemary Collins (Queensland)
Kim Laurence (WA)

INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR – FINALISTS
Oliver Burnell (Tasmania)
Bob Cooper (Victoria)
Stephen Hart (ACT)

COACH OF THE YEAR – FINALISTS
Michael Blackburn (National)
Tristan Brown (WA)
Brady Lowe (Queensland)

Source: Australian Sailing