Entries Open For Term 3 Asics Awards

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Entries Open For Term 3 Asics Awards As Five Top Young Athletes Named As Term 2 Winners

Teachers, coaches and parents are encouraged to nominate talented young sportspeople for the term three Asics Sports Awards as five of the country’s most promising athletes celebrate winning the term two awards.

The winners of the term two awards are Edward Lau (Auckland Normal Intermediate), Bernadette Doyle (Murrays Bay Intermediate, North Shore), Marina Tahana-Beazley (Rotorua Intermediate), Bobbi Gichard (Tamatea Intermediate, Napier) and Kushla Smith (Newlands Intermediate, Wellington).

Each of the young athletes is now in the running for the Supreme 2012 Asics Sports Award which will be announced in term four. The overall winner will receive an elite sponsorship package with Asics, following in the footsteps of athletes like Ross Taylor, Casey Williams and Isaia Toeava as a sponsored elite Asics athlete.

Term three nominations for the Asics Sports Awards close at midnight on 28 September 2012 and are open to intermediate aged children (years 7 and 8). The awards recognise students who have achieved outstanding results or who have defied the odds to achieve sporting success.

The term three awards will be judged at the end of the school term across five regions – Auckland North, Auckland South, Central, Canterbury and Southland. All regional winners receive Asics gear for themselves and their schools, as well as the opportunity to compete for the end of year supreme award.

After a low entry rate from the South Island last term, organisers are encouraging Canterbury and Southland’s young athletes to step up to the challenge.

“We had a very low level of entry from Canterbury and Southland last term and as a result, did not award winners in that region. This is really disappointing as individuals and schools are missing out on valuable prizes – we want to make sure this changes this term so that the regions’ young athletes can be rewarded,” says Asics’ Jenny Holdaway.

The awards, which are now in their third year, were started by Asics to encourage young New Zealanders to get active and strive to achieve their sporting goals.

“This is a crucial age where children are starting to get serious about their sporting pursuits, and set the foundations for their sporting futures. There are very few awards on offer to intermediate aged students - these awards are all about encouraging and rewarding sporting achievement in this critical stage of development,” says Jenny.

Nominations are now open for term 3 and students can be nominated by their teachers, coaches, parents, peers or local sporting coordinator or club. Term 3 nominations can be made online at www.asicssportsaward.co.nz and close on 28 September 2012.

ENDS

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