Sister power wins major award spoils

Sisters Emma and Sarah Berry combined to take the major spoils at the 2007 Wairarapa secondary schools sports awards, the winners of which were announced at a function held at Rathkeale College last night.
The exploits of the St Matthews's Collegiate duo in sailing over the past 12 months saw them take out both the Sports Personality of the Year award and the Team of the Year award.
Emma, a year 11 student and Sarah, who is year 10, were in outstanding form at the world 420 class championships in Auckland where they placed fourth in the open women's section as well as first in both the under-16 and under-19 sections.
Other hugely impressive results on the international front included a 12th placing at the North America open 29er championships in San Francisco and a ninth place in the double handed girls 29er class at the world youth championships in Canada where they were part of the New Zealand youth squad.
They had a number of superb performances in New Zealand too, such as winning the under-19 section of the trials held for the New Zealand team, winning the youth women's section of the national 470 championships where they also placed third overall and winning the girls double handed 420 class at the national youth championships.
The Sportswomen of the Year award was won by another St Matthew's Collegiate student in Ashley McDougall.
The past season saw her crowned as Swim Wairarapa senior women's champion, female champion for the 17yrs and over age group at the Wellington summer championships and joint winner of the Eagle Trophy for Swim Wairarapa's Swimmer of the Year.
McDougall picked up a silver and a bronze medal at the New Zealand youth championships, was selected in Swimming New Zealand's youth "silver" squad and currently holds the highest FINZ points for any Wairarapa swimmer, these points only being allocated at Swim New Zealand long course or designated meets. McDougall has achieved 790 points, only 10 points off the gold level.
Another remarkable statistic is that McDougall holds no fewer than 20 swimming records at St Matthews's out of a possible 30.
Ben Campbell of Wairarapa College was announced as the winner of the Sportsman of the Year award.
His notable achievements over the past 12 months included his selection as the sole male New Zealand representative to attend the International Mastercard Junior Masters tournament in Perth, Australia, where he finished in 12th place and he has more recently been chosen to represent New Zealand at the Jack Newton Junior Classic, also in Australia.
Campbell also had the distinction of being selected in not only the Wairarapa junior and senior men's rep sides but also in the larger and more prestigious Wellington junior and senior squads as well.
A fourth in the Otaki Open, eighth in the North Island amateur championships and ninth in the South Island under-19 championships were amongst a series of impressive results for Campbell on the domestic front And just last month he teamed up with former St Matthews's student Amy Smith to win the Wairarapa mixed foursomes title by a massive 15 shots.
The Junior Sports Personality of the Year award was won by Corrina Paine of Wairarapa College, who won seven medals at the Colgate Games national athletics meet, one gold, two silver and four bronze. She also won eight medals at the Wellington track and field championships and was selected in the Wellington inter-provincial athletics squad.
Eldon Lidbetter of Makoura College won the Contribution to Sport award. His involvement in sport-both as an active participant himself and as a coach or referee- took in a wide variety of pursuits, including soccer, kayaking, canoe polo, white water river running and slalom events and snow boarding.
Ryan O'Hara of Wairarapa College won the Emerging Sport award. He placed in the top 16 in the 57kg sparring class at the junior world taekwon-do championships and was first in patterns and third in middleweight sparring at the 2006 ITFNZ national open championships and first in patterns and second in special technique at the 2007 United International New Zealand nationals.