SUPREME YOUNG ASICS ATHLETE OF THE YEAR NAMED...

A year of elite sports sponsorship awaits North Shore junior athlete James Moors after being named supreme winner of the ASICS Sports Awards for 2011.

The 11 year old Takapuna Normal Intermediate student outshone talented young athletes from around the country to take the top honours in the national ASICS awards which recognise outstanding sporting achievements in intermediate-aged children.

ASICS began the 2011 search for the country’s next young sporting hero by asking coaches, teachers and peers to nominate their school’s best.  Each term, one high achieving young athlete from five regions across the country (Auckland North, Auckland South, Central, Canterbury and Southland) was named and presented with an ASICS prize pack and sports equipment for their school.   These term winners each went on to compete for the supreme title.

As the winner of the 2011 awards, 11 year old James takes on the role of ASICS Junior Elite Athlete for the duration of 2012, receiving a generous product allowance and mentoring from other ASICS-sponsored athletes who include the likes of Ross Taylor, Casey Williams and Isaia Toeava.

An avid sports fan from an early age, James plays representative basketball and is a talented track and field athlete, following in the footsteps of his mother Dionne who was a 1990 Commonwealth Games high jumper.  He started athletics at age five and has claimed numerous titles since, including the Auckland record for shot put and high jump.

He also holds the high jump record, which he has broken three times, for his athletics club Bay Cougars, as well as the club title of all round boys champion,  the North Harbour inter-school high jump record and his school’s high jump record.

Internationally he has achieved success winning gold in high jump at the trans-Tasman Challenge in Sydney – the first New Zealander to ever win this event - and coming close to breaking the world high jump record for his age group.

James’ mother Dionne Moors says James is ecstatic about his win.  “This is going to go a long way in helping James in his long term goal to one day jointly represent New Zealand in athletics and basketball.”
 

Martine Puketapu has beaten more than 400 athletes from intermediate schools nationally to become the inaugural winner of the Asics School Sports Award – taking the title of Asics Junior Athlete 2011.

Asics began the search for the country’s next young sporting hero by asking coaches, teachers and peers to nominate their school’s best and it was the 12-year old striker from Auckland Normal Intermediate who stood out.
Puketapu was pulled off the sidelines at a friend’s soccer match at the age of five when they needed another player to fill it. Since then, she hasn’t looked back becoming the youngest player to take to the field in the top women’s league in the country, making her debut for the Football Fern filled Three Kings club earlier this year.

She’s gone on to impress Auckland senior women’s coach, Paul Temple, who named her in his 20 strong squad to play in the national summer league series starting just after Christmas. Having already caught the eye of New  Zealand Junior Football Fern coach,  Temple, she’s in good stead to achieving her dream goal of representing New Zealand at the Under 17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan in two years time.

Asics established the new award to recognise New Zealand’s best junior athletes and help them achieve their sporting goals. Each month this year, one high achieving young athlete from five regions across the country (Auckland North, Auckland South, Central, Canterbury and Southland) was named and presented with an Asics prize pack and sports equipment for their school. 

Five finalists were then selected by a panel of experts with the chance of becoming the Asics’s Junior Athlete 2011 who would sit amongst some of New Zealand’s top athletes including Laura Langman, Kyle Mills, Jerome Kaino and Ryan Archibald as an Asics sponsored athlete.

As well as receiving $1,500 worth of Asics gear to help her in her pursuits, Martine will also be given support from other Asics’ athletes who were once in her boots starting out their sporting careers