2020/2021 Blind Sport New Zealand Sport Awards
The past two years have been unpredictable to say the least. It was with great disappointment that the 2020 Blind Sport New Zealand Sport Awards were postponed and later canceled. While we had hoped to be able to hold the 2021 Sport Awards in person, we were put into a similar predicament with lockdowns and restrictions impacting this event yet again.
We would like to take a quick moment to thank all the athletes, whānau, coaches, clubs, schools and sporting organisations that we have had the privilege of connecting and collaborating with over the past two years. We are so fortunate to work within such a great community which makes doing what we do so enjoyable.
We would also like to extend a huge thank you to our key financial supporters including Blind Low Vision NZ, the Lindsay Foundation and Sport New Zealand who have provided funding to support a wide range of programmes, projects as well as our day to day operations. Without your support, we wouldn’t be able to continue to do what we do and ensure that all vision impaired Kiwis can engage in quality sport and active recreation opportunities in their local community. A big thank you also goes to Pelorus Trust who kindly provided the funding for our beautiful trophies that each winner will be receiving.
Finally, we would like to congratulate our Sport Award winners for 2020/2021! Your contribution, whether it be as an athlete, coach, volunteer or leader, helps to inspire future generations to give it their all. It is therefore Blind Sport New Zealand’s absolute pleasure to announce the 2020/2021 Blind Sport New Zealand award winners below.
2020/2021 Blind Sport New Zealand Sport Award Winners
Kaye Kay-Smith - Blind Low Vision NZ Leadership Award
Summarising Kaye’s incredible leadership within the blind and low vision sporting community is a challenge as she has contributed so much over an extended period of time.
From a young age, Kaye challenged perceptions of what a vision impaired person can do and wouldn’t let anything hold her back. She has achieved numerous regional, national and international sporting accolades over the years including a Paralympic gold medal in the pentathlon at the Arnhem 1980 Paralympic Games in Holland. This event includes 100m and 400m track run, long jump, shot put, and 100m freestyle swimming and demonstrates Kaye’s impressive athletic ability.
Kaye continues to be active in the community as an athlete, coach and encouraging participation through her work at Blind Low Vision NZ. Kaye’s positive and supportive nature makes her a wonderful ambassador for the blind and low vision community. In Kaye’s own words, “I am always pushing people, especially those who are blind or have low vision, to get out and try new things – especially exercise”.
John Mulka, Blind Low Vision NZ CEO, shares some more of Kaye’s achievements and contribution to our community in the video below.
Steve Delaney - sportsman of the year
Having already been named the ‘2020-21 Summerset Para Athlete of the Year (B1-B4)’ by Bowls New Zealand, Steve is adding to his list of achievements by taking away the Blind Sport New Zealand Sportsman of the Year Award!
All the more remarkable as he first picked up lawn bowls around three and a half years ago, and that the field included bowlers who have previously represented New Zealand on the world stage. Steve won the National B3/B4 Singles title at the first attempt in 2020 and again in 2021, along with being half of the winning Pair in 2020 and the runner-up pair in 2021.
Considering he feels he still has room for improvement with both his technique and his mental approach to the game, Steve may be picking up awards for some time to come. Truly outstanding performances!
As well as great success at a National level, Steve is a strong supporter of lawn bowls at the local level and is a playing member of the Stoke Bowling Club in Nelson. In February 2021, Steve was selected as a full member of the Nelson Centre Development Team, holding his own against fully sighted players. In fact, such is his level of performance, sighted competitors are often astonished to learn that Steve has a visual impairment.
Steve is known for his dedication and putting in long hours of practice to improve at his chosen sport. He is quick to acknowledge the team of supporters around him who help to make this possible, none more so than his father Colin, who until recently acted as Steve’s bowls director. We congratulate Steve on his fine achievements to date, a very worthy winner of this award, and we look forward to seeing you compete on the world stage when that becomes possible again.
Emma Foy & Hannah Van Kampen - team of the year
While recently retired from competitive cycling, Emma Foy and pilot Hannah van Kampen went out with a bang at the UCI 2020 Para Cycling Track World Championships in Milton, Canada. The pair came away from this competition with Gold in the Women’s 3km Tandem Pursuit against strong competition from 13 teams from 12 countries around the world. Their stellar performance saw them finish seven seconds ahead of second place and retain their World Title. In addition to this, Emma and Hannah set a World Record during qualifying of 3:20.819.
Emma and Hannah went on to secure bronze in the Women’s Tandem Individual Time Trial the following day, finishing just 0.5 seconds behind the silver medalists.
Kevin Smith - volunteer of the year
Kevin has been a dedicated volunteer for over 14 years and continues to give his time and energy to a sport he loves. As a member of the Burnside Bowling Club, Kevin played an essential role in the revitalisation of blind lawn bowls in Canterbury and had also been a key player in the establishment of both the Christchurch and Nelson blind lawn bowl hubs.
As those within the blind lawn bowls community know, Kevin wears many hats. This includes providing coaching to new players, training alongside blind and low vision bowlers up to four times a week in the lead up to competitions, supporting local competitions, providing transport alongside his unofficial title of ‘Camp Mother’ at national tournaments.
Alongside this, he is the Secretary of New Zealand Blind Lawn Bowls Association and director of National Champion and soon to be Commonwealth Games blind lawn bowler Deane Robertson.
Kevin provides a huge number of volunteer hours committed to blind lawn bowls. He will go above and beyond to support athletes while juggling his own work and family commitments with an attitude of “nothing is ever a problem”. Kevin has a wealth of experience and knowledge and we are proud to be awarding him the Volunteer of the Year award for 2021.
Kerry Reyburn - coach of the year
Kerry is a passionate cycling coach who goes above and beyond for the Northland Para cyclists he trains and supports. While relatively new to the blind and low vision cycling space, his commitment to his athletes and dedication to their overall wellbeing cannot be denied. With his support, his athletes continue to improve and succeed at both a regional and national level.
Sharon Caroll, Parafed Northland Active Recreation & Community Sports Coordinator, says ‘Kerry brings out the best in the people he is coaching.’ Blind Sport New Zealand has seen this in action with Kerry providing a supportive and enjoyable environment that athletes feel safe within. He is also known to jump in as a tandem pilot whenever needed!
Kerry’s commitment continues to be demonstrated in his ongoing work creating new cycling opportunities, assisting with transport and getting Northland riders into camps and competitions. He also assists with funding applications to ensure that athletes have suitable equipment for both training and competitions. In addition to this, he is a strong advocate for accessible cycling in Northland and has been instrumental to the development of the newly established Pohe Island Bike Park based in Whangarei.
Corran Hanning - Emerging Talent Award
Hailing from Khandallah in Wellington, Corran takes out our Emerging Talent Award. Still at high school, it’s hard not to feel that there is still a lot more to come from this young athlete!
Competing in multiple track and field events against both able-bodied and Para athletes at regional and national level competitions, it’s hard to adequately describe Corran’s achievements in the time we have here. He has already achieved a dizzying array of medal wins, records, titles and PB’s in an exceptionally wide range of events: 100m, 200m, 400m, Shotput, Discus and Javelin.
To mention a few: Athletics Wellington Para Athlete of the Year 2019/2020; College Sport Wellington Disabled Athlete of the Year 2020; named Para Athlete of the Meet at the 2020 NZ Secondary Schools Championships after winning 2 Gold, 2 Silver and 2 Bronze medals AND setting a bunch of NZ Schools and age group records.
Corran currently holds National Para Records for Junior boys at 100m, 200m, 400m, Shotput, Discus and Javelin, and at the 2021 North Island Secondary Schools Athletics Championships he also finished in the top six out of all of the Senior Boys in both Shotput and Discus.
With a rare combination of speed and power, Corran is a true all-rounder, and we look forward to watching his development in track and field events in the coming years. Once he begins to compete in open level events, there will be a few current NZ record holders watching his performances closely!
Blind Sport New Zealand Supreme Award Winner
The Blind Sport New Zealand Supreme Award winner is selected from the winners of all of the categories above. It is Blind Sport New Zealand’s extreme privilege to announce that this year’s award goes to Kaye Kay-Smith for her significant contribution to the blind sport community over her lifetime. Kaye has not only demonstrated her incredible commitment as an athlete but continues to give back to the community as a coach, volunteer and great all round supporter of the blind sport community. Kaye’s achievements are outlined above along with a video from both John Mulka, Blind Low Vision NZ CEO and Kaye herself.
For previous award winners, please select the year below.