Kim Mickle’s reign as WAIS Athlete of the Year has continued after the Commonwealth Games champion was crowned cream of the crop, for 2013/14 at last weekend’s WAIS Annual Dinner, with the javelin thrower becoming just the fourth WAIS athlete to win back to back, and fifth to claim the award twice.
Mickle’s coronation highlighted the gala dinner – held at Mt Claremont’s HBF Stadium – that also saw the 1961 Western Australian State Football Team inducted as the first team to earn selection into the WA Hall of Sporting Champions.
With the evening reflecting on 30 years of operation for the WA Institute of Sport, WAIS Chairman Grant Boyce delivered the welcome speech, delving through WAIS history to highlight the close bonds formed between partners and stakeholders and the relationship to success, these links have fostered for WAIS.
A man central to the establishment of WAIS in Wally Foreman was recognised by Mr Boyce, and a Foundation carrying his name and legacy for Western Australian sport saw the first presentations for the evening awarded.
Cyclist Elissa Wundersitz and Para-Triathlete Brant Garvey were awarded Wally Foreman Foundation scholarships for 2014, with funding to allow both to pursue their sporting ambitions, with less financial burden.
Lauren Mitchell received the Athlete Career and Education Excellence Award for her achievements in balancing athletic with academic demands, in a year that saw Mitchell represent Australia at Commonwealth level for the second time. Mitchell won dual silver in Glasgow, and studies Medical Imaging at Curtin University.
One of track cycling’s brightest stars was honoured with the Junior Athlete of the Year Award, with recipient Sam Welsford claiming the trophy ahead of diver Maddison Keeney and water polo talent Jessica Zimmerman. Welsford’s junior world championship win in Korea highlighted his year, with the 18 year-old earning selection for an up-coming senior world cup campaign in Mexico.
The WAIS Annual Dinner has become the traditional companion to the Western Australian Hall of Champions, which in 2014 inducted a iconic sporting team into its assemblage for the first time.
The 1961 WA State Football Team is arguably the first team to make football famous in Western Australia. Coached by Jack Sheedy and captained by Haydn Bunton Jnr, the 1961 team won the national carnival in Brisbane and launched names like Graham “Polly” Farmer, John Todd and Dennis Marshall onto the national stage, in the days long before AFL. 16 of its surviving members were presented on the night, as their team earned the distinction of being the first in Western Australia’s history of being labelled Hall of Champions.
Marathon swimmer Shelley Taylor-Smith and dual Olympic champion track-cyclist Ryan Bayley took their rightful place in the Hall of Champions, with both holding records worthy of prominence amongst Western Australia’s pantheon of sporting greats.
With attention returning to WAIS, the last of the Institute’s awards for the night vetted Program, Coach and Athlete categories with each attracting a high quality calibre of candidates.
Belinda Stowell and her Sailing Program staff earned the crown of WAIS Program of the Year, for their efforts in assisting scholarship athletes to success at senior and junior level in world championship competition. Performance Enhancement Team support also achieved notable improvements across physiology, psychology and strength and conditioning, establishing the framework for on-going success for WAIS’ sailing athletes.
Representative of the program’s collaborative approach, WAIS Sailing coach Belinda Stowell focused on the collective effort of her PET staff upon receiving the award, and praised the athletes for driving the enthusiasm of the support network.
WAIS men’s water polo coach Paul Oberman earned the WAIS Coach of the Year Award, for his outstanding service across a range of areas. Oberman led an U18 WA side to a national carnival win, whilst mentoring a series of young athletes into the senior Australian team, a set-up he himself, is an assistant coach within. Oberman was also commended for his ability to manage regular travel without compromising the effectiveness of the training base at home in Perth.
The 1992 Barcelona Olympian expressed surprise at winning the award, but thanked his family for their support and paid special tribute to fellow WAIS Coach Michelle Wilkins, for her “mentor” role and friendship, saying if he could be half the coach she is, he’d be very proud.
The final award for the night, and the most eagerly anticipated was the awarding of the 2013/14 WAIS Athlete of the Year. A list of 15 athletes earned nomination, across a range of Commonwealth, World Championship, World Cup and other international level competition.
From that list, netball athlete Caitlin Bassett, Kookaburra Fergus Kavanagh, reigning athlete of the year Kim Mickle (javelin) and wheelchair basketball world champion Shaun Norris were selected as finalists for the top award.
Captain of the 1961 WA State Football team, Haydn Bunton Jnr was invited to announce, Kim Mickle as the winner of the award.
Mickle as ever, was a popular winner of the award, with her campaign featuring a new Australian record of 66.83m and Commonwealth Games gold medal, achieved with competition record distance of 65.96m. The javelin thrower is now one of the world’s top ranked athletes in the discipline, and eyeing next year’s World Championships in Beijing.
Mickle said the award meant a great deal to her, and said WAIS had been home to her development for 14 years. Her coach Grant Ward received special praise, as did the network of support staff that has helped her to new heights, and on towards Rio, which she identified as her chief goal.
