On Wednesday night, some of the brightest sporting talents in Northern Tasmania will be recognised with The Examiner and Woolworths' Junior Sports Awards for 2021 at Country Club Tasmania.
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Returning after a postponement in 2020, this year's awards will highlight the best athletes, rising stars and deserving volunteers who make sporting clubs run day-to-day.
Finalists
Female Junior Sportsperson of the Year
Ava Curtis
A key part of both the Greater Northern Raiders set-up and South Launceston, Curtis also found herself in and around the Hobart Hurricanes squad during their time in a Tasmanian bubble.
Isabella McRobbie
Sometimes statistics do not display the full story of an athlete's dominant year but in the case of McRobbie, they only serve to reiterate her hockey prowess. McRobbie led the Queechy Penguins and Greater Northern League goal-scoring for this season with 28 in 17 matches.
Ruby Geach
Affectionately known as Reg or Reggy, Geach has made a strong impact on and off the pitch as a hard-working soccer star of the future.
Bridget Perkins
Perkins has shaped as a name to remember after a year of skittling the pins and turning heads as one of Tasmania's best 10-pin bowlers.
Lindsay Calvert
Calvert seems destined for higher honours after being part of a dominant Scotch Oakburn rowing outfit and more than holding her own in national competitions and try-outs.
Male Junior Sportsperson of the Year
Hamish McKenzie
The Launceston College student burned up the cycling track with a series of impressive efforts at the national championships in Brisbane which earned him a spot in AusCycling's emerging athletes squad.
Alexander Creak
Creak has turned from a local athlete to a national competitor in 2021 with a bright future as a multiple state under-20s champion.
Charlie Parker
Parker has turned heads on the race track with a series of impressive displays in Tasmanian Circuit Racing Championship in the Hyundai Excel Series.
Oliver Stebbings
Whether it is in Tasmanian colours or those of Launceston City, Stebbings has been a class above on the hockey field.
Stebbings led the Tasmanian under-15s side to a silver medal at the national championships earlier this year.
Alex Short
Whether it was impressing for Northern Rangers or interviewing Tim Cahill, Short has had a year to remember in 2021.
Short's on-field effort saw him selected in the Tasmanian under-15s representative side this season.
Female Rising Star of the Year
Ruby Hirst
Hirst's equestrian talents were showcased when she previously competed at the Pony Club national championships for both mounted games and tetrathlon - finishing as the highest-placed Tasmanian overall in the competition.
Abbey Berlese
One event can be hard enough but Berlese has her sights set on being a star heptathlete in the future. She is a member of the Athletics Australia Target Talent program and won her first national medal at 10 years old.
Ava Jones
Jones is a star in two sports after gaining multiple selections in the Tassie Thunder Touch team and also excelling as part of the Cavaliers netball development squad. In her spare time, she also coaches a junior netball team and umpires.
Chloe White
Representing Tasmania in any sport is no laughing matter and White has been starring on the hockey field in state colours.
White was vice-captain of the girls' under-15 state side at the national championships.
Ella Nast
In the saddle or on the football field, Nast seems to excel at whatever she tries. Nast was awarded a runner-up best and fairest at Scotch Oakburn and East Launceston for her efforts.
Male Rising Junior Star of the Year
Damon White
After playing hockey since he was six years old, White has translated that into on-field performance.
White was the youngest player selected in Hockey Tasmania Tigers Academy in 2020 and maintained his place in this during 2021.
Matias Munoz
Munoz is a goalkeeping talent with tenacity between the posts.
After arriving from his native Chile, the Scotch Oakburn student has been part of a title-winning Northern Rangers side for his age level.
Billy Watson
Watson quickly fell in love with AFL after partaking in his first season this year and was awarded the Northern regional best and fairest and Launceston under-12s best and fairest.
Samuel Lindsay
After a taking up athletics as a means of keeping fit, Lindsay has proven an on-track success story.
Lindsay's highlights include winning a silver medal in the boys' under-14 3000m walk at the national athletic championships in Sydney.
Campbell Groves
Groves has made the hockey goalkeeper position his own and even fills in for the Tamar Churinga under-19s on occasion despite still being with the under-14 side.
Ricky Ponting Service to Sport Shield
Olivia Smith
Smith is a star on-field for Launceston City Devils but also contributes off-field as an assistant coach for the George Town under-nines soccer team.
Jamari Lockhart
Lockhart is the definition of a soccer triple threat as he spends his time either playing, photographing, coaching or refereeing the game he loves.
Mel Wilcox
Wilcox has been nominated for her assistance in the operation of the Launceston Little Athletics Centre as well as the Launceston City Football Club and NTJSA.
Logan Atkinson
Atkinson has won many plaudits for giving his time as a referee in the NTJSA soccer association and also at senior level.
Chris McClarty
McClarty is a well-known voice at the East Launceston Football Club after dedicating the last five years to coaching their junior football teams in rain, hail or shine to be great on the field and off it.
Kaiden Chung
Despite only being a 17-year-old, Chung is already a respected boundary umpire at NTFA premier division level.
Team of the year
The Junior Sport Awards often pay tribute to the players who excite us on the field and off it, as well as the volunteers who put in the hard yards to make it work.
Whether it is sporting success or community involvement, The Examiner and Woolworths' Junior Sport Awards also pay tribute to the clubs and teams which give the community a place to enjoy their sport.
Launceston United Junior Soccer Club are nominated in the category after another excellent year with results on the pitch.
The club have the largest participation in Northern Tasmania with over 600 players including 150 girls with the numbers growing year to year.
East Launceston girls' under-14s side had a terrific year on the footy field to claim the NTJFA premiership for the second year in a row. The Lions beat Scottsdale to ensure they went back-to-back.
Scotch Oakburn girls' rowing crew put on a masterclass on the water as they beat all before them to claim this year's Head of the River. The victory was Scotch's first in the event in 24 years.
Some of the recorded times from Scotch's first eight crew performances this season were among the fastest in Tasmanian history.
The Junior Sports Awards 2021 will be held at the Country Club Tasmania on Wednesday night.