Watts takes top
sporting honour
I
by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
t’s not often that a “minority” sport such
as motocross can break through and
knock aside a few mainstream sporting
contenders, but Wairoa’s Tommy Watts is
one young man who has done just that.
The 15-year-old, a year 11 boarding pupil at
Napier Boys’ High School, has been ringing a few
warning bells with his motocross racing over the
past couple of years and those results have not
gone unnoticed. With two separate nominations
to propel him into the spotlight at the Wairoa
Sportsperson of the Year awards dinner, Watts
was “thrilled” to be called up to collect the Junior
Sportsperson award. Then, later in the evening,
he was called back to the stage a second time at
the Wairoa Memorial Hall to collect the night’s
top honour, overall Sportsperson of the Year.
The youngster had fended off stiff competition
for the top prize from Wairoa’s sporting elite,
which included fellow finalists for the top
award – Stephen Doole and Andy Hardie for
services to football and Ngati Kahungungu Iwi
Incorporated Senior Sportsperson of the Year
Ngahiwi Manuel, for services to rugby union.
“I had to make a bit of a speech,” said Watts. “I think
I was more nervous about going up on to the stage
to do that than I have ever been at a motocross race.
“We have a lot of top sports men and
women in Wairoa and I thought someone
else would get the awards.”
Watts’ mother, Bronnie, said she was very proud
of her son, “He has been putting in a lot of hard
work lately and being selected as a member of the
Junior World Motocross Championships training
squad has been a particular boost for him.”
Only the cream of the cop, just 15 riders
from throughout New Zealand, have
been selected to undertake special high-
performance coaching ahead of the junior world
championships in Australia next August.
“He is very passionate about his motocross
racing and realises that, if he wants to step up,
he needs to get fitter,” she said. “All his hard
work has been paying off. He is also thrilled to
be a part now of the HLR Husqvarna Racing
Team and to learn what it’s like to be part of
a very professional and high-profile team.”
The glittering awards ceremony acknowledged
Wairoa’s traditionally strong sporting talent and
featured a popular guest appearance from former
All Black and Kiwi League star, Frano Botica.
Wairoa’s Tommy Watts (HLR Husqvarna TC
125), who took the top honour at the 2017
Wairoa Sportsperson of the Year awards night
KIWI RIDER 79