Herne Hill Harriers had a lot less representatives at last night’s 17th Active Wandsworth Award.
Nominees from Herne Hill Harriers were, in the Team of the Year category were Herne Hill Harriers Under 13 Girls Cross Country Team, made up of Alex Brown, Eloise O’Shaughnessy, Kayah Wilks, Eimear Griffin, Lilly Newton, Ursula Hall and Lucy Olsen. In that same category there were several Harriers, Katy Ann McDonald, Maddie Shaw, Kate Brown and Tatiana Cooke in the Putney High Junior Cross Country Team.
In the Coach /Instructor of the year award, James McDonald from Herne hill was a nominee and in the David Burns Award(For Outstanding individual performance at the 2013 London Youth games), the Herne hill nominee was Saskia Millard.
The evening got off to a great start, hosted by former 800m ParaOlympian, Danny Crace with the awards presented by former British breaststroke swimmer 2x Olympian and British record Holder. After the Mayor’s opening speech the Awards began.
Almost immediately the Team of the Year awards category was announced with Herne hill Harriers Under13 Girls cross country team declared the winners.
Unfortunately none of the girls attended the event so their Coach James McDonald had to collect the award on their behalf. When asked by Danny Crace “what qualities or attributes that makes these girls Team of the Year”, James replied “Their tremendous mental strength and the fact that they train regularly.”
The other HHH highlights were Saskia Millard winning the “David Burns Award” which was for the most outstanding individual performance at the 2013 London Youth games. This was being outstanding in 4 different Competition, Athletics, hockey, Dualathon and Netball.
Saskia was a deserved winner and sadly did not make the awards having tried to get there from Leeds where she was competing in a National netball Final. Maddie Shaw collected the trophy on Behalf of Saskia Millard.
Herne Hill Harriers Katy Ann McDonald was runners–up in the “Junior sports person of the Year Award”, where she just lost out to a world champion tumbler.
James McDonald again lost out in the Coach/Instructor of the Year Category ,having won this award in 2008, James has been nominated about 7 times and said just being nominated is good enough.
All in all a good night at the awards for Herne Hill Harriers.