Snow Sports NZ 2016 Annual Awards Nominees Announced

We are pleased to announce the nominees for the 2016 Snow Sports NZ Annual Awards presented by Vodafone: 

Instructor of the Year sponsored by NZSIA

Emilie Tait-Jamieson (Treble Cone)

Justin Stoddard (Snowplanet)

Michele Fuller (Coronet Peak)

Sam Lynch (Cardrona Alpine Resort)

Toby Wignall (NZ Ski)

 Coach of the Year sponsored by NZ Ski

Ben Adams (Wanaka) – Adaptive Snow Sports

Nils Coberger (Queenstown) - Alpine Ski Racing

Bruce Wells (Wanaka) – Freeski

Sean Thompson (Queenstown) – Snowboard

 Breakthrough Season sponsored by Central Heating Solutions

Elizabeth Reid (Invercargill) – Alpine

Craig Murray (Wanaka) – Freeride

Finn Bilous (Wanaka) – Freeski

Duncan Campbell (Queenstown) - Snowboard

 Adaptive Snow Sports Athlete of the Year sponsored by The Gilly & Tony Hall Foundation

Adam Hall (Wanaka)

Corey Peters (New Plymouth)

 Alpine Ski Racer of the Year sponsored by Focus Technology

Adam Barwood (Queenstown)

Piera Hudson (Havelock North/ Wanaka)

Willis Feasey (Twizel)

 Cross Country Skier of the Year sponsored by Cruickshank Pryde

Campbell Wright (Wanaka)

Louis Jones (Wanaka)

 Freeride Athlete of the Year sponsored by Treble Cone

Charlie Lyons (Christchurch)

Sam Lee (Wanaka)

Sam Smoothy (Wanaka)

 Freeskier of the Year sponsored by Cardrona Alpine Resort

Beau-James Wells (Wanaka)

Janina Kuzma (Wanaka)

Jossi Wells (Wanaka)

 Snowboarder of the Year sponsored by Dick Schulze

Carlos Garcia Knight (Christchurch)

Christy Prior (Kaukapakapa)

Duncan Campbell 

Awards will also be presented to the 2016 Masters Ski Racing Champions, Bonny Teat (Wanaka) and Jon Wardrop (Auckland). 

The Snow Sports NZ Annual Awards Night will be held on Saturday 8 October at the Lake Wanaka Centre from 7 -11pm. The awards encompass a 12-month timeframe which includes the 2015/2016 Northern Hemisphere season and the 2016 Southern Hemisphere season.

Winners will be presented with their awards and a guest panel will speak about the Coaching Life. Guest speaker, Bud Keene, will entertain the audience with stories from his fascinating and highly successful career.

Bud is widely regarded as one of the most successful snowboard coaches in the history of the sport. A snowboarding pioneer, Bud was introduced to the sport in 1984 at a time when snowboarding was banned from many resorts around the world. Fast forward to 2002 and Bud was at the Salt Lake City Olympics as Assistant Coach to the U.S. Snowboarding Halfpipe Team. The team swept Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for the men and took Gold for the women. Coaching the team full-time from 2003-2006, Bud then led the 2006 Olympic Halfpipe Team to an even more dominating performance in Torino; his small 8-rider contingent all making it to the finals, and taking home two Gold medals, two Silver medals, two fourth places, a sixth and a 12th.

Tickets for the Snow Sports NZ Annual Awards tickets are $25 and can be purchased here

Ends