Marc Hinton takes tops at Sport Journo Awarda

Marc Hinton takes top honour at Sir Terry McLean National Sports Journalism Awards 2002

Sunday Star Times Reporter Marc Hinton, who won the award in 2000 has again been named Sports Journalist of the Year, at the SPARC sponsored 2002 Sir Terry McLean National Sports Journalism Awards. The awards were held at Wairakei Resort in Taupo.

Hinton, has been named the Masport Sports Journalist of the Year after winning two of the categories, the Philips Award for Sports Reporting and the SPARC Award for recreation/adventure/lifestyle reporting. The top honour carries with it an outdoor kitchen BBQ and stainless steel patio heater valued at $3,000 plus a cash prize of $2,000.

Hinton also won the supreme award for the country’s top overall sports journalist two years ago after winning the sports reporting and feature writing categories. Other recent supreme winners have been NZ Herald rugby writer, Wynne Gray (1999), a finalist this year in the sporting writing category, and freelance photographer, Andrew Cornaga (2001), winner of the SPARC photographic category this year.

The awards, started 22 years ago by the New Zealand Sports Journalists Association, were re-named last year as the Sir Terry (TP) McLean Sports Journalism Awards, as a mark of respect to this country’s doyen of sports journalism, former NZ Herald rugby writer Sir Terry (TP) McLean.

The winners of all eleven categories in this year’s awards were eligible for the top honour. The full list of category winners are.-
Philips Award for Sports Reporting Marc Hinton (Sunday Star Times)
Philips Award for Radio Reporting Brian Kelly (Radio Network)
adidas Award for Television Reporting Tony Veitch (TVNZ)
Spalding Award for Best Columnist Richard Boock (NZ Herald)
Steinlager Award for Feature Writing Bevan Rapson (Metro)
DJ Cameron Young Writers Award Nathan Burdon (Southland Times)
SPARC Award for Sports Photography Portfolio Andrew Cornaga (Photosport)
SPARC Award for Best Sports Photograph Mark Dwyer (Daily News Taranaki Newspapers)
SPARC Award for Best Recreation/Adventure/Lifestyle Photography Portfolio Steven Parker (Daily Post Rotorua Newspapers)
SPARC Award for Best Recreation/Adventure/Lifestyle single photo Peter Meecham (Southland Times)
SPARC Award for Recreation/Adventure/Lifestyle Reporting Marc Hinton (Sunday Star Times)
Hinton won the Philips Award for Sports Reporting with a strong portfolio. According to the category judging convenor, Roy Williams, a Life Member of the NZSJA and the 1966 New Zealand ‘Sportsman of the Year’, Hinton showed great initiative in getting to Indianapolis to cover the World Men’s Basketball Championships this year, and his highly readable stories from the championships included several scoops. Other finalists were Wynne Gray (NZ Herald) and James McOnie (Sunday Star Times).

Hinton also took out the SPARC Award for Lifestyle/Recreation/Adventure Reporting with a strong feature on the 20-year anniversary of New Zealand’s icon adventure event - the Speight’s Coast to Coast. He backed that up with a motivating story of a former lawyer who was told his career was over and he would never exercise again. The story traces his rehab through to competition seven years later in last year’s Bluff to Cape Reinga Mizone Challenge. Other finalists were Murray Hills (Daily News) and Connor McKenzie (Freelance).

For the second consecutive year Metro’s Bevan Rapson took out the Steinlager Award for Feature Writing. His two entries, on Beatrice Faumuina and the Oracle America’s Cup challenge, were “stand-out pieces of feature writing,” said category convenor, Hedley Mortlock.” He not only asks the hard questions, he makes heavyweight topics look a breeze,” said Mortlock. The other finalists were John Matheson (NZ Rugby World) and Chris Baldock (Player Magazine).

Another repeat winner was the NZ Herald’s Richard Boock who took out the Spalding Award for Best Columnist for the second year running ahead of Marc Hinton, (Sunday Star Times) and Richard Knowler, (Evening Standard). The judges said it was his flair, knowledge and humour that set him apart.

In the adidas Award for Television Reporting the judges said that TVNZ’s Tony Veitch was a great talent in contemporary television reporting with a portfolio that showed the range of his considering reporting ability. The other finalists were TVNZ’s Hamish Clark and Martin Tasker.

Motor racing specialist, Brian Kelly of Radio Network won the Philips Award for Sports Reporting. The judges said his ability to ad lib fluently when under pressure and to convey the drama and immediacy of the event, was again very much to the fore. His live commentary and reports on the Rally of New Zealand bought an excitement and vitality to the event, which by its nature, is very difficult to cover. The other finalists were Radio New Zealand’s Barry Guy and Stephen Hewson.

In the NZ Herald DJ Cameron Young Writers Award Southland Times Nathan Burdon was named the winner ahead of Jenni Rutherford (NZ Herald/Sunday Star Times) and Campbell Burnes (Western Leader). Here, category convenor, Don Cameron, said Burdon produced two perceptive profiles of Southland rugby identities but his best piece was an account of a kick-boxing contest ”which produced crisp writing, hard-hitting prose and the ability to pick out and highlight the heat of the battle.”

Andrew Cornaga (PhotoSport) also won the SPARC Best Sports Photography Portfolio for the second consecutive year. Cornaga’s all-round coverage of the top sports in New Zealand demonstrates why he is the top action photographer in New Zealand. Other finalists were Photosport’s Sandra Teddy and Steven Parker (Rotorua Newspapers). Mark Dwyer (Daily News Taranaki Newspapers) won the SPARC Award for Best Single Sports Photo with a picture that demonstrated his technical and artistic skills allowing him to capture a unique moment in Greyhound Racing.

Two new categories in the photography section saw Steven Parker of Rotorua Newspapers win the SPARC Best Recreation/Leisure Sports Photography Portfolio and Peter Meecham of the Southland Times win the SPARC Award for Best Recreation/Leisure Single Photo for his action shot of a skier at the point of crashing.

The INL Best Provincial Awards were won by Richard Knowler of the Evening Standard (writer) and Rotorua Newspapers photographer Steven Parker (photographer). The Garry Frew Memorial for outstanding contribution to provincial sports journalism went to Peter Lampp (Evening Standard).

Keith Quinn was awarded the SPARC Award for Outstanding Contribution to Sport Through Journalism.

Check out http:// http://www.sparc.org.nz for a full list of winners

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