18 April 2016

Talented Young Kapiti Athlete Chosen for Kapiti Lions Sports Grant

The Lions Club of Kapiti has announced that Emmerson Kavakura, a 14 year old resident of Paraparaumu, has been chosen to receive this year's annual Sports Grant of $1,000.

To be presented at the 2016 Pak’n Save Kapiti Sportsperson of the Year Awards dinner on 2 May, Emmerson will also receive a year's membership for The Achievement Room, Waikanae and personal training sessions with Clay Mosen.

Emmerson's first love is basketball where he has gained selection to the NZ Men's U16 Basketball team. Only those who demonstrate outstanding potential to compete successfully at national and international level can make it to this team.

He is also in the Basketball NZ High Performance Programme and is included in the Elite player base. He travels to Auckland each month and will continue doing so through to the Youth Olympics in 2018.

Emmerson continues to play multiple sports with an impressive record including rugby, rugby league, touch rugby and softball. He was a member of the Scots College U15 rugby team that made the semi-finals of college rugby competition and is also 1st baseman for the Wellington Men's U15 softball team that won the North Island Championship in January. His batting performance placed him at No. 6 in the top 10 of tournament statistics where he was nominated for the 2016 tournament team.

Emmerson also plays rugby league and played in the State of Origin league in 2015. He also represented Kapiti Horowhenua Touch Association at the U15 nationals in Christchurch this year.

On a 5 year scholarship at Scots College, Emmerson won the Skinner Cup for Exceptional Sporting Performance in 2015. He is a member of the College U16 Rugby Sevens team which travelled to Malaysia for the Malay College International Secondary Schools 7s Tournament in February this year, which gained a bronze medal coming 3rd out of 24 teams.

In 2015, he was a finalist in the Emerging Sportsman category, Pak’n Save Kapiti Sportsperson of the Year Awards.

Emmerson has worked hard and demonstrated he has the desire to succeed not only in basketball but also education, vocationally, and in his personal life. He has a tremendous commitment to working hard at improving his mental, physical and basketball skills and the Lions Club of Kapiti are very pleased to be able to give Emmerson a $1,000 grant which will no doubt be put to good use in his very busy sporting life.

ENDS

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