Maitland's pool of young talented sportspeople stood tall again excelling in 2014.
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The 2014 junior Maitland Sportsperson of the Year nominees came from a variety of sports including athletics, cricket, rugby league, swimming, motor sport, surf lifesaving, golf and water polo.
JANUARY: Keegan Pickering (motor sport)
Kurri Kurri Junior Motorcycle Club member Keegan Pickering continued to pick up speed on the track in 2014.
It started with a switch from dirt to road with the 15-year-old from Abedare invited to take part in the Australian Junior Cup run by the Motorcycle Race Road Development Association.
The series brought together the best riders, aged 15 to 21, from across the country on an even playing field and she won the fifth round at Phillip Island, finished fifth overall and picked up the Reece Bancell Award.
Later in the year Pickering took her talents overseas with the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in Spain and the Asia Talent Cup in Malaysia.
FEBRUARY: Patrick Magann (cricket/hockey)
Conquering one sporting skill set can be hard enough let alone two at representative level, but Ashtonfield’s Patrick Magann has managed it with relative ease.
Magann started the year with selection in cricket’s NSW Country Boys Class at Easter, following Central North duties at the Bradman Cup.
The talented Eastern Suburbs all-rounder then went onto make the NSW Country-ACT side to contest the Under-17 National Championships in Hobart.
He also shone on the hockey field the Maitland Rams first grader worked his way through the ranks to earn a spot in the Australian Schoolboys’ squad.
MARCH: Sophie Hodgson (water polo)
Sophie Hodgson burst onto the national water polo scene in 2014.
The now 16-year-old from East Maitland worked her way through the ranks to make the NSW All Schools team to contest nationals in Noosa.
At club level, Hodgson played Australian junior championships, under 16s and under 18s, with the Hunter Hurricanes as well as a state under-20 carnival.
But undoubtedly the highlight was her selection in the Australian Born 1998 squad to tour New Zealand for a Pan Pacific competition and a three-Test series.
She was included in that group once again in December and travelled to the AIS for a training camp.
APRIL: Isabella Ferencz (surf lifesaving)
A home away from home is how 14-year-old Isabella Ferencz describes her surf lifesaving family.
The Hunter Valley Grammar School student has been a part of Cooks Hill Surf Club since the age of six and couldn’t imagine life any other way.
In 2014 Ferencz was named the NSW Junior Lifesaver of the Year at a ceremony during the Easter school holidays, after being nominated as the Hunter representative.
The award – based on performances on and off the beach including competition communication, leadership skills, community involvement and club participation – was presented following a development camp at the northern Sydney beach of Collaroy.
MAY: Angus Ernst (athletics)
Angus Ernst made his first national carnival one to remember, returning to Rutherford with gold and silver medals.
The 13-year-old represented NSW at the Australian Little Athletics Championships in Melbourne and finished first in the 400 metre final as well as second in the 4x100m relay.
This topped off a successful season for Ernst, who won titles at every Little Athletics level, set meet records and improved his own personal marks across multiple events.
Not limiting himself to the track, Ernst played representative junior rugby league for Maitland this year and helped All Saints College, St Joseph’s Campus, Lochinvar, land a historic clean sweep of Knights Knockout titles.
JUNE: Brodie Jones (rugby league)
Brodie Jones may not be a surfer but the year 10 student at All Saints College, St Joseph’s Campus, Lochinvar, didn’t want the rugby league wave he was riding to end.
Jones enjoyed a magic few weeks on the field in both a team and individual capacity in the middle of last season.
Jones was captain of the Newcastle Knights under-16 side that won the Harold Matthews premiership before the same side went onto claim the national title on an NRL game day in Townsville.
Shortly after he was named vice-captain of the NSW under-16 squad and played a curtain-raiser to the opening State of Origin match at Suncorp Stadium.
