2024 Mid West Sport Awards preview: The finalists for administrator and sports personality of the year

Administrators and personalities — when it comes to local sport, these two categories are poles apart but are equally valuable.

On one hand, administrators are the quiet achievers who keep things ticking along and are responsible for many thankless tasks, while on the other, personalities are those characters whose presence looms large through every facet of their club and sport.

With just three days to go until the 52nd Geraldton Guardian Mid West Sports Awards, the finalists of the last two categories to be featured are administrator and sports personality of the year.

Each category has five worthy finalists who have significantly impacted their patch of the local sporting scene.

Vying for administrator of the year are Emma Streich (soccer), Hayley Halton (basketball), Luke Ertzen (tennis), Linsey Heinrich (athletics) and the Geraldton Surf Life Saving Club.

Streich from Chapman Athletic Soccer Club has worked around the clock to provide for her club, with her roles including secretary, registrar, compliance officer and governance officer. It’s safe to say Streich has just about done it all at the club.

Halton has shone bright behind the scenes for Olympians Basketball Club. During her tenure, Halton has boosted membership numbers and facilitated training and development programs including an under-10s skills camp encouraging kids to keep up their basketball over the off-season.

Ertzen, of Spalding Park Tennis Club and Geraldton Tennis Centre, was instrumental in the amalgamation of three city-based tennis clubs to create one, Geraldton Tennis Centre. He was named president of the new club and has worked with Tennis West to get grant applications approved to help grow the club.

Heinrich, from Geraldton Athletics Centre, has led the drive for growth at the track. As vice-president, he has driven numerous key projects that have significantly enhanced GAC’s infrastructure, providing lasting benefits for athletes and the broader community.

Geraldton Surf Life Saving Club rounds out the nominations for administrator of the year, being recognised as a whole club for increasing numbers in their nippers program, which aids youth development and water safety. In January, the club hosted the State Country Carnival, drawing more than 600 competitors to Geraldton’s Back Beach.

Sports personality of the year always proves to be a popular award and this year is no different.

The five finalists are Jason Bradley (taekwon-do), Paul Sorensen (football), Peter Brown (basketball), Carlo Licastro (soccer) and Darren Winterbine (high performance).

Bradley has been around the taekwondo scene for more than 40 years and coaching it for 28 years in Geraldton. He has helped grow the sport in the regions, travelling all over WA and the world to compete and coach.

Sorensen, a veteran of Chapman Valley Football Club, has exemplified the term “Loyal Royal” over his 30 years at the club.

He has seen the good, the bad and the ugly during his time at Chapman Valley, culminating in playing in the 2024 grand final win in which Chapman Valley broke their 32-year drought, with hard work and persistence finally paying off.

Brown has served the Geraldton Amateur Basketball Association for years with the goal of growing the game in Geraldton. Since retuning to his role as president in 2019, Brown has overseen considerable increase in court space as well as upgrades to facilities and safety for the community.

Licastro has volunteered for 30 years as well as being a player for 41 years at Chapman Athletic Soccer Club. He has coached thousands of kids and adults over his time and is a life member of both Geraldton Junior Soccer Association and Chapman Athletic Soccer Club.

Winterbine recently moved on from the Mid West Academy of Sport where he had spent eight years in the high-performance role for basketball and was a driving force behind the growth of the academy. He took the number of athletes from 12 when he started to now more than 120.

The Mid West Sport Awards will be held at the Wintersun Hotel on Saturday, November 30. For last-minute tickets, visit https://events.humanitix.com/geraldton-guardian-mid-west-sports-awards.