Cross country skier and runner recognised for excellent results

Phoenix Sparke's excellence on the snow earned him the junior sportsperson of the year title while Emma O'Sullivan was named the senior sportsperson of the year.

Sparke competed in the 2023 National Biathlon Championship where he won the u18 male sprint and came second in the u18 male short course.

He then turned his attention to cross country skiing and competed in the 2023 Australian Classic Sprint Championships where he placed third in the u20 division and sixth in the open division.

He also took part in the 2023 Australian XC Distance Championships and the FIS Continental Cup where he did extremely well.

He was awarded a Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship too which was given to athletes who were identified as rising stars in their sport.

O'Sullivan was selected by Athletics Australia to represent the nation in the open women's team to race at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck, Austria.

She had won the open division at the NSW Mountain Running Championship in March running Orange's Mt Canobolas and, after receiving her selection letter, had less than six weeks to prepare.

She placed 91st which was an incredible achievement in an open international event.

O'Sullivan also competed at the NSW Half Marathon Championships in September and came 101^st out of 694 racers.

The other major award was the Alex MacLean Memorial club person of the year award which went to Renee Lewis for her contribution to netball in the region.

The night also featured guest speaker, Hockeyroos goalkeeper Zoe Newman, who spoke about the rejections she received before being selected for the national team.

Every month, a junior and senior sportsperson is nominated for the award and the Berrima District Sports Awards committee members vote to decide the overall winner.

The awards will return in 2024.