Sporty All-Rounder Nets "NZ Police Association Sportsperson of the Year 2008"
Excelling at sport has certainly paid off for frontline Christchurch Constable Grainne Scott who has just been named the NZ Police Association Sportsperson of the Year for 2008.
The annual award recognises the outstanding national sporting excellence achieved by a member of the Police. This year there were 10 nominees.
While working shift on the frontline in New Brighton, the talented all-rounder and self-confessed sports junkie, managed to take the title for her impressive achievements in Lacrosse and strong successes in a wide variety of other sports. These include: captaining the Canterbury Women’s Ice Hockey Team; karate; pistol shooting; triathlons; and swimming, to name a few.
After becoming a member of the New Zealand Lacrosse Team in 2006, she has been awarded the MVP at two international tournaments where she represented New Zealand.
Introduced to Lacrosse at the age of 11, while living in Europe and England where they played it at school, Constable Scott said her love for the game came from its “extremely fast nature”.
“It is a game where a lot of skill is involved, which offers its players many challenges.” She said it’s also great for the fitness levels too, which helps with her job as a Constable, stationed in New Brighton.
Constable Scott said she was “absolutely blown away” when she found out she had won the award. “I was pretty stunned, but definitely "very grateful" as it really is a huge honour.”
Police Association President, Greg O’Connor who presented the award at a ceremony in Christchurch, said the award recognised the outstanding efforts of a Police sportsperson who was dedicated and determined in pursuing their sporting goals.
He said Constable Scott clearly fitted into this category, and believed it was these types of qualities that are highly valued in members of the NZ Police.
Despite her love for the sport, Constable Scott will be taking a break from Lacrosse as her work with NZ Police is taking her to the Solomon Islands for six months.
“We leave in September and I am really looking forward to this, as it is going to be an awesome experience.”
“There is a Lacrosse tournament coming up in January though, so I may not be able to stay away from the sport for the whole six months.”
NZ Police Sportsperson of Year award background:
From 2002, the NZ Police Association have sponsored the Police Sportsperson of the Year Award, acknowledging the outstanding national sporting excellence achieved by members of Police. For over 35 years, this award has recognised members of Police who have excelled at their sport at a national level and is organised by the Police Council of Sport.
Previous nominees and recipients include:
Jeff McGrath - Iron man/Triathlete, Michelle Nunn, Captain of the NZ Women’s Wheel Chair Basketball Team - the Wheel Ferns; Cowboy Action Shooting World Champion Tracey Ball; NZ Black Cap cricketer Shane Bond, Atlantic Rowers Steve Westlake and Matt Goodman, Silver Fern Jenny-May Coffin, All Blacks Murray Pierce, John Gallagher and Blair Larsen, Kiwi rugby league star Sam Stewart, All White Roger Gray, hockey internationals Shane Collins, Scott Anderson and Karen Smith, cricketer Sarah Illingworth, lawn bowler Phil Skoglund, triathlete Steve Farrell, athlete Andrew Collins and martial artist Karen Vaughan.