2011 MainPower Youth Sports Scholarships Announced

The 2011 MainPower Sport Scholarships were announced at the annual North Canterbury Sports Awards on Friday 28 October at the Kaiapoi Workingmen’s Club. 

MainPower Scholarships were awarded to;

• Swimmer Natasha Lloyd ($5,000)
• Rower Olivia Loe ($2,000)
• Mountain biker Anton Cooper ($2,000)

The three scholarship winners were selected from twelve highly talented North Canterbury and Kaikoura scholarship finalists. 

Natasha Lloyd is a champion breaststroke swimmer who achieved selection in the New Zealand Commonwealth Youth Games in 2011where she won bronze in the 200metres breaststroke, setting a new New Zealand Age record.  In 2011 Natasha holds five New Zealand Open titles, won six gold medals at the New Zealand Age Group Championships and two gold medals at the Australian Age Group Championships.  She has broken over 25 age group records in the last year.

Olivia Loe is the 2010/2011 South Island Sculler of the Year.  She was a member of the New Zealand U23 Women’s Quad which won 4^th at the 2011 World Championships.  Olivia won 3^rd place in the U21 Pairs, 2^nd place in the U21 Fours and 1^st place in the U21 Eights at the 2011 National Rowing Championships.  She was a 2010 member of the New Zealand Junior Rowing Team and has been selected to trial for the New Zealand Summer Squad.

Anton Cooper is a member of the New Zealand Mountain Biking Team which competed at the Mount Bike World Championships in 2011.  Anton was 1^st in the U19 Round 6 World Cross Country Mountain Bike Championships, beating his nearest rival by 1min 30sec.  Anton is also the U19 New Zealand and Oceania Mountain Bike champion.  In 2011 he was the youngest ever winner of the Karapoti Classic and Matotapu, where is also the New Zealand record holder.  Anton has recently signed a multi-year management deal with 23 Degrees Sports, the leading athlete agency for international mountain bike racing.

Click here to go to the Youth Sports Scholarship page