THEJC.COMTHEJC.COM THE JEWISH CHRONICLE 21 DECEMBER 201850 SPORT THE JEWISH CHRONICLE

21 DECEMBER 2018 SPORT 51

MACCABI GB SPORTS AWARDS 2018PARTNERS

ROLL OF HONOURSUSAN HALTER ELITE ATHLETE AWARDHannah Viner

RICHARD URBAN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENTNigel Kyte/TFFC

SAM BULKA MACCABI GB COMMUNITY FUN RUN AWARDRio Woolf

UJIA MACCABI YOUTH GAMES AWARDMinnie Freed

JCC MACCABI GAMES AWARDBoys U14 Blue Football

THE JC SCHOOL SPORTS AWARDNaima Jewish Preparatory School

KEN GRADON RACHMANUS AWARDElliott Simmons Maccabi GB Challenge Israel Tour

FRED WORMS OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEERBen Rosen

V ENGLAND LONG-DISTANCE runner Hannah Viner expressed delight after winning the Susan Halter Elite Athlete award.

The 22-year-old from Belsize Park has made her mark in a number of events, continuing her rise in the sport, having also been nominated for the accolade 12 months ago.

“It’s a massive honour and unexpect-ed,” said Viner of her MGB award. “It’s a real honour to represent the Jewish community in athletics. It’s nice recog-nition for how hard I’ve worked.”

2018 has been her breakthrough year. Not only did Viner achieve personal bests in all her events, from the 800m through to the 10k, but she made the UK under-23 top 10 rankings in several races, against very strong competition. This even included the 5k parkrun, which attracts large fields nationally every weekend. Viner is currently No. 1 in the UK in her age category and the 50th all-time fastest woman for this event.

Her daily regime consists of running between 60 to 70 miles a week, some-times training twice a day, including two or three interval sessions.

“I’m lucky to have a very good train-ing group to help push me on,” said Viner. “I’d like to thank my parents, who have supported me tirelessly, my coach, Matt Yates, my boyfriend and training partners Emma and Yasmin.”

A member of Belsize Square Syna-gogue, and in the final year of an Eng-lish literature degree at King’s College London, Viner has caught the eye with her outstanding performances repre-senting Highgate Harriers. She took up the sport after becoming “fed up of the FA’s politics of being the only girl in a boys’ football team” at the age of 11. “I got into running through school,” she said. “As a Year Seven pupil, I ran at the Camden cross country championships and finished second.”

She was spotted by Camden council and recommended to Highgate where she has been training for nine years. “I started with cross country races but around the age of 16, I started to take my running more seriously as I was doing well. During the track season I set new personal bests in the 800m, 1,500, 3k and 5k and I really enjoyed road running too.” She describes the 10k as her “favourite distance”.

Viner explained: “I find it easier to break the distance down in road runs, when I’m not running in circles and there is also the fear factor of eve-ryone watching you around the track.”

She insists her three siblings are “very proud” of her achievements and says winning her first England international vest in October was “one of her favourite high-lights so far”.

Reflecting on her

performance that helped England win the team gold at the Sobhi Sport 10K in Rennes, Viner reflected: “It was an amazing experience representing my country in an international road race.

“I will also never forget being invited to take part at the British Champion-ships for the first time last summer, rac-ing against the very best athletes in the UK.”

Viner has completed her race sched-ule this year, but she will “continue to train hard” as she prepares for some big competitions in 2019.

“I have the Middlesex County cross country competition in Perivale on January 5,” she said. “That will be fol-lowed by the South of England champi-onships, the National championships and the Inter-County championships, which are all big senior races.

“By next summer I would like to be running faster than ever and hope to achieve a senior women’s vest for Eng-land. I’m really proud to be running for my country. It’s really exciting as peo-ple look at you differently and take you more seriously.”l Winning and Temple Fortune have not always gone hand in hand over the years, but in terms of longevity, they are head and shoulders above the rest in the Maccabi GB (Southern) Football League.

Celebrating its 50th season in exist-ence, Nigel Kyte, chairman of Temple Fortune FC, has been the mainstay of the club who are the recipients of the Richard Urban Lifetime Achievement award.

Kyte was one of the original founders of the club in 1968. He lived next door to Princes Park in Temple Fortune, where he, his brother Peter and two other friends established TFFC following a series of kickabouts.

It has been something of a topsy-tur-vy journey since then – at its height For-tune have run three men’s teams, two in the MGBSFL, which the club joined in season 1976/77, and they are the found-

er members of the Maccabi Mas-ters League, which they joined

in 1999. Fortune won the old MSFL Second Division cham-pionship in 1985/86 and two years later, the 1st XI returned to the Premier Division for

another three-year stint.Season 2015/16 was TFFC’s

40th of consecutive participation in

Maccabi football, a feat unmatched by any other

current MGB-SFL team. Kyte e s t i m a t e s t h a t F o r -tune have had approx-

imately 850 players repre-

senting the club over the years. But main-taining three teams

has proved something of an issue for Kyte, who oversees the club’s administration and is the current treasurer.

Reflecting on the club’s 50th anniversary,

Kyte said: “It’s an incredible milestone, especially when you consider how many clubs have gone under. It also speaks volumes about our excellent reputa-tion, longevity and high-ranking status within Maccabi sport. And when new players join, I make sure they under-stand the ethos of the club, which makes it so special. To me a sense of history and tradition is important and I try to instil this into our players.

Kyte insists this award “is for the foot-ball club, not me”. He went on to say: “I don’t like all the fuss and backslapping and prefer to stay out of the limelight. I hold it all together but it wouldn’t be possible without such a great team around me, including Lee Fegan, Simon Linden, Steven Black and the Old Boys management. And plenty of hard-work-ing officers over the years, such as Jona-than Cohen and many others.

“I kept the club running during the stagnant pre-league era as there were times when people were not prepared to do all the donkey work. I’ve become

so engrossed in the club’s history and I find it so much easier doing the main club admin myself. It’s just become a way of life for me.”

In an age when numbers in grass-roots football are on the decline, Kyte, who won the MSFL Team Secretary of the Year in 2006/07, says he is as enthusias-tic as ever. He also oversees Temple For-tune’s presence on social media. “I think it’s been positive for the league and the hope is it will lead to more teams getting involved,” he said. “My aim now is for the club to reach 50 seasons in the MGBSFL to become the longest-running ever.” He designed and artworked a book of more than 100 pages to commemorate the club’s Golden Anniversary this month.

Kyte is also a qualified referee. He lives and breathes amateur football and offi-ciates at University 1st XI level at UCL, in the Southern Amateur League, and Southern Amateur Vets League, as well as having returned to the MGBSFL. He said: “I decided to come back this sea-son due to the introduction of sin-bins.

I’d stopped as I’d become fed up of all the constant whingeing and dissent, but the sin-bins have been great for this level. It was trialled in the Southern Ama-teur League last season and dissent was decreased enormously.

“I expect to referee around 50 match-es this season and remain highly dedi-cated to Maccabi football.”l Minnie Freed was praised for her “strong leadership skills” after winning the UJIA Maccabi Youth Games prize. JFS pupil Freed, who is 14 and lives in High-gate, was part of a Maccabi Great Britain squad who took part at the inaugural event in Israel.

An member of the judging panel described Freed as “someone we know will have a long future with MGB due to her bubbly and engaging personal-ity, combined with her willingness to support and help others sets her apart.

“As a true leader, she led both on and off the pitch, supported staff and her team-mates wherever possible and was a reliable and honest young woman,

who did all she could to encourage and help in any way she could.

“This is also why she won the MGB Future Female Leader Award at the Youth Games and worked with her squad to bring home a first junior girls football medal at an international games”.

Upon receiving the award, Freed said: “I’m so thankful and proud and, equally, I’m incredibly grateful that I was able to get involved with an international games during the summer. It really was phenomenal, making friendships with people from different countries, embracing our Jewish identities.

“I hope that I’ll stay involved with MGB in the future and, hopefully, one day I’ll wear a ‘manager’s’ t-shirt and be able to both inspire young athletes and give them the experience of a lifetime.”l The Maccabi GB U14 Blue football squad collected the JCC Maccabi Games Award. They were acknowledged by the judging panel for “showing commit-ment, dedication and passion to win the

gold medal and pulling together as a team despite previous tournament results”.

Joint-manager Alex Elf described the event as “an incredible experience”. He said: “The games are held over five-days, however the build up takes 10 months of preparation, including trials, training and kit ordering which are all part of the experience.”

This year’s JCC was hosted by Orange County and were about “sport, together-ness and Jewish continuity,” said Elf. “As part of this journey, you build relation-ships with your squad, their families and, of course, the managerial team. This is what makes the experience so memorable.

“Along with my co-coach, Callum Stein, we were able to build a strong bond with our squad who were undoubtedly the most organised team in the tournament, conceding only three and scoring 51 goals in seven matches.”

Asked about the recipe for success, Elf continued: “To win gold, playing seven games in four days, requires a lot of effort both physically and men-tally. Credit must go to the squad who worked hard at every training session and never stopped running even in 104 Fahrenheit.

“A big thank you must go to every-one at MGB who helped to organise the event, as well as heads of delega-tion, Janice and Ian Aarons and support from all the parents.

“I wish the 2019 JCC Maccabi Games Squad the best of luck at the upcom-ing games in Detroit.”l Naima JPS secured the JC School Sports team prize for its “excellent attitude, attendance and all-round exemplary behav-iour at every tournament”. Nai-ma’s Alexandra Cohen comment-ed: “We have a wonderful spirit across all areas of the school and are delighted to see that it has been recog-nised in sport too.”

The achievement capped a memora-ble few months for the Maida Vale inde-pendent Sephardi primar y which received the top rating of excel-lent for both the a c h i e v e m e n t s and development of pupils earlier this year.l Rio Woolf, a 10-year-old ampu-

tee, won the Sam Bulka Maccabi GB Community Fun Run award. Nick-named Baby Bladerunner, Woolf was born with Tibial Aplasia, a rare bone deficiency, in his right leg which meant it had to be amputated. Run-ning on a new prosthetic blade, he attended the event with parents, Trevor and Juliette, raising funds for Camp Simcha. Woolf explained: “I got involved as it’s a great way to start running. The Maccabi GB Community Fun Run was very important to me as I like to feel involved in sport and it helps physically and mentally.” Woolf was singled out for “showing what this event was all about”.

Young Rio, who met footballing hero David Beckham at the Invic-tus Games in Sydney last month, describes GB Paralympian Jonny Peacock as his “inspiration”. Woolf said: “He doesn’t let anything hold him back.” l Ben Rosen, winner of the Fred Worms Outstanding Volunteer, was praised for being a “fantastic young leader who cares about the develop-ment and well being of participants and athletes”.MGB credited him for “dedicating endless hours in the UK and abroad inspiring young people, both on and off the playing field. He plays an integral part as a participant and as a leader, showing what is possible from a Maccabi journey through projects such as Streetwise and International Games”.

Rosen, 19, admits he gives up his time as he “likes to give back to the community”. A student in Notting-ham, he came through a four-year course on sports leadership with flying colours. And he says the pro-

gramme helped him “find myself and develop as a person”. He went on to say: “I used to volunteer at sports camps and then led a team on a football zone.”

A member of Borehamwood and Elstree United Synagogue, his “most memorable event was the most recent leadership weekend where I advised a group of Level One participants who are only just starting their own journey. It was great seeing some of the delega-tion go from shy and quiet individuals to coming out of their shells and lead great sessions. It’s a memory that will

stay with me for a while.”l The Ken Gradon Rachmanus award went to the Elliott Sim-mons Maccabi GB Challenge Israel Tour.This is a unique trip to Israel for young people, aged 16 to 19, with

mild to moderate learning dif-ficulties. Over the 12-day trip,

participants toured the country whilst learning about cul-tural, historical, religious and social elements, as well undertaking an activity each day involving a physi-cal ‘challenge’.The group were praised for “sup-p o r t i n g o n e a n o t h e r w h e n challenged with

activities that real-ly pushed them

out of their comfort zone and encouraged

them to be the best version of themselves”.

The summer of 2018 was one of the hottest on record in the UK. The action was fast and furious on the pitch too. Here Danny Caro catches up with the winners of this year’s Maccabi GB Sports Awards Sporting stars

take a bowin MGB honours’list Rio Woolf

said his participation at the Maccabi GB CommunityFun Run helped him physically and mentally

The Elliott Simmons Maccabi GB Challenge Israel Tour group

Maccabi GB U14 Blue won gold at the

JCC Maccabi Games in Orange County, California

Minnie Freed won the UJIA Maccabi Youth Games award

Hannah Viner

Ben RosenNigel Kyte