Wodonga Council is pleased to announce there were four deserving winners of the January YAS award.
The recipients were Maree Matthew, Macey Sutherland, as well as Max and Joanna Garoni.
Maree Matthew was selected to play soccer for the NSW Under 15 Girls team in the Fiji Cup last December.
The Wodonga Middle Years College, Felltimber Campus student was selected to play after being seen in Sydney for the NSW Riverina Country Under 14 team in the NSW Country Cup.
The 13-year-old has only been playing soccer for one year since moving locally to Wodonga from Tumbarumba.
Her mother, Kathy said her daughter was naturally gifted when it came to playing sport and enjoys most physical activities.
"At school she plays whatever sport is going, she picks things up quickly and gives everything a go," she said.
Maree is on a high after coming back from Fiji last December, winning the Fiji Cup in the Under 14 side.
The trip was an eye-opener for Maree who spent a week in Fiji with the team, visiting islands and taking part in other team bonding activities.
Another recipient was Macey Sutherland who has just finished Year 12 at Tallangatta Secondary College and has represented Victoria in the Australian Under 18 Indoor Hockey Championships.
The 18-year-old started playing hockey from the age of seven, taking after her parents and siblings.
She plays in both indoor and outdoor competitions, making state teams each year since the age of 11.
Macey enjoys the competitiveness of the game and the friendships made.
Our final recipients were twin siblings Max and Joanna Garoni.
The 15-year-olds have been playing softball for eight years.
Joanna recently represented Victoria in the Under 17 Girls Softball Championships, with her brother also competing in the championships.
Max was excited to be selected this year as he has overcome medical issues in the past couple of years which has prevented him achieving his dream of representing his state in the Under 17 Boys Victorian team.
Max is a strong infielder and is able to bat consistently and can hit hard, while Joanna in a pitcher and a strong infielder who can also hit hard.
Joanna has represented many state and local teams and was extra excited about the national championships, which were held last week, as she got to share the experience with her twin. Both sides finished third in the competition.