Sportstar of the Year Ten in race for top award

THE cream of North Queensland sport will be honoured at the 2006 Townsville Bulletin Sportstar of the Year Awards.

It will be preceded by a dinner at The Pier restaurant for the nominees and guests.
The winner will receive $2000 to cover travel costs and a silver medallion.
This year's list of nominees includes last year's winner BRUCE SCOTT.
The Commonwealth Games gold medallist will be looking to become the sixth dual winner of the award.
Scott won a gold medal in the open full bore rifle event at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games.
He also teamed with partner James Corbett to win a silver medal in the open full bore pairs.
Fellow Commonwealth games gold medallist BRAD NEWLEY also was nominated for his achievements on the basketball court.
The Townsville Crocodiles star was a member of the Australian team which beat New Zealand 81-76 to claim gold in Melbourne.
He also was a member of the Australian team which competed at the world championships in Japan.
Disabled athlete ASTI POOLE also tasted success at the Commonwealth Games, returning to Townsville with a bronze medal from the seated shot put.
Later in the year, Poole snared her first international gold medal after taking out the F54 shot put at the FESPIC Games in Kuala Lumpur.
Earlier at the Games she won silver in the discus and javelin.
The FESPIC Games is the biggest multi-sports and multi-disability event for athletes with a disability in Asia and Oceania and the second largest in the world after the Paralympics.
Cowboys stars JOHNATHAN THURSTON and LUKE O'DONNELL were nominated following outstanding seasons at NRL and representative levels.
The pair were members of the successful Australian Tri-Nations team while Thurston was a member of the triumphant Queensland State of Origin team and O'Donnell wore the New South Wales jersey for the first time.
Cycling also is well represented among this year's nominees through RUTH CORSET and TODD PASCOE.
Corset caused a major upset at the national road club championships on the Sunshine Coast when she won the 91km event.
Corset's bold ride stunned a high-quality field.
Pascoe made a name for himself on BMX tracks in 2006.
He used his home-track advantage to win the elite division of the Queensland BMX championships in Townsville.
His achievements were recognised later in the year when he was named Australia's Junior Male BMX Cyclist of the Year.
Archer DORELLE FOX earned her nomination after a sensational performance at the International Field Archery Association World Championships at Maryborough.
Fox, competing for the first time in four years, smashed four of her own world records in the veteran women's barebow recurve division on her way to winning the world title.
Swimmer PENNY PALFREY will be attempting to win her third Sportstar of the Year award.
Palfrey (nee Bond) won the award previously in 1993 and 1998.
She gained a nomination this year after becoming the fastest female swimmer of the English Channel in 2006.
She covered the famous 34km stretch of water from England to France in nine hours and 16 minutes.
Rugby union player KELLI DONNELLY rounds out the list of qualifiers after gaining selection for the Australian rugby union team, the Wallaroos, which competed at the women's World Cup in Canada. The Wallaroos finished the tournament in seventh position.
HONOUR ROLL
Past winners of the Townsville Bulletin Sportstar of the Year award:
1976................................................................LESLEIGH HARVEY (swimming)
1977....................................................................JOYCE TREGEA (table tennis)
1978....................................................................STEVEN COLLEDGE (hockey)
1979 ......................................................................FIONA MOORE (swimming)
1980 ....................................................................PETER GRIGG (rugby union)
1981 ......................................................................CRAIG RICHARDS (cycling)
1982 .........................................................................PETER HEUKE (shooting)
1983.............................................................................JULIE WEST (swimming)
1984 ...................................................................SANDY O'MELIA (water polo)
1985...............................................................MARK PICKERING (water skiing)
1986 ...................................................................SANDY O'MELIA (water polo)
1987.................................................................................JOE SCUDERI (cricket)
1988 ...........................................................................NATHAN PAGE (cycling)
1989 ............................................................................LINDA ORROW (cycling)
1990...............................................................BINDEE GOON CHEW (athletics)
1991 .....................................................................GISELA CLAYTON (archery)
1992.......................................................................GISELA CLAYTON (archery)
1993 ..................................................................PENNY PALFREY (swimming)
1994 ..................................................................................KARRIE WEBB (golf)
1995....................................................................................KARRIE WEBB (golf)
1996 ......................................................................BAEDEN CHOPPY (hockey)
1997........................................................................BAEDEN CHOPPY (hockey)
1998....................................................................PENNY PALFREY (swimming)
1999.....................LISA VANSKA (triathlon), BRETT CLARKE (table tennis)
2000............................................................BROOKE STOCKHAM (swimming)
2001 ...................SCOTT BOWER (taekwondo), VENUS JOHNSON (darts)
2002......................................................................................TONY DAVID (darts)
2003..........................................................................JULIE BENNELL (athletics)
2004..........................................................................MATT SING (rugby league)
2005 .........................................................................BRUCE SCOTT (shooting)

Teams award down to a five-way battle
FIVE teams have been nominated for the 2006 Townsville Bulletin Sports Team of the Year award.
The list includes the Town High basketball team, Townsville men's hockey team, the Arcadian under-15 R&R team, the sidecar team of Scott Christopher and Trent Koppe and beach volleyballers Emma Spiegelhauer and Kirra Huddy.
The Townsville men's hockey team put eight consecutive grand final losses behind them to win the Queensland Premier League title with a 2-1 win over Toowoomba.
The premiers were also named team of the tournament, awarded for outstanding sportsmanship.
The Arcadian team of Becky Brunker, Samantha Ackers, Katie Artis, Marissa Cluff and Kellie Preston won a gold medal at the national surf lifesaving championships on the Gold Coast.
They defeated favourites Bronte on a countback in the final after both teams scored four points.
Christopher and Koppe enjoyed their biggest sidecar success in the 2006, winning the World Sidecar Gold Trophy Championships in the UK.
They beat a field which included the best teams from Australia and Great Britain in an event billed as the unofficial world championship of sidecar racing.
Spiegelhauer and Huddy pulled off a minor upset to win the under-17 national championship on the Gold Coast.
The second seeds beat the No. 1-ranked team from South Australia in the final.
Caption:  Bruce Scott
Brad Newley
Asti Poole
Johnathan Thurston
Luke O'Donnell
Ruth Corset
Todd Pascoe
Dorelle Fox
Penny Palfrey
Kelli Donnelly