Bigger and better: may the new year build on the old

Angie Sisifa. Photo by Linda Robertson.
Angie Sisifa. Photo by Linda Robertson.
Katey Martin. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
Katey Martin. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
Aaron Redmond. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
Aaron Redmond. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
Sam Timmins. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
Sam Timmins. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
Amber Hoffman. Photo by Matt Smith.
Amber Hoffman. Photo by Matt Smith.

Otago sports figures will be far and wide this Christmas - but they will all be dreaming of success in 2015. The Otago Daily Times sports department asked some of them these three questions.- 1Where will you be and what will you be doing for Christmas? 2What was your highlight of 2014? 3What are your hopes for 2015?

Tom Franklin
Highlanders lock
1. I'll be in Opotiki with the family. 2. Debuting for the Highlanders against the Lions at Forysth Barr Stadium. 3. Hoping not to scope myself in the forehead (currently sporting a good gash on my forehead), and lock down a starting spot in the team.

Nicki Paterson
Otago Secondary Schools Sports Association regional director
1. I will be spending Christmas Day in Waimate at my parents' house with my husband, his parents and our two daughters. We will then travel to Lake Ruataniwha for 10 days or so of camping with friends. 2. I enjoyed watching the Commonwealth Games and was intrigued how the Silver Ferns dealt with some unfortunate injury woes. They dug very deep, especially in the semifinal against England. I also took a lot of pleasure out of coaching my senior B netball team during the winter months. They were a joy to coach and they showed tremendous improvement and dedication. Finally, our winter tournament week in September was busy and rewarding. I was very impressed with the way in which the teams who participated acquitted themselves on and off the field, court, ice and turf. 3. I hope Casey Kopua's rehab is successful so that she is back ready to guide the Silver Ferns to win the world championships in Sydney. I hope we have sunshine on June 20 when the OSSSA hosts the New Zealand secondary schools cross-country in Dunedin. And I hope I take my New Year's resolutions more seriously.

Matt Joy
Southern United defender
1. I'll be in Christchurch with my family for Christmas Day. And then on Boxing Day I am flying to Thailand for a bit of a holiday. 2. Dunedin Technical reaching the quarterfinals of the Chatham Cup. And graduating in May. 3. Southern United making the playoffs.

Courtney Duncan
New Zealand motocross champion
1. I hate to say it but I will be travelling up to Whakatane. We've got the big summercross event the day after Boxing Day. So I'll just have Christmas Eve with family. 2. I'm only really starting to get back into competition now, so I'll have to say the Auckland championships a couple of weeks ago. I won all six races. 3. I'll be competing in the New Zealand senior 125cc class, which is going to be fun. Winning a full senior national title would be really cool.

Aaron Redmond
Otago Volts captain
1. I'll be at home in Roslyn and I'll have all my extended family over [from the UK and Australia]. 2. It was probably the highlight and the lowlight because we lost, but playing in the twenty20 final. 3. Wins for the boys. To turn around a tough start to the season, which I know we can. And obviously I've got a new baby on the way as well - so just a healthy boy.

Sam Timmins
Junior Tall Black
1. I'm going to be in Central Otago with my family, relaxing. 2. The biggest highlight was definitely winning the nationals with Otago Boys'. Going to the Youth Olympics in China was an unbelievable experience that I will remember for the rest of my life, and playing for the Junior Tall Blacks in Fiji. 3. Just to continue to get better and go with the ambition of getting as good as I can be and staying on top of schoolwork at the same time.

Storm Purvis
Steel defender
1. I will be in Hawkes Bay at my uncles' with all my family. It's generally a pretty big day and very traditional. Usually a Kiwi breakfast with seafood, followed by present opening, a huge Christmas lunch and plenty of backyard cricket. It's a pretty special time for us all, as our family is spread throughout the country and Australia. 2. I'd have to highlight our win against the premiership-winning Melbourne Vixens. It was our last game of the season and such a great way to finish. I also underwent surgery on both my legs in July this year and have been pretty proud of how well I've recovered and bounced back to be training. 3. My big hope is to win the ANZ Championship with the Steel. I think it's time we really stepped up and proved we are big contenders for the title. There is a great vibe among the team already. I'd also really like to graduate at the end of 2015 - it's been a long time coming, that one.

Richard Buckman
Highlanders winger
1. I'm heading through to our family holiday house in Taupo and will be there with family. 2. Debuting for the Highlanders against the Blues at Forsyth Barr Stadium. 3. I want to help the team improve on our quarterfinal finish and be the best team, on the field and off. I'm hoping to release a song for Joe ''Barney'' Wheeler early next year.

Katey Martin
Otago Sparks wicket
keeper 1. Christmas will be in Christchurch this year with the family. It will be a quiet family Christmas because we'll be getting ready for the cricket in the new year, so not too much. 2. Winning the women's one-day tournament, which is a long way off right now. 3. Sporting-wise, it would be for Otago to make at least one of the finals, and I'm also looking at buying a house in Dunedin. That is the big hope for me next year.

Mark Davidson
Racing Integrity Unit stipendiary steward
1. I will spend the morning in Waimate with my mother, then will drive back to Mosgiel in the afternoon and have a BBQ dinner of steak and venison with my wife and two daughters. 2. My daughter, Hayley, graduating from teachers' college. 3. That she gets a teaching job!Angie SisifaOtago Spirit captain 1. I'll be in Dunedin with the family, eating a bit of ham and chilling out. Hopefully we can get a pig on the stick going if the weather is good. 2. Winning the banner with Pirates was great. It has been a while. Then getting involved with the sevens. We had a good win last week in Timaru. 3. I hope to make the Black Ferns if they get something going next year. I want to win a banner for Otago. It's been so long.

Amber Hoffman
Westwood trainer
1. We'll be working horses. But hopefully I'll have lunch with my old man - maybe a roast or maybe a BBQ. 2. Jaccka Justy winning the Dominion, of course. 3. Hopefully Jaccka Justy can do it again next year.

David Heffernan
Oamaru Harness Racing Club president
1. We're going to the sister-in-law's out on the Waitaki Plains. We won't talk dairy payout. We normally just have roast chicken, pork, heaps right across the board. 2. When I was younger, it used to take forever for Christmas to come around - now it comes round in a tick. My highlight is I want the year back. 3. My wife tells me I've ended up with a tummy like Santa. So in 2015, I don't want to end up looking like Santa.

Glen Sinclair
Otago rowing administrator
1. Balclutha for lunch and Invercargill for dinner. 2. The international success for New Zealand rowing. It was the first time we ever topped the world cup and world championships points table. 3. Flatter water. It can be as simple as that for rowing people.

Joan Merrilees
Athletics coach
1. I'm going to be at home in Dunedin this year. 2. How well a lot of our athletes did at the national secondary school championships this year. Quite a few of them worked really hard through the winter, and most of them got PBs. 3. I would actually like to spend a bit more time coaching and getting rid of some of my other roles that I have in sport ... coaching is what I love to do.

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