We were so spoilt for choice with nominations for our December Sportsperson of the Month, that we decided to showcase them all! Introducing some of the very best that Jersey has to offer in the world of sport…
Name: Kitty Brewer
Age: 17
Sport: Surfing
Kitty started surfing with her three older brothers when she just 4-years-old. She has won both the Under 14s and 16s British National titles and most recently the Under 18s British National Championship. Kitty is a Billabong Europe Team Rider and has surfed for Team GB, as well as captained their junior team. At the Junior World Championship last year she was ranked 17th; choosing this year to abstain from the event to concentrate on her studies and university applications.
Name: Vladimiro “Miro” Afonso
Age: 38
Sport: Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, MMA and Judo
Miro started Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in 2003, Mixed Martial Arts in 2005, and joined the Jersey Judo Club a couple of months ago in a bid to compete at the Island Games as part of Team Jersey. This year, he has achieved a 5th place (Abu Dhabi) and 2nd place (Lisbon) at the World Pro, as well as two 3rd places at the Europeans (Rome) and five British titles in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Name: Ricky Rouille
Age: 59
Sport: Coastal Rowing
Ricky has been rowing for 40+ years and has had lots of successes along the way. Over the years, he has come home with countless Bronze, Silver and Gold medals from a number of British and World Championships, but says one of his favourite moments in his rowing career was with his son, Hayden, where they came home with a Silver medal from the Senior Welsh Open Offshore Championships earlier this year. Ricky quotes “I’ve had great successes during the last two seasons of coastal rowing with the help of the Jersey Sport Foundation. I still have one more race for 2018 in Italy, of which I’m hoping for continued success!”
Name: Richard Payne
Age: 33
Sport: Mountain biking
2018 has been a great year for Ricky, where he has travelled all over the world from South America to Eastern Europe, competing in the Enduro World Series. He has had a mixed season with a couple injuries to contend with, but has still managed to achieve results within the Top 100 rankings. Domestically, Ricky has achieved results in the Top 10 in the Elite category for the National Series and says that he “cannot wait to be even more competitive in 2019”.
Name: Will Masterman
Age: 16
Sport: Surfing
Will started surfing when he was 8-years-old, taking multiple podium wins at the Junior British Nationals, before being crowned winner of the UK Pro Surf Tour in 2015 and the UK RipCurl Grom Search Series in 2018, giving him a golden ticket to compete in the RipCurl Grom Search World Final in 2019. Most recently, he was placed 13th at the Vissla ISA World Junior Championships, making him the highest ranking male UK competitor and 2nd highest European competitor. Will is now focusing his efforts on travelling to the WSL European Pro Junior events and catching up on work for his A Levels.
