Hasting teen sails into the spotlight

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Issue date

7 Dec 2015

Otis Horne (19) has travelled further than most when it comes to pursuits on the water.

Photo by David Olsen

The Hastings sailor won the Attitude Courage in Sport Award at the 2015 Attitude Awards on December 3 – the UN sanctioned ‘International Day of People with Disability’.

The national awards celebrate the excellence and achievements of Kiwis living with a disability. This year’s winners were announced at a black tie gala held at Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre and hosted by television news presenter Simon Dallow.

The Awards have grown out of the Attitude TV series which screens on TV ONE on Sunday mornings at 8:30AM. The overall Attitude ACC Supreme Award was won by teenager Muskan Devta (16).

Chair of the Attitude Trust Dan Buckingham says the Awards are about celebrating outstanding achievements across what is a broad and diverse sector of society.

“We celebrated winners across eight different categories, with awards for art, community and sporting achievements. It was such a difficult process to determine the winners as all of the 24 finalists were absolutely fantastic in their own right. It is a privilege to be able to tell all of their stories and celebrate their successes,” he says.

Otis was born with Spina Bifida and started using a wheelchair when he was just three-years-old. Otis knew from a young age that sport was something he was passionate about and something he was pretty good at too.

When Otis was 12 he gave sailing a go for the first time with Sailability Hawke’s Bay. It didn’t take long for him to learn the ropes and he quickly learnt to sail solo.

His biggest achievement came in April this year when he sailed solo across the notorious Cook Strait.

Otis faced 11 gruelling hours of challenging conditions with high winds in excess of 20 knots and swells over four metres cancelling ferries.

Exhausted and determined, he made it to shore near Mana Island just as the sun was setting and conditions had calmed. Only a few days later Otis asked his coach: “What are we doing next?’.

It is this courageous – if a little wild – attitude that has seen Otis go from strength to strength.

Other Attitude Award winners are Nick Chisholm (Spirit of Attitude), Rachel Callander (Making a Difference), Michael Johnson (Sport Performer of the Year), CQ Hotels Wellington (ACC Employer Award), Nicholas Brockelbank (Junior) and Salem Foxx (Artistic Achievement). Gary Williams was inducted into the Attitude Hall of Fame and Sean Prendeville won the Attitude People’s Choice Award.

Chief Executive of ACC Scott Pickering says ACC is proud to be principal sponsor of the awards for the eighth year.

“The Attitude Awards shine a light on New Zealand’s unsung heroes. At ACC we’re delighted to support the Awards and to acknowledge New Zealanders who live life to the fullest, achieve their goals and provide role models to our community.”

The Courage in Sport Award was sponsored by Westpac. Other sponsors supporting the Awards include: Drake Medox, Ministry of Health, Barfoot & Thompson, IHC Foundation, Air New Zealand, Lion Foundation, Invacare and the Wayne Francis Charitable Trust.

For the latest on the Awards and the Attitude TV programme:

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https://www.facebook.com/attitudetv

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https://twitter.com/attitude_tv

Watch previous Awards footage at www.AttitudeLive.com

Full list of winners and locations:

Attitude ACC Supreme Award and Attitude Youth Award Muskan Devta – Auckland

Attitude Courage in Sport Award

Otis Horne – Hastings

Spirit of Attitude Award

Nick Chisholm – Dunedin