LAST year Jason Belmonte was in winning form, so it was no surprise he added the 2014 Orange Credit Union Sportsperson of the Year crown to his list of achievements on Monday night.
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It was the sixth time the tenpin bowler had won the senior award and he said that didn’t diminish the importance for him.
“It’s the same feeling. You’re proud and you’re very grateful that the town acknowledges your sporting achievements,” Belmonte beamed.
“I love standing in front of the people of Orange and telling them I’m a bowler, and ... for them to award me as the sportsperson in town is a real honour, because listening to all the other nominees, Orange is filled with amazing sports talent, so I’m very honoured.”
Belmonte, who celebrates his 32nd birthday today, beat out an impressive list of finalists for the award including former winners and pistol shooters Dave Oates and Dean Brus, netballers Charlotte Jasprizza and Mardi Aplin, duathletes Stephanie and Tristan Harrison and hockey gun Madie Smith.
The award judges agreed Belmonte’s brilliant 2014 couldn’t be overlooked.
It started with him being crowed the Professional Bowlers Association player of the year for 2013, an award voted on by his peers.
He then won the Tournament of Champions by beating Wes Malott 219-218 in the final.
Three weeks later he claimed the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Masters by beating EJ Tackett in the final 221-177.
He also won the 2014 Oklahoma Open in spectacular fashion
Belmonte qualified for the top five stepladder final in fifth and beat Tommy Jones 187-171, Bill O’Neill 199-191 and Chris Loschetter 194-175 to book a place in the decider against top qualifier Tackett.
Belmonte’s experience came through in the final as he accounted for Tackett 193-145.
He was also part of the Australian team which won bronze in the trios at the WBA Men’s World Championship.
The Orange bowler, who is already in the Orange Sporting Hall of Fame, said he thought 2014 was his best season to date.
VIDEO: Jason Belmonte speaks with Michelle Cook about his award:
“I think the previous year I had won the Masters, not the TOC, but I qualified for all the majors for the television finals, which had only been done once or twice before that, and I only won the Masters, whereas the second year (2014) I happened to win the Masters and the TOC,” he explained.
“So, in terms of consistency, 2013 was a fantastic year, 2014 was better for winning, so 2015, I’m going to put them both together, I hope, and win and be more consistent.”
Belmonte’s next challenge won’t be on the lanes as he forms part of a six-person panel to put forward a bid to the International Olympic Committee for tenpin bowling to be included in the 2020 Games.
If the bid is successful, he doesn’t think it would make him a clear choice for the 2015 Orange Sportsperson of the Year.
“That’s not really my sporting achievement, but I tell you what, if I win gold in 2020, that’s going to be a tough act to beat in the 2020 Sportsperson of the Year award,” he laughed.
