BEING named Club Sports Tweeddale's Sports Personality of the Year rounds off an impressive season for cyclist Katy Winton.

Since making the switch of discipline from Cross Country racing to Enduro, she has made it as high as top 7 in the world ranking and is currently in the top 10.

It is a far cry from little under two years ago, when she wondered if she had any future in cycling at all. Speaking to the Border Telegraph, she said: “I have been racing Cross Country since I was 12. And I did that competitively up to the point where I was trying to qualify for the Commonwealth Games.

“But I was overtraining. That resulted in eight months of chronic stress. I had just ran myself into the ground. I nearly gave up biking altogether. That was a low point. But it brought me to where I am now. The key aspects of Enduro cycling suit my strengths as a cyclist, so I made the change. And I'm delighted I did. I have never looked back since.”

The 22 year old from Peebles puts her transformation down to the support of friends, family and coach Geraint Florida-James. Having sampled competitive riding trails across Europe she also highlights the benefits of growing up with cycling conditions in the Tweed Valley.

“This is the best place to train,” she enthuses. “It teaches you a lot, because it is really muddy here, so you get a lot of skills from being able to ride in the mud. It is very difficult and requires different degrees of technical riding. When you bring the best in the world here, they actually struggle, because the trees are so tight, and it is a really different type of riding. So it is a leveller!

There is so much you can learn in this area, you have got such a variety of riding, from the trail centres at Glentress to the more natural riding towards Innerleithen and further afield. And there are more and more people building trails now. They all have their own idea of what makes a good trail, so you are getting a different style everywhere, which means you are getting a broad range of skills just from one area.

“Last winter I was based here, and I didn’t ride anywhere else, because I had everything that I needed on my doorstep. Here, you can just live and breathe biking if you really want to now. In the longrun, that can only help us bring more riders through too.”

Junior Sports Personality of the Year Jacob Adkin is no stranger to European competition either, the Moorfoot Runners athlete has regularly represented Scotland since making the U17 team in 2012. Then in June 2014, second place in the Great Britain trial race for the Under-20 European Championships gained him automatic selection for his first GB vest.

In total, he has made 4 GB selections in the last two years, with three top ten finishes in major Championships, and made significant contributions to three GB team bronze medals, across various hill running and mountain events in Snowdonia, Tuscany and Madeira.

Speaking about his forthcoming plans, Jacob told the Border Telegraph: “I am doing cross country running over the winter, with one eye on the national championships at the end of February.

“After that, it is straight back into mountain running. I am hoping be in contention for the World Cup races next summer. I have had a bit of a break a couple of weeks ago, and now I feel recharged and ready to go.”

Andrew Ketteringham was named Coach of the Year. Andrew has been involved in Judo since the age of 11, initially winning medals at local county and area championships in his native Bedfordshire.

He started coaching at the Luton College of Higher Education in 1987 and in 1992, he joined the Judo Club at the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh. During this time he entered a number of competitions and worked towards his 1st Dan which he achieved in just two gradings in 1995.

On moving to the Borders, and with his son training at Peebles Judo Club, in 2007 Andrew began assisting at the Peebles Dojo. Andrew has added much experience and teaching skill to the coaching team and has undertaken the UKCC Level 1 Coaching award. To date, he has coached more than 500 children in Peebles.

Andrew said: “I would like to thank everyone at Peebles Judo Club. There are a number of coaches at the club, who all put in as much effort as me. There's the parents, there is the chair of the committee, child support. So I am just a small cog in the overall operation.”

The Peebles Swimming Club Border Junior League team were named team of the year for 2015.

Three members of the squad are about to join the Borders elite swim team, which already has three members from Peebles.

Lauren Jocelyn, head coach of Borders Elite Swim Team said: These guys have done fantastic. As head coach at the Borders Elite swimming team, I am looking forward to working with this amazing talent we are currently blessed with in the Borders.”

Other awards on the night recognised the contribution of junior gymnastics coach Nicola Campbell and St Ronan's Bowling Club stalwart Dougie Currie.

Nicola, 16, has regularly attended gymnastics club at the Priorsford Primary School on a Tuesday for two and a half hours over the last two years and has been working with children aged 5-8 years old. She received a Duke of Edinburgh Award three years ago and wants to continue progressing up the coaching ladder.

Dougie joined St Ronan’s Bowling Club 45 years ago, and has taken on numerous jobs around the club as well as helping with fundraising. At the ceremony, just prior to the presentation of the SALSC/ Service to Local Sport award, speaker Colin Aitkin said: “For many people the bowling season lasts 6 months of the year, but not Dougie, who works tirelessly all year round attending to the needs of a successful green, whether it be cutting, fertilising, watering, trimming the bankings or hedge cutting.

“Dougie has also tirelessly raised funds for the club and is not afraid to knock on doors to sell raffle tickets, making sure funds were available for purchasing vital green equipment.

"Now shall we say, in his 'senior years', he is starting to feel the pains of his labours and the day is approaching when he will need to call it a day, but one thing is for sure he will be a hard act to follow. St. Ronan’s Bowling Club are indebted to Dougie's commitment to the club.”