Who would you have on the Mt Rushmore of New Zealand sport? Hayden Meikle makes his selections. Oh, and he explains what that even means.
This is a fun little exercise. It has an American theme, but can easily be given a New Zealand flavour.
You've heard of Mt Rushmore, right? That would be the massive chunk of rock in South Dakota bearing the carvings of four American presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
Sports fans in the United States often debate who would appear on a sporting equivalent - Michael Jordan and which three other figures would be on basketball's Mt Rushmore, for example.
Let's do our own New Zealand version. Here are nine reasonably significant New Zealand sports (and one general group), and the men and women who would be carved into granite. Four is a small number, so I'll name a back-up list for each.
A nod, as always, to the magnificent New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame for making this task easier.
Rugby
You probably need to start with Colin Meads - who already looks like he was carved out of some sort of rock. I'd argue Richie McCaw must be alongside him, so that leaves just two places for our No 1 sporting Mt Rushmore. Thomas Ellison was the captain of the first All Blacks, the instigator of the team's famous colours and a revolutionary rugby thinker. One place left. Yikes. Murray Mexted? Stephen Donald? No, I think it will have to be Jonah Lomu. He changed the game.
The reserves: Brian Lochore, Jock Hobbs, Fred Allen, Sean Fitzpatrick.
Cricket
Just imagine that glorious Richard Hadlee moustache carved into the side of Mt Taranaki. Marvellous. He will be joined by pioneering captain Tom Lowry and magnificent all-rounder John R. Reid. But then it gets very tough. I will call on local bias and argue the great Bert Sutcliffe should get the final spot.
The reserves: Glenn Turner, Martin Crowe, Daniel Vettori, Walter Hadlee.
Netball
We'll start with a great Dame - Lois Muir has to be up there. As does the immortal Irene van Dyk, who must simply now be regarded as our greatest Silver Fern. Then we might go with Joan Harnett, the Anna Kournikova of her day who was also a magnificent and influential player. Finally, let's recognise Waimarama Taumaunu, the Silver Ferns coach and former talismanic player.
The reserves: Sandra Edge, Laura Langman, Leigh Gibbs, Lyn Parker.
Football
Hmm, you think Wynton Rufer is the first person we will etch into the New Zealand football Mt Rushmore? Yes, yes he is. Ryan Nelsen comes immediately after. A name you may not immediately recognise is Ken Armstrong, but he was a hugely influential figure in the development of the round-ball code in New Zealand. I really wanted to put Tony Lochhead in here but was vetoed by, well, every football fan I know. So let's go for Steve Sumner, captain of the great 1982 team.
The reserves: Brian Turner, Mike McGarry, Winston Reid, Maia Jackman.
Rugby league
The most important person to recognise is Albert Baskerville, the father of New Zealand rugby league who organised the first national team. Another massively influential figure was Ces Mountford, who was a superstar in England and later coached the Kiwis. Des White was a point-scoring machine for the Kiwis. And our last spot goes to Mark Graham, the hardest of hard men.
The reserves: Stacey Jones, Kevin Tamati, Dean Bell, Tom Baxter.
Tennis
Four Wimbledon titles, three Davis Cup championships and an Olympic bronze - Anthony Wilding takes the most important spot. Then we'll go with Onny Parun, who performed better than many people realise on the world circuit in the early 1970s. Kathleen Nunneley was a pioneer of the women's game and a 32-time national champion. And Chris Lewis gets the fourth spot for his magical run at Wimbledon.
The reserves: Marina Erakovic, Brett Steven, Ruia Morrison, Brian Fairlie.
Golf
Arise, Bob Charles. You will obviously be the first person elevated to Mt Rushmore status in New Zealand golf. Right next to you is Michael Campbell, the only other New Zealander to have won a major. And that leaves two spots for stars of the amateur game, women's pioneer Oliver Hollis and the great Stuart Jones.
The reserves: Lydia Ko, Greg Turner, Frank Nobilo, Bob Glading.
Basketball
Sean Marks has to be first on this list by virtue of his NBA experience. Our next best player is Kirk Penney, who only had a brief taste of the big show but has had a fantastic professional career. The great Stan Hill must be included. And my final pick is a bit of an unknown: J. H. Greenwood, who was a disciple of hoops inventor James Naismith and brought basketball to New Zealand.
The reserves: John McDonald, Glen Denham, Tab Baldwin, Pero Cameron.
Athletics
One of the hardest categories to knock down to four, given our glorious history. Peter Snell, obviously. And the remarkable Yvette Williams. I'd argue Valerie Adams has already earned her place. And allow me a little bias as I plump for the magnificent Jack Lovelock for the final spot.
The reserves: Arthur Lydiard, Murray Halberg, John Walker, Joe Scott.
Best of the rest
A final category open to all New Zealand sportspeople. Let's start with the immortal Danyon Loader, the greatest swimmer we will ever produce. Russell Coutts is another from this part of the country who needs to be recognised. And Susan Devoy was a colossus. My final place on the final New Zealand sports Mt Rushmore needs to be shared, by rowing twins Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell.
The reserves: Sarah Ulmer, Mark Todd, Bruce McLaren, Ian Ferguson.
hayden.meikle@odt.co.nz
