Here are some examples of why this column is such an admirer of Otago's greatest active athlete.-
Example No 1: Former Otago Daily Times sports editor Craig Page was off on an organised bike ride one day. He was puddling along near Outram when he felt a hand on his back, a slight push and a word of encouragement. He nearly fell off his bike when he saw who was zooming past.
Example No 2: In the early days of this athlete's career, she did some work for a beverage company. While rugby and cricket players got paid to train, she spent her spare time refilling chillers at the supermarket.
Example No 3: When the Otago Daily Times did a "Favourite Olympic Moment" series during the summer, this athlete was asked to contribute.
"We can have a quick chat and I'll write it for you," the sports editor said. "No, it's fine, I can do it myself," she said. And she did. And it was interesting and accurate and exactly the right fit.
Example No 4: When she blogs, she refers to her home town as "Dunners".
Alison Shanks has a legion of fans for her cycling ability and her dedication, and rightly so.
But her humility, and her common touch, are equally significant.
And, in a year where Otago sport has been making national headlines for all the wrong reasons, she's a true blue and gold example of how the South can breed champions.
Shanks' 2009 world championship ride was No 3 in our list of 150 greatest moments in Otago sport last year.
This latest success merely solidifies her status in the all time elite tier of Otago sportspeople.
Awesome Almanack . . .
If you are a rugby fan, a stat-head or a sports reporter, there is one book you simply can not live without.
The latest edition of the New Zealand Rugby Almanack is out, with a smashing photo of Richie McCaw holding some sort of trophy on the cover.
Among their gems are:
• The All Blacks lead world rugby with a winning mark of 75.21%. The next best team, South Africa (63.12%), would need to win ALL of its next 200 games to get to that mark. Australia, England and France would need to win 500 (!!) consecutive games to get to 75%.
• Just one new All Black in 2011 (Highlanders lock Jarrad Hoeata) was the fewest since 1975. And the always popular "foreign legion" section throws up some fascinating overseas links:Former Otago fullback Craig Clare and midfield back Dan Snee, and former North Otago first five Dan Waenga, played in Spain.
• Former Highlanders and Otago first five Ryan Bambry was in Russia, and former Otago midfield back Paula Kinikinilau ended up in Romania.
• Caine Elisara and Chad Shepherd were in Germany.
. . . but this needs changing
The only thing I still find annoying, almost bewildering, about the Almanack is how it presents the season summaries of Super 15 teams and provincial unions.
While all 26 New Zealand unions get analysis - who played well and who did not - to accompany their statistics, the Super franchises do not.
It's stats only for the Super teams, and the Highlanders get exactly the same treatment as the Cheetahs and Lions and others.
It seems time they axed the non-New Zealand teams and beefed up the coverage of the five New Zealand franchises.
Hubba Bubba
Some more facts about Bubba Watson, my new favourite golfer.-
1. He such a good ol' boy of the South he spent over $100,000 buying the original General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard.
2. His wife, Angie, is nearly 2m tall and played basketball in the 2000 Olympics for Canada.
3 .He and fellow American professionals Rickie Fowler, Ben Crane and Hunter Mahan formed a band called Golf Boys and released a single called Oh Oh Oh. It's . . . um . . . interesting. Google it.
4. He is apparently good friends with teen pop idol Justin Bieber. Bubba and Bieber.
5. He offended the French last year when he revealed Paris did not impress him at all. This went down VERY well with the Americans as they ate their burgers and freedom fries.
6. He was one of just 10% of professional golfers who said, in a survey, they were not happy Augusta National had no female members.
7. He's selling a lakefront house in North Carolina for $1.45 million.
8. His home town, Bagdad (Florida), is about 500km from Dunedin (Florida).
Tennis clarification
The Southern team has actually won the New Zealand 16s tennis title for a second time in three years.
Our report in Wednesday's paper said it was a breakthrough win for the Southern side after its efforts in Ashburton.
Long-serving Otago Daily Times tennis writer Dennis Radford points out Southern also won the title in 2010, when Libby Scott, Louise Oxnevad and Sian English - also a member of the 2012 team - claimed the honours.
Birthday of the week
Pete Rose is 71 today.
"Charlie Hustle" is one of the greatest players in Major League Baseball history.
He is the league's all time leader in hits (4256), games played (3562) and at-bats (14,053), and he won three World Series rings, three batting titles, one most valuable player award and two Gold Gloves.
Unfortunately, the Cincinnati Reds legend also liked the odd wager.
After years of denial, he fessed up in 2004 and announced he had regularly bet on baseball games while playing.
He remains suspended indefinitely from the sport, but the topic of whether he should be reinstated and admitted to the Hall of Fame is constantly debated.
