SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR
Alison Shanks (cyclist):
It's still quite a story.
Shanks was a netballer of middling ability a few years ago and then someone suggested she jump on a bike.
That's what you call good advice.
Shanks followed the duck-to-water routine and within two years was in the top 10 in the world.
In August, she did a personal best as she raced to fourth in the individual pursuit at the Olympic Games in Beijing, missing out on a bronze medal by a whisker.
The future looks bright: Shanks leads a New Zealand women's team hoping to qualify for the world championships, then it's full steam ahead for the next Olympics in London.
We're predicting there will be a medal hanging around our golden girl's neck in 2012.
NEWSMAKERS
•Otago cricket celebrates its first trophy in 20 years when the Volts stun Auckland in the State Shield final.
•The Otago Nuggets dismay the basketball community by announcing they are pulling out of the National Basketball League for at least a year. Nuggets import Lemar Gayle quits in disgust after being fined by the franchise, and fellow players Steven Robinson and Nat Connell are suspended for six weeks after testing positive for cannabis.
•University Oval hosts two tests in a year, with the Black Caps beating Bangladesh by nine wickets and the recent test against the West Indies ending in a rain-affected draw.
•Otago rugby suffers through a dismal season, finishing 10th in the Air New Zealand Cup. Despite the poor results, coach Steve Martin is reappointed.
•Otago enhances its reputation as the home of New Zealand wintersport with several athletes flourishing in the high performance programme.
•Hardline golf selector Murray Rose axes three leading players from the Otago men's team for various indiscretions.
•Otago Cricket Association head Ross Dykes apologises for the "It's all white here" slogan used to promote the test against the West Indies.
•No New Zealand Open at The Hills as the golf tournament switches from December to March.
•Raylene Bates manages the athletics section of the New Zealand Olympic team in Beijing.
•The All Blacks lose to the Springboks at Carisbrook for the first time, 30-28, in July. Next up at the old ground is France.
•Dunedin Thunder makes its debut in the national ice hockey league.
•Southern Steel, the combination of the old Sting and Rebels teams, finishes sixth in the inaugural ANZ Championship.
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
There are people who are respected in sporting circles - and then there is Dave Gerrard.
The international sports medicine academic just keeps on giving to the area of sport that has held him captivated for 40 years.
He went to his eighth Olympics, serving as part of the medical commission in Beijing that controlled drug testing in the aquatic events.
As someone described it, he "literally took the piss out of Michael Phelps".
Gerrard, the former chef de mission for the New Zealand team, has been involved in the Olympics since reaching the semifinals of the 200m butterfly at the Tokyo Games in 1964.
He's been on the staff of the University of Otago since 1981, and has reached the rank of associate professor in the medical faculty.
His latest appointment is to the role of director of development and alumni relations.
During the year, Gerrard also participated in the sports medicine conference held in Dunedin, at which the 45th birthday of Sports Medicine New Zealand - he was a founding member - was celebrated.
SO LONG . . .
Duncan Laing: The great swim coach dies in September aged 77.
John Hellmans: Otago coach of the year retires after shaping ome of the best multisporters New Zealand has ever seen.
Nina and Lisa Daniels: Synchronised swimmers retire after competing at first Olympic Games.
Neil Purvis: Former All Black and Otago back dies at his home in Tarras in October aged 55.
Tony Davies: Former All Black and Otago back dies in Sydney in April aged 68.
Bradley Scott: Otago cricket all-rounder transfers to Northern Districts.
Jessica Tuki: Otago and Steel netball shooter signsfor Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic.
Debbie Whilte: Long-serving Otago netballer signs for the Northern Mystics.
Darryl Jones: Otago Nuggets basketballer joins the Nelson Giants.
Graeme Elliott: Former Otago cricket chief dies in November aged 60.
Denis Johnson: Otago athletics identity dies in January aged 68.
Maurice Jones: Otago rowing stalwart dies in June aged 86.
Bryn Murphy: Leading Otago swimmer retires aged 22.
THE BEST OF THE REST
Craig Cumming (cricket), Nathan McCullum (cricket), Sarah Tsukigawa (cricket), Katey Martin (cricket), Shane Patience (swimming), Phoebe Williams (swimming), Andrea Miller (athletics), Chris Donaldson (athletics), Cory Innes (athletics), Debbie McCaw (athletics), Gemma Radford (athletics), Mahal Pearce (golf), Monica Tulisi (golf), Susan Greig (golf), Tionette Stoddard (skeleton racing), Adam Hall (disabled skiing), Kashi Leuchs (mountain biking), Carla Hohepa (rugby), Beth Mallard (rugby), Andrew Boyens (football), John Chisholm (football), Matt Clutterbuck (rugby), Brooke Hastie (gymnastics), Juliane Bray (snowboarding), John Whelan (motorsport), Ken Walker (bowls), Mark Watt (bowls), Sean Becker (curling), Sheryl MacLeod (mountain biking), Scott Cartwright (softball), Victoria Beck (multisport), Simon Glass (ice hockey), Ben Mackinnon (bodyboarding).
THE NEXT NINE
•Brendon McCullum (cricket): What a relief to be able to call him ours again. McCullum is back in Otago blue after years in Canterbury and, after his heroics in March, he will always have the key to Dunedin. McCullum scored an astonishing century, 170, to lead the Volts to a historic State Shield win against Auckland.
He also scored three half-centuries to lead the Black Caps to a one-day series win against England, and belted a world twenty/20 record 158 on his Indian Premier League debut.
•Hamish Bond (rowing): A mixed year for New Zealand's 1000th Olympian. Bond's New Zealand coxless four struggled on the World Cup circuit and missed the final in Beijing.
But his crew won the Olympic B final and Bond earlier became the first Otago oarsman to win three red coats at a national championships.
•Greg Henderson (cycling): By his high standards, it wasn't an exceptional year. Henderson finished 10th in both the points race and the madison (with Hayden Roulston) in Beijing, his fourth Olympics. Was fifth in the points race at the world championships in Manchester, and won three stages in the Tour of Georgia.
Off the bike, he married fellow cyclist Katie Mactier.
•Nina and Lisa Daniels (synchronised swimming): The sisters of synch became the first New Zealanders to compete in their sport at an Olympics in 24 years.
In Beijing, they placed 23rd, and two months later, they retired. Both are now coaching the next generation.
•Suzie Bates (basketball and cricket): The dual international put her cricket career on hold this year to chase her Olympic dream.
It paid off when she was selected in the Tall Ferns squad for the Beijing Olympics. A talented all-rounder, the strike bowler and opening batsman is back playing cricket for the Otago Sparks and will be looking to regain her place in the national side.
•Jossi Wells (skiing): He skis, he's free, he's very, very good. Wells made history when he became the first New Zealander to win a medal at the Winter X Games in February, and a month later he was crowned world superpipe champion.
He's going to be the greatest freeskier this country has ever produced.
•Adam Thomson (rugby): The lanky loose forward had the greatest year of his career. He was the best player in a Highlanders squad that finished the season strongly, but he was still something of a left-field selection in the All Blacks.
Made his test debut against Ireland and stayed in the squad the whole year. Unfortunately, he blotted his copybook this week by being arrested and charged with assault.
•Katrina Grant (netball): The lanky Southern Steel defender made a slow start to the inaugural ANZ Championship but got better with each performance and earned a national call-up.
She impressed in her debut, helping the Silver Ferns beat Australia 38-31 in the second test and looks to have a bright future ahead of her.
•Aaron Redmond (cricket): The opening batsman was a surprise selection in the Black Caps squad for the tour of England.
He had a lean run in the three tests but scored a valuable 79 to help New Zealand beat Bangladesh and scored 83 against Australia in Adelaide.
But he was dropped for the home series against the West Indies just when he was showing promise.
