Trevor Shailer defied the big shots to forge his career
If the big shots of boxing had their way, Trevor Shailer would never have won a Commonwealth Games bronze medal.
And he almost certainly wouldn’t have trodden the path that saw the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) bestowing upon him and fellow Palmerstonian, sports psychologist Gary Hermansson, the Olympic Order of New Zealand last week.
Shailer’s career path to being Sport Manawatu chief executive probably wouldn’t have happened either.
The New Zealand Boxing Association big boys threatened to kick Shailer out of the Commonwealth Games team to Victoria, Canada, in 1994.
He had fought at the 1992 Olympics at Barcelona and had been traumatised by losing on one-day tournament. It was $3920, until someone stood up and said he’d add $80 to round it off at $4000, allowing him to train fulltime.
When picked for the team to Victoria, he was adamant the training overload wasn’t going to happen again.
Shailer told them they could stick their training camp. NZ Boxing took legal advice to insist he attended, he went under duress, was branded a grit stirrer and then they tried to boot the renegade out of the team.
It was too late. His selection had been ratified by the Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association and the boxing bosses could go jump. Chef de mission Dave Gerrard was in Shailer’s corner while Shailer was working with the athletes’ commission on the issue.
A year later he was himself serving on that commission after being shoulder-tapped. Meanwhile, he won his bronze in Canada and was Manawatu’s sportsman of the year. Not bad for a kid who took up boxing to toughen him up for rugby, who perfected counter boxing and went 177 bouts without major injury. He didn’t like being bopped on the nose. Who does?
But he’d taken so much time off off to train it had sliced into his Awatapu College studies. So school was done and his coach’s father, Rangi Fitzgerald, arranged a job interview with the Department of Maori Affairs and Shailer began work as a 17-year-old receptionist at the Public Health unit. It was in the same building he now presides over and was where he met his wife Karyn.
Now 46, he is the youngest holder of the Olympic Order, essentially life membership that entitles him to vote at the NZOC annual meeting.
He has attained university qualifications, has held support roles at six Olympics, two Winter Olympics and three Commonwealth Games, and became a Member of the NZ Order of Merit in 2012. Not bad for a kid who dropped out of school in second-year sixth.
As recently as November, he was named top Maori sports administrator, having learned te reo Maori when he went to school.
Beauden needs target practice
It is perplexing that Jordie Barrett is shooting for goal for the Hurricanes. The way things stand, brother Beauden will be the All Blacks’ goalkicker against the Lions come June.
In the past, All Black teams have always distanced themselves from the enemy by having someone who can convert tries. Jordie was shooting wide against the Stormers last Friday and it enabled them to come back with kicks to level at 22-all and jeopardise the outcome. British – and Irish – teams always have deadeye goalkickers.
So Beauden needs target practice in matches.
Rippa kids show ‘em
The Kia Toa under-6 Rippa Rugby Tigers team are an example to adult sides because they all wear their socks pulled up.
Aged between three and six, they look like rugby players, as opposed to the scruffs who play the adult game.
In the latest Rugby Almanack, all but two teams pictured have their socks at full mast, obviously under orders. The two who don’t are the Wellington and NZ women’s teams.