KEY POINTS:
Good on the Westpac Halberg Award judges for their decisions this year, as subjective and controversial as they always are. These awards, despite criticism that they are dominated by Olympic and Commonwealth Games sports, are as broad a look at the beauty of sport in this country as anything we have.
Those attending the big evening were not from the narrow band of wealth and celebrity that usually populates such events. "The Halbergs" is a night of raw sport, the tables from companies, families and sports organisations as diverse as Auckland. The main Halberg award went - for the second year in a row - to a young brown woman who came through hard times and describes her particular talent as "throwing the crap" out of her shot-put.
It shouldn't need saying that gives the lie to the half-hearted but sorry claim by some that the Kiwis rugby league team did not win a gong because that sport is for, supposedly, the young, poor and brown and racism and elitism conspired against them. Moreover, the Hall of Famers announced on the night, Anne Audain from the Otahuhu club whose family were watching at a Papatoetoe sports club and Ross Norman, of the Panmure squash club, started out far from the critics' imagined halls of snobbery.
A certain young guy from Manurewa who drives, well, racing cars also triumphed on the night. Valerie Vili won the top award because she is our best sportsperson in world competition, dominant in an event pursued around the globe.
The Evers-Swindells won the team award because no one who dips oars into the water could go faster as a duo than they. Two Olympics in a row.
The Kiwis had a marvellous upset win for a win-one, lose-two record against Australia. Three teams matter in their sport. In another year it might have been enough. But not for 2008.