KEY POINTS:
It has always been interesting watching a top sportsperson evolve - in character as well as in performance - and Valerie Vili's winning of the supreme Halberg Award was as evocative as it was inevitable.
The overwhelming feeling, watching what is now a mature young woman, was that
she has come a long way in four years - and not just in terms of hurtling that steel ball in such a way as to be a menace to passing seagulls.
She is now far removed from that prickly, aggressive, rather gauche girl who under-performed in the 2004 Athens Olympics and who got a bit defensive about it - coming across badly on one memorable television interview.
Contrast that with the assured, relaxed and open woman who received New Zealand's major formal sporting accolade last week. She spoke well - openly and informally and with flashes of playfulness.
We all knew it was there with Vili but it is not often seen and it was good to see her cope well.
Particularly when she won the supreme award and walked up on stage - serenaded by a school choir singing Climb Every Mountain, of The Sound of Music fame.
That is nothing against the choir - they were excellent. But whoever arranged the format let matters go on too long. As Vili made her way up on stage, that playfulness re-appeared and she joke-walked in time to the rather doleful music.
When one verse finished, another began. Vili wasn't sure where to go; where to stand; what to do; but maintained her dignity and stood there smiling while the song climbed every mountain, every hill, every dale and finally scaled the peak of our rising indignation.
It was a tribute to her, to be sure, but the tribute overshadowed she who was being honoured and it struck a bum note, even if the singing was impressive.
As an aside, the Halberg Awards seem a little heavy-handed and dull these days; maybe taking themselves a little too black-tie seriously. They are primarily a vehicle for raising money for disabled athletes but anything purporting to be our major sporting awards must surely also be about fun and wit.
There was perhaps too much in the way of 'inspirational' songs and choreographed showmanship and maybe not enough from the sportspeople themselves.
They, after all, are the life blood of an awards night like this and there is a mass of talent, wit and experience to call on. As an example, the NZ Sports Journalists' Association-organised TP McLean awards annually produce an event which calls heavily on the very sportspeople sportswriters write about.
The result is usually an evening of humour, reminisces, warmth and some gentle and not so gentle leg-pulling, along with the inevitable awards and thanking of sponsors.
The Halbergs routinely stimulate media discussion of the rights and wrongs of nominations, long before the night itself - and fair enough. But when the pre-debates become more interesting than the event itself, it might be a time for a bit of a review and downscaling of a few things.
One of the curiosities was Anne Audain's speech upon being admitted to the Hall of Fame. Audain, a three-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, talked about being adopted and being afflicted by reconstructive surgery on both feet as a youngster who discovered she could run better than she could walk.
All good stuff, redolent of the heart, drive and determination to overcome difficulty that characterises top sportspeople. Which makes it more surprising that her speech was not included in the TVNZ package that went to air.
However, the Halbergs should be congratulated for bringing the best out of Vili.
In a fine interview by Paul Ellison, she showed many of the rough edges had gone; comfortable in her own skin after a bit of experience and confidence; opening up even as 100 tables of black-tied diners stared on.
She told of being 6 feet 4 inches and having huge feet at 14; her sister/mother/friend relationship with coach Kirsten Hellier; her love of an unrepeatable but inspirational phrase from the movie GI Jane; her intimidating style in competition; her Ed Hillary-like exhortation she uses to gee herself up.
Hillary said after reaching Everest: "We knocked the bugger off". Vili says: "I smacked the crap out of it."
She also showed a touch of the politician, using the aftermath of the awards to hint strongly that she didn't always feel valued; that she needed to be paid more if she was to avoid the temptation of living in France or England, where she can earn a great deal more than she does here.
This can sound grasping if it is not done well but Vili managed it and has a point - twice sportsperson of the year and our only current Commonwealth, Olympic and world champion and an indoor world champion to boot, yet she earns nowhere near what our top rugby players and cricketers do.
So she kicked for touch when the quote from Sir Murray Halberg was wheeled out that she would become the most successful track and field athlete New Zealand had ever produced.
At only 24, she has that opportunity. Let's hope she stays and continues to smack the crap out of it.
