I remember shaking my head last December when Wanganui cricket's Dilan Raj told me when I wrote about the specific pitches at Victoria Park, I had to reference Tasman Tanning.
Every. Single. Pitch.
My ears were still ringing that month from Property Brokers being on the phone about their name not appearing in copy involving the decades-old "3 Bridges Marathon" - organised in good standing by Wanganui Harriers Club, as always.
Yet strangely, when interviewing the club's hard-working race marshals on the day of the big event, as they supervised hundreds of runners and walkers indulging in pounding pavement on a beautiful day, the name of a real estate office never came up. Odd.
Greenall had to have pity on my opening paragraph in the May 18 club rugby wrap.
As we were taught in journalism school, a snappy intro to a story should stay within a 25-word limit - more than enough to get people to read on.
Yet by having to mention the naming-rights sponsors of the two teams, the two trophies contested and the overall grade they play in, the standard 25 words blew out to a whopping 44. Maybe that's why I've been smiling at the success so far this season of Utiku Old Boys.
The Taihape-based team have been the wooden spooners for so many years that obviously no car dealerships or mum's boutiques were keen to lend their image, yet the only team of eight without a naming sponsor has a 4-4 record and is sitting in the semifinal position.
Speights no moreWhile naming sponsorship is usually fair-weather in nature, the demise of the long-time backing for New Zealand's most iconic multisport race is a real concern.
In fact, after 32 years, one got so used to writing "Speights Coast to Coast" that you forgot it was corporate shilling. It just doesn't feel the same without it.
The old joke among competitors on the 243km run, cycle, and kayak from Kumara to Christchurch was that the blue can at the finish line was the most expensive beer they'd ever receive, and the longest they would have to travel to get it.
Having been there since the beginning, beer magnate Lion have recently pulled their southern brand's naming rights from the event in the wake of plummeting entry numbers - with the race owners Trojan Holdings scrambling to find ways to rebuild participation.
They don't have the enigmatic Robin Judkins to fall back on any more, as the race's founder sold the rights to his beloved challenge in 2013 and oversaw the event for the final time last year.
Multiple-time winner Richard Ussher is now race director and has announced a school's grade in 2016 - dropping the already-lowered age limit down to 14.
Having covered three Coast to Coasts when I worked in Greymouth, this is a concern to me. While organisers have altered the course slightly over the years, the route remains virtually the same through the massive Goat Pass - which in years when the West Coast weather is wild, can be virtually impassible.
My first year covering the race was 2004 - which had the subtitle of "Unfinished Business" after the 2003 edition saw the pass closed with over half the field yet to make it through due to arctic weather conditions.
Some of the country's top multi-sporters had to be treated for hypothermia and prolonged exposure.
By the other extreme, the intense Canterbury heat during a nor'wester, can send temperatures in those valleys skyrocketing to the high 30s - leading to cases of dehydration and heat stroke.
Both circumstances involved mature adults who tried to push beyond their limitations and were caught out. Can an exhausted 14-year-old be expected to make better decisions?
