This Weeks Guest, Friday 7 October2011

  3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

Brian Moore

 

Link to Brian Moore's website here

This Weeks Guest, Friday 16 September 2011

  3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

Ethan Mitchell, Sam Webster and Justin Grace

Ethan and Sam are both members of New Zealand's silver medal winning track cyclist team at 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Both men have had success at junior and senior World Championships  and UCI World cup events and look to represent New Zealand for many years to come.

Justin Grace is Bike NZ's high performance coach and coaches Ethan and Sam.

.link to Bike NZ here

This Weeks Guest, Friday 9 September 2011

  3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

John Ackland

John Ackland's sporting career was notable for success as both a rugby league player and a cricketer. During his league career with Mt Albert he represented Auckland as a back-row forward and also made one test appearance for the Kiwis in 1983.

He also played first-class and limited overs cricket for Auckland in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He moved to coaching, securing roles with the Warriors when they first entered the Australian competition and later had success with Mt Albert in the Bartercard Cup. He is also known as a keen spotter of promising talent, best exemplified when he signed Sonny Bill Williams with the Bulldogs.

In 2004 he signed with the Vodafone Warriors as Football Development Manager before being appointed the new assistant coach when Ivan Cleary was promoted in September 2005. In 2010 he was switched with Tony Iro and Ackland became the Warrior's Toyota Cup coach. The team won the grand final in 2010, the clubs first grand final victory and continued their success in 2011, to secure the minor premiership.

link to the NZ Warriors website here

This Weeks Guest, Friday 2 September 2011

  3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

Lisa Carrington

Lisa Carrington showed her true class by becoming the World Champion in the K1 200m race at the 2011 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged, Hungary, in August 2011, the first New Zealand woman to achieve this accolade.

Lisa lined up against 54 other nations to face off for direct qualification for the Olympics. The K1 200m is new to the Olympic programme 2012. The win saw her smash her heat and semis in very fast times and she showed just how good she is winning in a time of 39:998 seconds. Second in a time of 40.472 was Marta Walczykiewicz the 2009 World Championship silver medallist, and 3rd in a time of 40.67 was Inna Osypenko-Radonsk the 2010 World Champion silver medallist, both in the same event.

Lisa was coached by Gordon Walker who said “ Lisa’s hard work and dedication over a long period of time has paid off today. Lisa has been fantastic to coach, is a great listener and has a lot of belief in herself.” Lisa who is only 22 and hails from Whakatane started kayaking in 2006 and first competed internationally at the 2007 Australian Youth Olympics and 2007 Canoe Sprint World Championships. Lisa joined the open team in 2009 and since then has been competing annually internationally at World Cups and World Championships. Lisa has focused on 200m this year coming 2nd at Grand Prix 2 in January this year in Sydney.

Still a new face to this event she stormed the field in May this year at the 2011 ICF World Cup 3 in Duisberg Germany to take gold. Of her win Lisa says “it’s all a bit surreal but I’m glad to win and am looking forward to competing at the Olympics.”

Find out more about Lisa and Canoe Racing here

   3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport

Rob Hamill

Marathon rowing champion Rob Hamill has been a New Zealand International rowing representative for 16 years. Rob’s numerous rowing achievements include World Championship silver, Commonwealth gold and a world record on the indoor rowing machine.

Rob Hamill represented New Zealand at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics then teamed up with the late Phil Stubbs and captured headlines around the world winning the gruelling Atlantic Rowing Race in 41 days 2 hours and 55 minutes - 8 days ahead of the opposition.

In the 2001 Trans-Atlantic Rowing Race Rob entered a two-boat campaign, with a women's crew as the second entry. However, while the crews were in Tenerife preparing for departure, Rob came to the aid of a woman who was being beaten and in the process broke his hand. A replacement was flown in, and amazingly the men's crew, who had not even trained together, defended the title. And the women's crew came fourth. More outstanding results for a team and challenge that was put together and co-ordinated by Rob.

In 2003 Rob was Team Leader for the successful Holiday Shoppe Tranz-Atlantic Challenge, who made it a 3-peat of victories in the Atlantic Rowing Race for New Zealand. The team, made up of rowers Kevin Biggar and Jamie Fitzgerald, smashed the previous record by 21 hours. Rob's book The Naked Rower is a gripping account of the experience of ocean rowing competition.

He also helps to organise 'The Great Race', an annual rowing 8s clash between Waikato and Cambridge/Oxford (UK) Universities on the Waikato River, the Great Race is on 11 September this year.

Rob believes that with vision and passion anything is possible and says "Find out what you enjoy, find out what you're good at and don't let anyone say you can't do something."

Rob is currently the campaign manager for the Bridge to Bridge Trans-Tasman rowing challenge in which he plans to lead a four man rowing team across the Tasman, starting at Sydney's Harbour Bridge and finishing at Auckland's Harbour Bridge (a total distance of 2250 kms), next summer. A new chapter in New Zealand sporting adventure begins this October when the four-man Team Gallagher rowing team will aim to become the first New Zealand team to cross the Tasman by oar power. The challenge will require the team to complete some half a million strokes over 1,400 nautical miles – using the iconic harbour bridges of Sydney and Auckland as the start and finish lines.

The great race - click to view website

Team Gallagher Bridge to Bridge Challenge - view website here

   3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport

Dillon Boucher

Click here to visit the NZ Breakers website

This Weeks Guest, Friday 12 August 2011

  3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

Gary Hermansson

Gary is a leading figure in the helping and human service field in New Zealand, with over 35 years of active involvement in social work, psychotherapy, counselling, counsellor education and sport psychology. Having worked at Massey University for over 30 years as a counsellor educator, he now works in private practice with an emphasis on performance coaching and counselling.

Gary has worked as a team psychologist to the NZ Equestrian team, various Olympic and Commonwealth games teams as well as touring with the Black Caps on several occasions. He was also a pretty handy rugby player in his day with over 100 first class games for Manawatu, Wellington, NZ Universities and NZ Under 23s.

His latest book, 'Going Mental in Sport: Excelling through Mind Management', is for athletes and coaches and focuses on the challenges of performance under pressure. It sets out a working model of mind/body interaction and lays out strategies for taking control of thinking to directly influence emotions and behaviours critical to quality performance.

The emphasis is on acquiring understanding and abilities by building core mental strength and mental skills to manage the mind under pressure. There is a focus on mind management for individuals and teams, and for coaches who have a significant influence on athlete performance.

The book is available from Gary's website - see below

click here to find out more about Gary and his books

This Weeks Guest, Friday 2 July 2011

  3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

Le Tour France 2011

The line between insanity and genius is said to be a fine one, and in early 20th century France, anyone envisaging a near-2,500-km-long cycle race across the country would have been widely viewed as unhinged. But that didn’t stop Géo Lefèvre, a journalist with L’Auto magazine at the time, from proceeding with his inspired plan. His editor, Henri Desgrange, was bold enough to believe in the idea and to throw his backing behind the Tour de France. And so it was that, on 1 July 1903, sixty pioneers set out on their bicycles from Montgeron. After six mammoth stages (Nantes - Paris, 471 km!), only 21 “routiers”, led by Maurice Garin, arrived at the end of this first epic.

Having provoked a mixture of astonishment and admiration, le Tour soon won over the sporting public and the roadside crowds swelled. The French people took to their hearts this unusual event which placed their towns, their countryside and, since 1910, even their mountains, in the spotlight.

Le Tour has always moved with the times. Like France as a whole, it benefited from the introduction of paid holidays from 1936; it has lived through wars, and then savoured the “trente glorieuses” period of economic prosperity while enjoying the heydays of Coppi, Bobet, Anquetil and Poulidor; it has opened itself up to foreign countries with the onset of globalisation, and now finds itself at the forefront of the debate on the malaise afflicting world sport in general. Over a hundred years after its inception, le Tour continues to gain strength from its experience.

Del Woodford from Avanti Plus joins us to talk about this years teams and chances on this amazing ride.

Follow the tour here

  3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

Chris Birch

Chris Birch is 5 time New Zealand Enduro Champion. At 30 years old Chris has been competing in endurance motorbiking since the age of 17. Chris Birch lives and breathes motorcycles, he is in partnership with Red Bull and rides KTM bikes. Chris began his motorcycling career when he started competing in motorbike trials in 1988. His first enduro was in the North Island Enduro championships, coming first in the 200cc class in 1998. He won several New Zealand National Trials titles in Clubmen, Intermediate and Expert classes at the age of 18.

Chris is in partnership with Red Bull and is sponsored by Comsol Alfie Cox Racing in South Africa. Chris has just moved to South Africa this year for the 2011 season, and has a big season ahead of him, so the support from the Comsol Alfie Cox Racing team is a fantastic opportunity for him. Chris has support from Airoh helmets, Ariete goggles and Sidi boots. Chris also has a lot of support from family and his amazing wife, Monica. This support is crucial in a sport such as this which dominates Chris’s life.

Chris recently returned home from South Africa where he competed in the Roof of Africa - winning the 3rd year in a row - only the third person in the race history to do so! This topped off a huge year where Chris raced in ten different countries and won his favourite race, the Red Bull Romaniacs. Chris had previously placed second in the 2009 Red Bull Romaniacs, after two years of coming third. In 2009, Chris also took 8th place in Erzberg, a Red Bull extreme event in Austria. He also ran the Red Bull City Scramble in downtown Auckland, coming second. In 2005 Chris travelled to the UK to gain greater international racing experience. He raced for the UK Husqvarna team. In the year he was overseas he competed in races in England, Wales, Spain, Italy, Poland and Germany.

In addition to this, he has competed in six Australian Four Day Enduro races, and three International Six Day Enduro (ISDE) races - one in Brazil where he earned a silver medal, in New Zealand, where he represented New Zealand in the Senior Trophy Team and earned a gold medal and Greece where he scored a second gold. He has won the New Zealand Enduro championship overall five times.

Chris discovered extreme enduro racing in 2007 and has competed successfully at Red Bull Romaniacs, Red Bull Last Man Standing, Hell's Gate, Extreme Legares and the Roof of Africa. Extreme racing has now become Chris's passion.

Chris Birch website here

  3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

Kristen Ulmer is an American pioneer of the extreme sports revolution. Starting as a mogul skier on the US Ski Team, she quickly decided to leave the team to pursue a career jumping off cliffs for cameras and skiing you-fall-you-die ski descents around the world.

Subsequently, for a run of 12 years, Kristen was voted or named the best big mountain (extreme) and often overall woman skier in the world by the media and her industry peers, beating even Olympic Gold medalists. Around the turn of the millennium, Powder Magazine called her “The biggest icon the ski industry never expected” and the “protoplasmic mass of the ski industry” in a cover-feature about her life.

Expanding into and mastering other dangerous sports such as rock and ice climbing, paragliding, adventure cycling and kiteboarding also scored her the vote in Women’s Sports and Fitness Magazine as the most extreme woman athlete in North America. Kristen became a popular speaker, television show host and sports journalist—writing for some of the most prestigious American sports magazines and scoring monthly columns in 4 different ski publications around the world. Jules Older, editor in chief of Ski Press—the largest ski magazine in the world—has said, “In my professional opinion, Kristen is the best ski writer in North America.”

That’s all behind her now. Kristen quit everything in 2003 in a sudden 180 degree turn to start a new and unique trend in sports training, introducing mental and Zen aspects to winter sports in a clinic called Ski To Live. To create these clinics, Kristen partnered with world famous Zen Master Genpo Roshi who in 1999 started developing Big Mind—a modern way to facilitate 30 years of Wisdom training and transcendental states of being to a student in mere hours.

In 2008 Roshi encouraged Kristen to facilitate the clinics herself. Two years later, after 7 years training with Roshi, she has moved on and continues looking for and developing numerous ways to tie ancient and other wisdom into not only skiing, but into adventure, all sports, business and our personal lives.

Ski to Live has gained national and international attention for being the only clinic of it’s kind in the world, in any sport, and 95% of her clients say that Ski To Live is one of the most significant experiences of their lives. Her private sessions, business events and talks reflect the same profound experience found in the clinics.

Humorously called the “Ski Guru” by Outside Magazine, she summarizes: “I’m proud of my ski career, and jumping off 70 foot cliffs was exciting, but not nearly as exciting as helping people access what they’re capable of- not just as athletes or business men and women, but as human beings.”

Find out  more about Kristen Ulmer here

This Weeks Guest, Friday 27 May 2011

  3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

Martin Crowe

At the young age of 19, one of the strongest and resilient cricketers the game ever witnessed, Martin Crowe, announced his arrival in international cricket for New Zealand in 1982. A class act, which saw him carry the legacy of the Crowe family, Martin broke numerous records in his career span. He inscribed his name in the books of cricket and despite being hampered by injuries Martin made his mark for New Zealand and brought immense glory for his nation.

Always known to be ahead of his times, Martin played an attacking style of cricket to take advantage of the fielding restrictions in ODIs, he also initiated the ‘Cricket Max’ in New Zealand – an abridged version of the game, similar to Twenty20 which is now taking world cricket by storm.
 

  3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport

Richard Beaumont and Dan Hayman - Circumnavigating the World by bicycle

Dan Hayman and Richard Beaumont’s goal is to achieve what they see as the ultimate in endurance cycling: At its core, it is a simple idea – to circumnavigate the world by bicycle in record time. But more than that, these two young New Zealanders are aiming to provide inspiration at a time when our country sorely needs it: Setting the world record for circumnavigating the world by bicycle will be an achievement that all Kiwis can be proud of. It will also be the ultimate test of the two contestants – testing their endurance, their friendship and, most of all, their willpower.

To not just break the existing Guinness World Record of 163 days, but set a new benchmark, the pair will be cycling as hard as they can on performance bicycles for over 12 hours a day every day of the week for over 100 days. They will cycle in every major culture and climate on our planet. They know it will be incredibly arduous mentally and physically. However, they believe their success will show their fellow New Zealanders (and, in fact, the world) that anyone can achieve seemingly extraordinary things.

Guinness World Records stipulates that to set the world record for circumnavigating the world by bicycle you must cover a minimum distance of 29,000 km by bicycle and pass through two antipodal points. Dan Hayman and Richard Beaumont plan to circumnavigate the world in 110 days - smashing the current record of 163 days. To achieve this they will cycle close to 300 km every day – starting in Auckland, and then flying to the United States to compete in the legendary Race Across America before carrying on through South America, Europe, Asia and Australia, and returning to ride the length of New Zealand to finish in Auckland. To achieve their extraordinary goal, they will be spending so much time each day on their bikes that they will need to have a support vehicle assisting with nutrition, navigation, mechanical issues, accommodation and logistics.

At one level, Dan Hayman (a software developer) and Richard Beaumont (who runs a plant nursery) are ‘average’ Kiwis. However, their sporting achievements are anything but average. Both have competed at the highest level in rowing for over a decade, including representing New Zealand. In the past few years the pair has tested their mettle in other ways too. Most relevantly they have completed every endurance event at the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge - culminating in last year’s Extreme Enduro, 8 lap event of 1280 km. By completing this in just over 70 hours, they qualified to enter the RAAM. Earlier in the year they warmed up for this event by cycling 2,186kms from Singapore to Hanoi - unsupported in three weeks during the excruciating heat and humidity of the monsoon season.

Richard Beaumont has won seven national rowing titles and has represented New Zealand in World Cup and World Championship regattas. Dan Hayman has won rowing national titles and has also represented New Zealand in the sport. He has also been national Olympic wrestling champion. Both Richard and Dan have won  multiple University Blues for excellence in sport. Dan has also won the University of Auckland Maori Sportsperson of the Year Award.

In the past year the pair has:
• Completed four marathons, with Dan qualifying for the Boston Marathon.
• Climbed the ice covers of Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Ruapehu in one day, in winter, two weeks in a row.
• Medaled in the North Island wrestling champs before limping up an ice-covered Mt Taranaki the next day.
• Completed the Coast to Coast.
• Cycled from Singapore to Hanoi, Vietnam, unsupported in 20 days via Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.
• Completed the Round Taupo Cycle Challenge Extreme Enduro – they have now completed every distance of the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge including: Solo - 160km; Enduro - 320km; Maxi Enduro - 640km; and Extreme Enduro 1280km.

The route which Richard Beaumont and Dan Hayman will take in their circumnavigation of the world is still being fine-tuned but is a hybrid of some of the previous record attempts, along with their own improvements. They wanted to have a route to which starts and finishes in Auckland, New Zealand (open for negotiation). However, the goal is to find a route which meets the requirements of the record, but which is as flat as possible, involves reasonable temperatures, has favourable prevailing weather patterns at the time of the year the pair will be cycling through and avoids some of the world’s present political problems. Basically they want a route which enables them to achieve 100 days of uninterrupted cycling - hell fast.

HPH will be following the progress of these two intrepid adventurers with interest and will keep you up to date on their travels.

This Weeks Guest, Friday 6 May 2011

  3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

Andrej Lemanis

Head coach for 6 seasons with the Burger King NZ Breakers, Andrej has gained in confidence and reputation, culminating in his team winning the 2011 iinet ANBL Championship at home at the NSEC in April 2011.

Before becoming the Head Coach of the NZ Breakers, Andrej was the assistant coach of the Townsville Crocodiles for 7 years. He was also the Assistant coach of the Australian under 21 team. Andrej played in the Australian National Basketball League playing with the St Kilda Saints, the South Melbourne Saints and won the Championship in 1992 with the South East Melbourne Magic. At the end of the 2008/09 season Lemanis was honoured by being named as one of the Assistant Coaches to the Australian Boomers national side.

NZ Breakers website here

  3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

Andrew Gaze

Andrew Gaze is Australia’s greatest ever basketballer. He has won the National Basketball League scoring title a record 10 times as well as being awarded the NBL’s Most Valuable Award a staggering 7 times. This five times Olympian (1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000) is a Dual NBL Championship player who received one of his greatest honours by being the Flag Bearer and Team Captain for the Australian team at the Sydney Olympics.

After an impressive schoolboy career, the son of Australian basketball legend Lindsay Gaze made the transition to the NBL at 18 years of age and averaged 29.1 points per game in his first season. In 1989 Andrew played for the American university, Seton Hall, who reached the final four of the NCAA Championships that year, and was rewarded with a trial with NBA’s Seattle Supersonics.

In 1991, Andrew became the first Australian to play professionally in Europe, with the Italian club side, Udine. In a six-month stint in Italy, he averaged more than 30 points a game. Back home in Australia in 1991 he became the first NBL player to shoot over 1,000 points in a season. In the same year he won the first of his seven NBL MVP awards, and was also the first player to lead both scoring and assists statistics in the same season.

In 1993 Andrew realised one of his lifelong dreams, when he captained the Melbourne Tigers to victory in the NBL Grand Final. Three years later, in his fourth Olympics, Andrew led Australia to a Bronze Medal play-off in Atlanta. The following year, Andrew was superb as the Tigers stormed into the finals on the back of a record-breaking 16-game winning streak. Andrew again led the NBL scoring table and capped 1997 off by winning his second NBL championship, his 10th NBL scoring title and yet another NBL MVP award.

In 1994, Andrew made his debut in the NBA with the Washington Bullets. He resumed his NBA career early in 1999 after signing with the San Antonio Spurs who proceeded to win the Championship and Andrew returned home with an NBA prized ring. Selected in a record fifth Olympics for Sydney 2000, Andrew completed a rare feat in Australian Basketball history. The highlight of Andrew’s final Olympic campaign was the honour bestowed upon him of the role of flag bearer and Captain of the Australian Olympic Team.

  3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane Van Gisbergen was born to race. From pestering his Dad Robert to buy him a Suzuki ATV at the tender age of five, to signing - at just 17 years of age - a contract to race V8 Supercars for top Ford team Stone Brothers Racing, the constant in his life has been competition.

Raised on the rural fringe of New Zealand's largest city Auckland, Shane spent his formative years racing ATVs on natural terrain Motocross tracks and a Quarter Midget on speedway ovals before a brief but typically successful dalliance with karts and a year in the Formula First class courtesy New Zealand's SpeedSport magazine Scholarship programme saw his focus turn to tarmac.

Since then he has been on a fast track to major league Australasian success, winning the New Zealand Formula Ford championship in 2006 and finishing a close second to teammate Daniel Gaunt in the Toyota Racing Series in 2007. Later the same year he signed a long-term driver contract with Stone Brothers Racing, making the V8 Supercar championship debut he has always dreamed about at the Oran Park round in August.

Follow Shane Van Gisbergen here

This Weeks Guest, Friday 8 April 2011

  3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

Hayden Paddon

Hayden Paddon was introduced into motorsport at an early age, his father Chris being a rally driver. Haydon began his career competing in karting. He competed in his first rally in 2002, at the age of 15. In 2006 he began competing in the New Zealand Rally Championship in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII, winning both the Junior and Rookie titles. In 2007 he made his World Rally Championship debut competing in the Production World Rally Championship category at his home event in New Zealand as a wildcard entry, and then in the Team Jordan entry for Rally GB. In the New Zealand championship he retained his Junior title and came within a point of winning the championship outright.

In 2008 he competed in a new Mitsubishi Evo IX, winning the New Zealand title. He also finished 13th overall and fourth in PWRC on his home round of the WRC. In 2009 he retained his New Zealand title, and also qualified for the Pirelli Star Driver Asia-Pacific final at the 2009 Rally Australia. Paddon was the fastest of the drivers on the opening day's stages, meaning he won the Pirelli Star Driver scholarship, giving him a fully-funded programme for six events of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. Paddon's event got even better when he finished ninth overall, ahead of all of the PWRC regulars. Paddon also won a $50,000 International Rising Stars Scholarship run by Rally of New Zealand, giving him the additional funding needed to complete a full 2010 PWRC campaign in addition to the PSD events.

In 2010, Paddon won the PWRC category of Rally New Zealand in his own Evo IX, finishing 14th overall. He then finished third and second in PWRC on Rally Finland and Rallye Deutschland in the Pirelli Star Driver Evo X.

In 2011, Paddon will contest a full PWRC Season, consisting of 6 Rounds; Portugal, Argentina, Finland, Australia, Spain and GB. He will compete under his newly formed team New Zealand World Rally Team and in a surprising move, Paddon has switched to a Subaru for the 2011 Season, as he has usually run in a Mitsubishi. Paddon will drive a latest spec STR11 Subaru Imprezza N4. It will be run by Belgian Team Symtech Racing.

 Paddon and co-driver John Kennard claimed a confident win in their new Subaru Impreza on the second round of the 2011 FIA Production car World Rally Championship at Rally de Portugal in March 2011.

Follow Hayden Paddon here

This Weeks Guest, Friday 17 December 2010

  3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

Shaun Quincey

Shaun Quincey was born in an Army Jungle hospital in Singapore where his Father was based with the Royal New Zealand Navy.

Shaun then moved to New Zealand to the Waiouru Army Camp at the age of 2 and lived there while his father was involved in a communications programme. At 4 years of age, Shaun moved to Auckland where his father was based with the Navy. Shaun was always involved with sport playing soccer and Rugby for North Shore Rugby Club. Rugby ruled his life for 18 years, making the first XV at the age of 14 and playing in various age group teams while growing up.  At Takapuna Grammar School Shaun took up rowing, which provided the stepping stones to Surf Boat Rowing and eventually the Tasman Sea.

In 1977, Colin Quincey rowed his boat, Tasman Trespasser, from Hokianga Harbour, in the North Island of New Zealand, to Marcus Beach, on Australia’s Gold Coast. He crossed the Tasman Sea in 63 days and seven hours, and was the first and only person to do it solo, until now …This year, his son Shaun Quincey decided to give it a go — rowing the other way. Shaun’s epic voyage took 2 years of planning and 54 Days of rowing in the world’s most dangerous ocean departing from Coffs Harbor and narrowly hitting the northern tip of ninety mile beach.

Shaun said he had never been more scared, had less money, been laughed at so much, nor been as unprepared for what he was about to attempt.He knew he would battle a distance of 2200 km as well as one of the most treacherous seas in the world where the wave height can be anywhere between one and 17 metres.  It took 18 months of his life, dominating it completely. Out of 54 days of rowing, 34 were spent going backwards, and most days Shaun had only two hours’ sleep. He also had to battle depression, but this tenacious Kiwi was not giving up.

On 15 March somewhere near midday, Shaun faced his final hurdle, the landing, which was the most dangerous of the whole trip, as three-metre swells slammed into Ninety Mile Beach, forcing him to ditch his boat in the surf break and swim the rest of the way.

Wearing a huge grin and the New Zealand flag, Shaun made landfall, his website receiving over one and a half million hits. Shaun had just set a new record and made history. Tasman Trespasser II is Shaun’s journey, as a boy growing up with his father’s epic achievement, to his life in the water as a surf lifesaver, to building the Tasman Trespasser II from scratch and spending his first night ever on a boat the night before his life-changing ocean crossing.

Visit Shaun's website here

7pm to 8pm Newstalk ZB

Martin Crowe

At the young age of 19, one of the strongest and resilient cricketers the game ever witnessed, Martin Crowe, announced his arrival in international cricket for New Zealand in 1982. A class act, which saw him carry the legacy of the Crowe family, Martin broke numerous records in his career span. He inscribed his name in the books of cricket and despite being hampered by injuries Martin made his mark for New Zealand and brought immense glory for his nation.

Always known to be ahead of his times, Martin played an attacking style of cricket to take advantage of the fielding restrictions in ODIs, he also initiated the ‘Cricket Max’ in New Zealand – an abridged version of the game, similar to Twenty20 which is now taking world cricket by storm.

This Weeks Guest, Friday 10 December 2010

  3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

Tim Gudsell

Find out more about Tim here

Team Avanti Pure Black Racing - click here

7pm to 8pm Newstalk ZB

Les Munro
Squadron Leader Les Munro CNZM, DSO, QSO, DFC, JP is the last surviving pilot of the Dambusters Raid of May 1943. A New Zealander, Munro was posted from 97 squadron to 617 squadron which was specially created to attack the dams of the Ruhr in an effort to wreck the industrial capacity of Germany during the war. Of the nineteen Lancasters that flew on that full-moon night, only eleven returned. Munro, as pilot of W-Willie, was scheduled to bomb the Sorpe dam. His bomber was damaged by flak over Holland,[3] which knocked out the radio, and after a vote among the crew it turned back to land in Lincolnshire. During the war he won the DSO and DFC and later attained the rank of Squadron Leader. He participated in the operations to deceive the Germans about the destination of the D-Day landings by dropping aluminium strips of window every four and half seconds throughout long patrols over the English Channel.

Munro lives in Tauranga, New Zealand. Following his career in the military, Munro retired to a life in local politics and farming, serving as Mayor of Waitomo District Council from 1978 to 1995.

Munro attended the 60th Anniversary commemoration of the Dambusters raid, along with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in May 2003 at RAF Lossiemouth.

He was also present, along with Richard Todd, the actor who played Wing Commander Guy Gibson in the 1955 The Dam Busters film, for the 65th anniversary commemoration held at Derwent Reservoir (Derbyshire) on 16 May 2008. As the last living pilot of the strike team, Munro, joined the production crew in Masterton as technical adviser on a remake of the film.

In 2009 Munro took part in filming for the documentary Into the Wind, directed by Steven Hatton. The film, a feature length documentary about the veterans of Bomber Command is due for release in 2011.

For more about the Dambusters, click here

This Weeks Guest, Friday 3 December 2010

  3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 
 

This Weeks Guest, Friday 3 December

7pm to 8pm Newstalk ZB

Sir Wilson Whineray

Few New Zealanders have achieved the iconic status of Sir Wilson Whineray,  KNZM, OBE, who has been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame, the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame, and the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame. When people speak of the great leaders New Zealand has produced, Sir Wilson’s name is always one of the first mentioned. His achievements in rugby and business are breathtaking.

A rugby player of exceptional talent, Wilson Whineray became arguably the All Blacks’ greatest captain and certainly its greatest ambassador, wowing the Brits with his oratory, and receiving a standing ovation from the crowd at Cardiff Arms Park as they sang ‘For He’s a Jolly Fellow’ at the conclusion of the Barbarians game in 1964. He played for the All Blacks between 1957 and 1965 and was named New Zealand Sportsperson of the Year in 1965.

 In all, between 1957 and 1965, Whineray played 32 tests for New Zealand and captained the All Blacks in 30 of these. His test record is: v. Australia 1957 (2); v. Australia 1958 (3); v. British Isles 1959 (4); v. South Africa 1960 (4); v. France 1961 (3); v. Australia 1962 (5); v. England 1963 (2); v. Ireland 1963 (1); v. Wales 1963 (1); v. England 1964 (1); v. Scotland 1964 (1); v. France 1964 (1); v. South Africa 1965 (4). Whineray has also played for numerous invitation teams including those that took part in the South African Rugby Jubilee celebrations in 1964. His final test appearance on 18 September 1965 was his 234th game in first-class rugby.

With glittering credentials as a rugby player behind him, he later committed himself 100 per cent to his business career. The MBA he achieved at Harvard University had companies eager to acquire his services. He chose Alex Harvey Industries and went on to become an icon in the New Zealand business world.

A Perfect Gentleman, by Bob Howitt, is the account of a likeable lad, from a humble family in Auckland, who demonstrated independence and determination by leaving home at 16 to become an agricultural cadet.

Bob Howitt has spent a lifetime writing about rugby. Rugby correspondent of the Auckland Star for a decade, editor of the iconic Rugby News for a quarter of a century and of the much-admired New Zealand rugby annuals, and founder editor of NZ Rugby World magazine.

For more about Sir Wilson Whineray's achievements in rugby, click here.

This Weeks Guest, Friday 26 November 2010

  3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 
 

This Weeks Guest, Friday 26 November 2010

7pm to 8pm Newstalk ZB

Justine Troy and Geoff Ross had an idea that they took from a dream to a business in the world's most competitive cities. The story of their struggle to build a global brand in the face of opposition is an inspirational one and one that is told in a new book 'Every Bastard Says No - The 42 Below Story.

Working out of his garage, Ross developed a 42-proof high-quality vodka with sales that have risen from 60 cases total in New Zealand in June, 2002 to more than 120,000 cases of product per year worldwide. Featured in trendy clubs from the Soho House in New York to London's The Ritz, the company has now added "typical New Zealand" flavors, such as passion fruit, feijoa, manuka honey, and of course, kiwifruit, to its original product line, as well as its 42 South gin.

Geoff was a head of client services at Saatchi & Saatchi in Wellington when he first got the idea for 42 Below. The book imparts his years of experience, covering marketing (he thinks most of it is rubbish), successful creative messages, and strategies for executing ideas. Geoff encourages businesses and entrepreneurs to get a ‘proper’ goal and not limit themselves with small ideas.

'Every Bastard says No - The 42 Below Story' is published by Random House and available in all god bookstores.

5 November 2010

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport

Graeme Crosby

Graeme Crosby is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from New Zealand. A supremely versatile rider, Crosby holds the distinction of having won the Daytona 200, the Imola 200, the Suzuka 8 Hours, and the Isle of Man TT.

Crosby began his racing career in 1974 in the New Zealand racing scene. In 1976, he made an impression in the Australian Superbike championship. He then left for Europe in 1980 to compete in Britain where he won the Isle of Man Senior TT. By 1980, he had worked his way up to the 500cc road racing world championship on a Suzuki RG500. Also in 1980, he teamed up with Wes Cooley on a Yoshimura Suzuki to win the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race,and he was the TT Formula One World Champion for Suzuki. After finishing fifth in the 1981 500cc championship - the year in which he was British TT F1 champion - he made a move to the Agostini Yamaha factory racing team. He began the 1982 season by winning the prestigious Daytona 200. Despite injuries, Crosby still managed second overall in the championship. Frustrated by the internal politics of his race team Crosby quit the Grand Prix circuit after the 1982 season.

After his retirement Crosby returned to New Zealand and has run a number of successful motorcycle businesses. He also took up four-wheelers, driving successfully in Touring car racing, mostly in New Zealand and Australia. Crosby was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.In 2007, he was inducted into the New Zealand Motorcycling Hall of Fame.

He has recently written his autobiography, Larrikin Biker, published by Harper Collins, out now.

To find out more about Graeme Crosby click here

5 November 2010

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport

Rowing’s international elite have gathered on the waters of Lake Karapiro - in New Zealand’s Waikato region - to compete for honours at the 2010 World Rowing Championships.

With 50 countries competing, the 2010 World Rowing Championships have become the biggest international sport event in New Zealand since the 1990 Commonwealth Games.

It’s the second time that Lake Karapiro - considered one of the most scenic and admired courses in the world - has hosted the international event and, if record volunteer numbers, the biggest-ever Kiwi team, and enthusiastic home support are indicators, the 2010 championships will offer a memorable event.

The legacy of the 1978 Rowing World Championships continues to benefit New Zealand rowing today and the spectacle, when tens of thousands of Kiwis came out to cheer on the athletes, is still considered one of New Zealand sport’s greatest moments.

Visit the official website for the 2010 World Rowing Champs

29 October 2010

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport

Rod Dixon - Athlete

Rod Dixon is a former New Zealand middle distance runner. He won the bronze medal over 1500 metres at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, and in 1983 won the prestigious New York City Marathon.

Dixon, along with John Walker and Dick Quax, was one of a trio of world-class middle distance runners from New Zealand in the 1970s. He was the first of the three to taste Olympic success with his bronze medal in 1972, but was then somewhat overshadowed by the other two over the next few years, particularly by his good friend Walker. Nevertheless, he posted impressive 1,500 meter (3:33.9) and mile (3:53.6) times during the 1970s and Track & Field News magazine ranked Dixon first in the world in the 5,000 meters in 1975.

Dixon placed fourth in 2 of the epic track races of the 1970s. In the 1500 metres at 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch he was fourth behind the new World Record set by Filbert Bayi (3:32.2), John Walker whose time of 3:32.5 also broke the previous world record, and Ben Jipcho (3:33.2) who became the fourth fastest of all-time. Dixon's time of 3:33.9 had only ever been beaten once prior to the race. In the 5000 metres at the 1976 Montreal Olympics Dixon was beaten by four-time Olympic Champion Lasse Virén, team-mate Quax and Klaus-Peter Hildenbrand whose last second dive/fall denied Dixon a second Olympic Bronze medal. In this very closely fought race, Dixon lost to Viren by under six metres or 0.74 seconds, to Quax by under three metres or 0.34 seconds and to Hildenbrand by just under a metre or 0.12 seconds. Dixon sprinted less than a metre behind Virén still with 200 metres to go and was around two metres behind the Finnish Olympic champion with 100 metres to go (see, for example, Matti Hannus, "The Montreal Olympic Book" / Montrealin Olympiakirja, published in Finland in 1976; Mauno Saari, "Lasse Viren: The Secrets of Running" / Lasse Viren: Juoksemisen salaisuudet, published in Finland in 1979; YouTube also has three videos about 1976 Olympic 5000m).

Ultimately, however, Rod Dixon was regarded as especially outstanding for the length and versatility of his career as a top-flight runner. He set world class times in all events from 1500 m (3:33.9) to the marathon (2:08:59), won bronze medals in the World Cross Country Championships in 1973 and 1982, and was one of the more successful athletes on the US road racing circuit in the early 80s, including wins at the Falmouth Road Race (1980), Bay to Breakers (1982 & 1983) and the Lynchburg, Virginia 10 miler (1981 & 1983). His gradual move to longer distances was climaxed by his 1983 marathon victory in New York City in one of the most dramatic finishes the event has seen, when he came from behind to catch leader Geoff Smith at the 26 mile mark and won by 9 seconds.

22 October 2010

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport

Wayne Smith - All Blacks Assistant Coach
Though he has been better known as a high profile coach in recent years, Wayne Smith also had a distinguished playing career. From the late 1970s into the mid 80s Smith was one of New Zealand's most accomplished first five eighths, appearing in 17 tests. Originally from Waikato, where he grew up in Putaruru, Smith moved to Canterbury to study and to seek more regular representative chances, having been unable to rise any further than B selections in his home province. Smith arrived in Canterbury at a time when that union was seeking a first five eigtht to replace the long serving Doug Bruce. Canterbury quickly appreciated Smith had considerable potential and until 1985 he was a first choice selection.

However, the lightly framed Smith, who was 1.78m tall but weighed under 80kg, was prone to injury and there were frequent periods when he was unavailable. He was especially affected during the 1981 season and after playing for the South Island that year missed all of the domestic tests against Scotland and South Africa and the end of year tour to France. A sharp runner with a good tactical brain, Smith was chosen for the All Blacks firstly in 1980 for the tour of Australia. But again he was hampered by injury and after playing in the first test his tour ended after the eighth match.

He did not regain his All Black position until 1982 when he was recalled for the three test series against the touring Wallabies. Smith was in vintage form for much of the 1982 season and scored the winning try for Canterbury when the Ranfurly Shield was lifted from Wellington. In the great Canterbury shield era of 1982-85 Smith was one of the mainstays forming an excellent five eighths pairing with another Waikato product, Warwick Taylor. About this time Smith developed a powerful kicking game and had a special talent for targetting defences with accurate up and unders or "bombs."

Even though he continued to be plagued by injury Smith played in the second and third tests against the touring Lions in 1983 and made the end of year tour of Scotland and England.By now he was firmly established as the All Blacks' main inside back, playing the 1984 tests against France and touring Australia. He was again in the side for all the 1985 domestic tests and was chosen for the cancelled tour of South Africa.

His 35-match, 17-test involvement with the All Blacks ended on the replacement tour of Argentina when he played in the second test draw against the Pumas after being replaced by Grant Fox for the first test because of his illness. Smith made the "rebel" Cavaliers tour of South Africa in 1986, for which he served a two-test suspension. But by then he was winding down his playing career and for the next few years he played in Italy. He returned in the 1989 season to make another three early season appearances for Canterbury to bring his provincial tally to 69.

Always intensely analytical. Smith, who had trained as a teacher, quickly took to coaching and some of his early successes were in sevens with Canterbury. He himself was an accomplished sevens player who had played in Hong Kong international tournaments in 1984-86. In 1994-96 Smith had a term as the Hawke's Bay union chief executive and he was one of the instigators of the temporary alliance between the Bay and Manawatu to have a combined team, the Central Vikings, in the NPC in 1997-98. In 1997 Smith returned to Canterbury and in 1997-99 he was the Crusaders Super 12 coach. Under his guidance the Crusaders were the 1998-99 champions. In each of these seasons he was an assistant coach with the All Blacks and in 2000-01 he was the All Blacks' chief coach.

Bitterly disappointed with a narrow Bledisloe Cup defeat to the Wallabies late in the 2001 season. Smith, partly through his own doing and that of NZRU board, conceded his All Black post to John Mitchell and instead moved to Britain to coach Northampton. However after Graham Henry was appointed All Black coach for the 2004 season Smith, along with another Cantabrian Steve Hansen, joined All Black management as a selector and assistant coach.

Darren Shand - All Blacks Manager

Darren Shand took on the role of All Blacks Manager in 2004 after four years with the Crusaders, during which time the team made every Super 12 final and won the competition twice. He served as manager of the Canterbury Air New Zealand NPC side from 1999 and also managed New Zealand A during their tour of France, Wales and Romania in 2000. He previously served as Marketing Manager with tourism pioneers AJ Hackett Bungy.

Visit the All Blacks Website here

8 October 2010

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport

Erin Baker

Upon the suggestion by her mother Mary, Erin began running competitively at age 15 and showed ability right from the start. “I remember the first day Erin competed in a cross-country race. I was waiting for her to come in thinking God, she won't be very pleased because she hasn’t done very well. In fact, I missed her crossing the finish line a quarter of an hour earlier, in first place”. This competitiveness and desire has been evident in Erin from an early age and her hunger, victory and ambition was a characteristic of her later success. Erin was originally coached by John Hellemans but controlled and developed her successful career by self training, “I was self-trained. I just trained as much as my body would handle, and that was a shit load. I trained and trained, and I trained more if I had time. I never got injured so I would often do more in case somebody else was training while I was resting”. This quote only highlights the sheer determination of the woman and the competitive desire to win at all costs, even if the costs were physical.

In 1981 she was convicted of throwing explosive devices while protesting during the South African Rugby Team tour of New Zealand. This act prevented her from entering the USA for several years, restricting her from competing in any American competitions. Baker was also known for her protests at the Hawaii Ironman competitions when she rebelled against the notion of the winner of the men’s division receiving a car and the women’s division winner receiving nothing for her efforts. She voiced her opinions on numerous occasions and as a result was well known as a controversial athlete. With a remarkable career under her belt, she finished her triathlon stint in 1994 with an extraordinary record of 104 wins from 121 triathlons entered. Erin Baker was named “Triathlete of the decade” by American magazine Triathlete. The magazine commented on Erin’s success by saying “We’ve stopped trying to figure Erin out, we just accept her as the best female triathlete that ever lived”.

RESULTS

* 1984 entered and won her first ever triathlon in Sydney
* 1985 won the world middle distance championship in Nice, France
* 1986 New Zealand Ironman female winner (8.26.3)
* 1986 Won the world middle distance championship in Nice, France
* 1987 New Zealand Iron Man female winner (8.17.3)
* 1987 Winner of female division at Ford Ironman championships in Hawaii (shattered previous course record)
* 1987 Winner of the world short course title
* 1988 Won the world middle distance championship in Nice, France
* 1988 Winner of the world short course title
* 1988 Won World Championships (Olympic distance) in Canada
* 1988 Winner of the world short course title
* 1989 Named New Zealand Sportsperson of the year at Halberg awards
* 1990 Won the Womens demonstration Triathlon at the 1990 Commonwealth Games; competed in Womens 10,000 m in National championships
* 1990 Winner of female division at Ford Ironman championships in Hawaii
* 1990 New Zealand Ironman female winner (9.38.3)
* 1991 Won the World Duathlon title
* 1994 New Zealand Ironman female winner (9.54.1)
* 1994 Retired as a professional athlete
* 1995 Inducted in the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame
* Winner of 9 Ironman titles

Erin now lives in Christchurch with her husband and fellow triathlete Scott Molina and their 2 children. Baker has also served as a councillor on the Christchurch City Council and has served on the Canterbury District Health Board and on the boards of Jade Stadium and Christchurch and Canterbury Marketing Ltd.

1 October 2010

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport

Qualifications
19-year veteran of freediving
SSI Freediving Instructor Trainer
A.I.D.A Freediving instructor
CPR / Advanced first Aid / O2 Provider Instructor

Accomplishments
Mike has competed in a multitude of international freediving competitions and taken freediving in Australia to a new level, by being the first person in the world to swim through Fishrock Cave (South West rocks) on a single breath he has created history and set a world record in breath-hold diving.
Mike has taken his monofin to 80 mtrs deep (263 ft) He has taken his long bladed stereo-fins to 68 mtrs deep (223 ft) Has dived without fins (Free immersion) to 65 mtrs (213 ft)


Funnily enough it isn’t the competition or the depth that enthrals Mike. Mike has literally immersed himself in the oceans of the world over the last 25 years, exploring and engaging in adventures involving every sea creature imaginable. For Mike it is all about the ocean and the amazing creatures that call the saltwater their home. Mike has been introducing other ocean enthusiasts to the liquid world for many years through scuba diving and freediving and as a result is very passionate about the future of the oceans. He proudly supports the AMCS (Australian Marine Conservation Society).

A quote from Mike:
“This is what I feel the ocean and freediving is about - fun! It’s a very enjoyable sport and promotes a healthy fitness based lifestyle. The multitude and diversity of the animals living in the ocean will keep us fascinated and entertained for life. This is why I really enjoy introducing others to the mysteries below the surface. The expressions on the face of a new Freediver swimming with other wild inhabitants of the ocean is an incredibly satisfying sight. The more people that appreciate the ocean, the more aware people will be if the ocean is being mistreated. This is paramount to the future of the oceans health.

I feel I was born into the sea; it’s there, I feel welcome and I find a tranquil connection with every adventure I have. Especially if I am lucky enough to encounter an animal from the sea. From the seahorses to humpback whales, there is really no other place that can offer this much exhilaration.”

Visit Mike's Website, Learn to Freedive, here

24 September 2010

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport

Steve Price

Price grew up in Toowoomba, Queensland. Price was spotted playing rugby league for the Newtown Lions club in Toowoomba and was immediately fast-tracked to Sydney to play for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the New South Wales Rugby League Premiership. Steve made his debut for the Dogs at Belmore Sports Ground on 3 July, 1994 against the Balmain Tigers. It was a great rookie year for Price as his side finished the regular season as minor premiers on top of the ladder and eventually going on to reach the 1994 Grand Final where, unfortunately for Price, they lost to Mal Meninga's Canberra Raiders.

During the 1998 season Price made his debut for Queensland in game one of the 1998 State of Origin series. He would retain his spot for the following two matches of series in which Queensland were victorious two games to one. His performance at rep level was then awarded with the highest honour for an Australian player as he was announced in the 1998 Kangaroos squad. In the same year Steve Price and the Bulldogs made a terrific finals run, where after finishing the season in 9th position (10 from 20 teams made the finals in 1998), they won four must-win matches to make it all the way through to the 1998 Grand-Final against the Brisbane Broncos which, after a sensational run, they lost 38–12.

When Bulldog captain Darren Britt left the club at the end of 2001, coach Steve Folkes opted for Price to captain the side for 2002. He proved to be a great skipper and Bulldogs finished the 2002 season with 20 wins, 1 draw and only 3 losses, although they would not play in the finals due to the salary cap breach. 2003 was another strong year for Price as he was awarded Player of the Year by magazine Rugby League Week; he also captained the sides to 18 regular season wins and a semi-final berth which they lost to the Sydney Roosters. In 2004 Price had a stellar performance playing for Queensland and was awarded the Ron McAuliffe Medal for Queensland player of the series.

During the transfer period in 2004 it was announced that it would be his last year with the Bulldogs after 10 years of service, as he was signing with the New Zealand Warriors for 2005. He couldn't have gone out in better style as the Dogs finished second on the ladder, only missing out on the minor premiership by points difference. Price's fairytale ending was then shattered when he tore his medial ligament the week before the Grand Final. His side played well without their inspirational captain and went on to win 16–13 to send Price out with another Grand Final success, even though he did not compete in the final game.

When Steve Price left the Bulldogs, who had appeared in the finals consistently and performed very well, he went to join the Warriors who had experienced their worst ever season in 2004, finishing 14th of 15 teams and winning only 6 games all year. Price was straight-away appointed captain of the squad and he clearly made some sort of impact as the team remained competitive for all of their matches. In the opening match of the 2005 State of Origin series, Price was named man-of-the-match. The Warriors had a good chance to make the finals, however a four-match losing streak late in the season removed those chances and they finished the 2005 season 11th, a slight improvement from the previous year.

Even at the age of 33 and after 13 years playing professional football, the 2007 season proved to be one of his career bests. In Round 14 Steve Price broke his own record of 'metres gained by a forward' playing against the Cronulla Sharks. Price's previous record was 272 metres; he eclipsed this by gaining 306 metres from 33 hit ups. Seven weeks later in Round 21 Price broke his own record again, this time against the Sydney Roosters where he ran for a total of 323m. The Warriors finished the regular season strongly, sitting at the top end of the ladder on 4th position, although they struggled to perform come finals time and dropped out of the competition in the second week of the finals losing to the North Queensland Cowboys. However, Price's own personal performance throughout the year was duly recognised as he was awarded the Captain of the Year & Prop of the Year titles at the 2007 Dally M Awards.

In August 2008, Price was named in the preliminary 46-man Kangaroos squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup and in October 2008 he was selected in the final 24-man Australia squad. He did not however, play in the World Cup Final due to tearing his calf in the final training session before the Final which Australia lost to the Kiwis. Price was eligible for England and New Zealand however he has stated he will not switch his allegiance from Australia. In April 2009, he was named in the preliminary 25 man squad to represent Queensland in the opening State of Origin match for 2009.

On Sunday 3 May 2009 Price confirmed he would extend his NRL career to a 17th season after signing a one-year contract with the New Zealand Warriors. Price was replaced as the Warriors club captain for the 2010 season by Simon Mannering, in a move described by the club as building for the future.On the 6th April, 2010, Price announced his retirement from Rugby League at the conclusion of the 2010 NRL season.

On the 29th June, 2010, Price announced his immediate retirement. This was due to a heel injury that he picked up during the off-season. This injury did not heal correctly and resulted in three operations, meaning that he would be unable to take to the field at all during the 2010 NRL season. This meant that although 2010 would be his final season as a professional rugby league player, he would not play a single game.

This Weeks Guest, Friday 10 and 17 September 2010

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport

Dr Don Walsh

One of the world’s great explorers, Don Walsh began his career as a young submariner in the US Navy. His path into the world of deep-sea exploration and bathyscaphe diving was an unlikely one. It began one day in 1958 when he volunteered for a strange new project codenamed Project Nekton. At the time he knew little about ocean exploration, his professional interest in the sea floor being restricted to the shallow continental shelves and seamounts – the sort of places a military submarine might run aground.

To his surprise Walsh was picked for Project Nekton, and he found himself immersed in deep-sea exploration. As he recalls, when he first saw the disassembled bathyscaphe Trieste he did not know what to make of it. It looked like an ‘explosion in a boiler factory’. He was a fast learner, however, and by 1959, he was Officer-in-Charge of the Trieste’s deep-diving program and knew the bathyscaphe like the back of his hand.

In January 1960 the US Navy selected Walsh to make Trieste’s Deepest Dive with Jacques Piccard, and the rest is history. Since then Walsh has made a name for himself in the fields of exploration, engineering, science and ocean policy. As an adventurer-explorer, he has worked in the deep oceans, polar regions and space. From 1959 to 1962 he was the first commander of the Navy's Bathyscaphe Trieste and was designated U.S. Navy deep submersible pilot #1 in 1959. In 1960 he and co-pilot Jacques Piccard dove Trieste into the deepest place in the World Ocean, a depth of seven miles.

Dr. Walsh first went to the Arctic in 1955 and Antarctic in 1971 as a member of Operation Deep Freeze '71. He has worked at both the North and South Poles, having made 10 expeditions to the Arctic and 16 to the Antarctic. His contributions to polar exploration were recognized in 1973 when a mountain ridge in the Antarctic was named for him.

To find out more about the Trieste mission click here
 

3 September 2010

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport

Bob McMurray

Bob McMurray has had a long relationship with motorsport - especially Formula 1 and contracts as a commentator on all matters to do with motorsport to various media companies in New Zealand, including ONE Sport. He spent over 30 years with McLaren International

He was responsible for the initiation, development and bringing to operation of various projects including the development of "high rise" team hospitality trucks to enable two useable and operational decks (a system in use with virtually all the Formula 1 teams today) and the development of a live television broadcast system from the pit garages to the sponsor's village.

Due to his understanding of Formula 1, engineering and mechanics Bob became the voice of McLaren on the "in house" television link, showing an ability to translate the technical disciplines to the boards of directors, sponsors and non-Formula 1 devotees alike.

Bob left McLaren in 2002 and returned home to New Zealand. Since his return he has been involved in race driver management and undertaken a successful European test session with a promising New Zealand driver.

He makes presentations to various companies and organisations, is a trustee of the Motorsport New Zealand Scholarship Trust, a committee member of the Bruce McLaren Trust, is closely involved with the Toyota Racing Series and at the inception of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport international series he was appointed the CEO of A1 Team NZL.

Awards:
Recipient in 2006 of the MotorSport New Zealand Personality of the Year
Recipient in 2007 of the Motor Trades Association award for Contribution to Industry

About the Book - Behind the Pit Wall - My Life in Formula One and beyond. Written with Eric Thompson

Bob McMurray has seen just about everything in motor sport — from the years working ‘behind the pit wall’ with the McLaren Team and the high-octane adventure that was A1GP to Scott Dixon winning the Indianapolis 500.If you want facts and figures, go to the Internet — you won’t find them here. Instead, the book is more like a bar-room conversation about Bob’s 30-odd years in Formula One. All the interesting stuff.
Witness to cataclysmic battles, both on and off the track, when political and personal egos clashed, he saw the bloody birth of modern Formula One.

He was there, on the inside, as the world of motor sport morphed into a financial behemoth, leaving the racetracks of the world littered with severely crushed egos and destroyed careers. Witness to paddock revolution, driver tantrums, spying, industrial espionage, intrigue and more scandal than you could poke a stick at, he also experienced a degree of friendship, fun, camaraderie and team bonding you’d never expect to find in a cut-throat world of high achievers. In an earthy look at the drivers who risked it all, the Machiavellian machinations of the businesses running motor sport and what it was like to be part of the growing pains — good and bad — Bob McMurray tells it like it was as Formula One became a massive global sport.
 

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport

Kevin Biggar - Explorer

Kevin Biggar got his first taste of adventure early. He was just 18 when he had the opportunity to work for two months at 12,500 feet, building a school at the
Tengboche monastery, in Nepal, with Sir Edmund Hillary. "The scenery was amazingly dramatic, all around us were snow capped peaks that soared 20,000 feet or more into the sky. We would be woken up each day by the horns and gongs of the monks scaring away the evil spirits. You can see the peak of Everest from there, and it always has a plume of snow blowing off it. At night when the full moon illuminates it, the scene is breathaking. After dinner in the hut Sir Ed would tell stories about his climbs. It left a big impression on me. I guess it planted a seed."

The seed lay dormant for many years while Kevin finished a physics degree at Auckland University and a Master of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge. Kevin returned to New Zealand to work in the International Economics group of The Treasury, and the Energy Impacts group of the Ministry of Commerce before becoming a Strategy Consultant with The Boston Consulting Group.

That seed finally bore fruit when Kevin decided to leave the corporate world to take part in the 2003 Trans-Atlantic Rowing Race - a 5000km epic between the Canary Islands and Barbados in a 7m plywood dinghy - an unusual choice for someone who had never rowed before! Kevin used his business skills to great effect, identifying and innovating on the most critical elements of the preparations. However, plans went awry just six weeks before the start when his rowing partner pulled out. The last minute replacement was Jamie Fitzgerald, a 22 year old university student. "The Trans-Atlantic rowing race has a history of crew relationships breaking down. I didn't know what was in store for us."

They encountered storms, curious whales, sleep deprivation, breakages, hallucinations, stinging jellyfish and were dramatically thrown out of their boat in a capsize just 130nm from Barbardos, leading to a desperate and thrilling sprint to the finish. In the end, they not only won, but smashed the previous record by more than 21 hours completing the gruelling challenge in just over 40 days and 5 hours at sea. The story of the race is told in 'The Oarsome Adventures of a Fat Boy Rower

Two years with strategy groups in Telecom NZ followed, before Kevin and Jamie teamed up again to take on an even bigger challenge. An unsupported, 1200 km manhaul to the South Pole – a feat that fewer than 50 people have ever achieved. "Who hasn't read the story of Scott's expedition and wanted to go down there and see it for themselves? Antarctica is an amazing place, the highest, driest, windiest, coldest continent on Earth."

The motivation for this trip was three-fold: to become the first New Zealanders to walk unsupported to the South Pole; to commemorate the 50 th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary's South Pole expedition, and to work with the Foundation of Youth Development to help raise young people's awareness of outdoor pursuits.

To prepare for this the pair spent weeks training in the Canadian Arctic (dodging polar bears) in New Zealand's coldest industrial fridge (dodging frozen chickens!) and dragging tyres around the streets and hills of Wellington and Auckland (dodging hooligans in Cortinas).

In Antarctica Kevin and Jamie spent fifty days battling worse than expected conditions, temperatures as cold as -40 degrees, frostbite, injury, whiteouts, endless sastruggi and gear failure.  "I thought after rowing the Atlantic that nothing could ever be difficult again. But Antarctica was brutal, there is nothing about manhauling the sled down there that is easy. Just when you think things are going ok something will go wrong, like your glove gets blown away, a tent pole breaks, or you fall into a crevasse."

Finally, after 52 days of man-hauling their sleds, they reached the South Pole. The first New Zealanders to walk unsupported to the Pole and the first people in the world to have rowed an ocean and walked to a pole.

To find out more about Kevin click here

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport

Sir Steve Redgrave 

A lot of water has passed under the bridge for Steve since winning his fifth gold medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Despite the earlier famous request to "shoot me if you see me in a boat again" in Atlanta, Sydney marked the end of a long and extrordinary career in competitive sport that resulted in Steve winning an unprecedented five Gold Medals in consecutive Olympic games.

Gold for the Coxed Fours in Los Angeles in 1984, followed by Gold with his previous partner Andy Holmes in the Coxless Pairs at Seoul in 1988, Gold with partner Matthew Pinsent for the Coxless Pairs at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and of course, the famous win in the Coxless Fours at the Sydney Olympics.

World Champion
In addition to his Olympic successes and following four unbeaten seasons from 1993 to 1996, Steve won his ninth World Championship Gold in August 1999 in St Catherines, Canada. His previous World Championship Golds were in 1986, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 1998.

Key achievements
He has also won many other honours in the sport over the past eleven years, including the Henley Royal Regatta Diamond Sculls several times and the Silver Goblets a record seven times. In 1986 Steve became a Triple Commonwealth Gold Medallist at Edinburgh, winning the Single Scull, Coxless Pairs, and Coxed Four. His other sporting interests include golf and winter sports, and during the 1989/90 season, he was a member of the British Bobsleigh Team.

Together with partner Matthew Pinsent, Steve was the holder of the World Record in Coxless Pairs set in Lucerne in 1994 until 2002 and still retains the Olympic Record, set in Atlanta in 1996. Steve and Matt enjoyed an exclusive sponsorship deal with Lombard, which allowed them to devote all their time to training for international regattas and to winning more honours for Great Britain.

Already established as the world's most outstanding rower of all time after his Atlanta victory, Steve announced in 1997 that he had decided to carry on competing through to the Millennium Games in Sydney in the hope of winning a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal - a feat which has confirmed him as one of the greatest athletes in Olympic history.

The Knighthood
Steve was awarded the MBE in the New Year's Honours List in 1987 and the CBE in the New Year's Honours List of 1997 and following his success in Sydney was awarded a Knighthood in the 2001 New Years Honours List. The University of Durham also awarded him an Honorary Degree in December 1996.

Find out more here

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport

Dave Walker- Radio Sport 3pm
 
 Dave Walker is a Intermediate school teacher from Auckland's North Shore . After completing his 7th NZ Ironman in March 2008 with a personal best time he hit upon the idea of doing an ultramarathon. Dave says. "Ultra marathons had always been a background idea but not one I had given any real thought or time to. While surfing the net for ideas I stumbled upon an Ultra marathon in Brazil, through the mountainous region behind Sao Paulo. One year of training later, and with the help of my wife, daughter and a great crew I completed this gruelling event in just under 56 hours, and was hooked!"
 
 Two years later he had completed a range of long distance events in New Zealand, been back to Brazil a second time, and submitted an application and Sporting CV for acceptance to the Badwater committee. "On my first application I was accepted. I couldn’t believe it! Many try multiple times to be accepted, it’s really hard to get in, and I still can’t quite believe I was accepted to do this race with only two years of training under my belt. I would be running with some of the best long distance runners in the world."
 
 As a burns victim in his very early years he had always wanted to become more involved in helping the National Burn Centre, Middlemore Hospital and specialists in some way.  He saw the opportunity that the profile of this event would give to help help burns victims and raise awareness for their needs and for longer term prevention.
 
 On July 12 Dave successfully completed the gruelling event in a time of 45 hrs 41 minutes 29 seconds, becoming one of a select group of New Zealanders to compete the Baswater Ultramarathon - Max Telford's n 1982, Kym McConnell's successful run in 2004 and more recently Lisa Tamati's New Zealand record runs in 2008 and 2009.
 
 Visit Dave's website Man on Fire
 
 The Badwater Ultramarathon
 
 The Badwater Ultramarathon describes itself as "the world's toughest foot race". It is a 217 km course starting at 85 m below sea level in the Badwater Basin, in California's Death Valley, and ending at an elevation of 2548 m at Whitney Portal, the trailhead to Mount Whitney. It takes place annually in mid-July, when the weather conditions are most extreme and temperatures over 49 °C, even in the shade, are not uncommon. Consequently, very few people—even among ultra marathoners—are capable of finishing this gruelling race.
 
 For more on Badwater click here.

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport

Barry competed for New Zealand in the men's marathon at the 1960 Summer Olympics held in Rome, Italy, where he won the bronze medal. Four years later in Tokyo he placed 23rd place in the 10,000 metres, not making the Olympic Marathon team due to a stress fracture.

Magee was one of the large group of athletes that New Zealand coach Arthur Lydiard used to revolutionise how the world trained for all sports. At the 1960 Olympic Games Lydiard's pupils and Magee's training partners, Murray Halberg and Peter Snell won gold medals over 5000m and 800m within one hour. Magee's bronze in the marathon confirmed Lydiard's training methods.

Magee's run in Rome made him the fastest white marathon runner of all time to that moment. He went on to win many major international races, including Japan's prestigious Fukuoka Marathon. But Magee was much more than a marathon runner; he also ran the world's second fastest times over 3mile and 6mile and was part of New Zealand's 4x1mile world record breaking relay team in 1961.

Barry has continued from his era of glory in the `60's to run sub 2hr 30m marathon at the age of 48 and 49 and he was still ranked among the top runners in his New Zealand age group at 65. This success in his senior years is due to his commitment to his own athletes who he has helped over the last 4 decades. Training along side most of these athletes has kept him in the incredible shape depicted here. Barry has acquired a level of knowledge on health issues related to athletes, helping them to achieve a better quality of life.

Magee always attributed his success to Lydiard, who had become something of a father figure after Magee's own father died in the same year that Lydiard started coaching him. After retiring from international competition Magee coached several top runners himself.

He is now a proud coach at Auckland City Athletics (ACA) coaching numerous N.Z. Champions

He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

Visit Barry's website here

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 7pm to 8pm Newstalk ZB

Simon Elliott

Simon Elliott played for several clubs in the New Zealand Central Premier League in the 1990s, and attended Wellington College prior to moving to the United States.

He began his professional career with A-League (now USL First Division) team Boston Bulldogs in 1999,playing three games, before joining Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy in May 1999.He was voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2000 after scoring five goals and making five assists, and helped the club to win the CONCACAF Champions' Cup in 2000, the U.S. Open Cup in 2001 and the MLS Cup in 2002.He made 122 appearances for Galaxy in five seasons, scoring ten goals. Elliott was traded in January 2004 to the Columbus Crew in exchange for a first round pick in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft.

Elliott caught the eye of Chris Coleman, manager of English Premier League club Fulham, during a pre-season friendly game in July 2005 and joined Fulham in training after the end of the MLS season.He then joined Fulham in January 2006 on a free transfer and made 13 league and cup appearances during the remainder of the 2005-06 season.During the summer he injured a calf muscle,and missed the entire Premier League 2006-07 season through injury; he played in some reserve games towards the end of the season. He was released by Fulham in May 2008. Elliott returned to Major League Soccer in 2009, signing with the San Jose Earthquakes. He was waived from San Jose prior to the 2010 season opener.

Elliott scored on his full New Zealand national football team debut in a 2-1 win over Singapore on 21 February 1995 and earned his 50th A-international cap in a 3-0 win over New Caledonia on 10 September 2008, accruing 6 goals en route to his milestone. He appeared in qualifying matches for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and in the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup in France. Elliott was included in the New Zealand U-23 squad for their first appearance at the Olympic Games as one of three over age players, alongside Ryan Nelsen and Chris Killen.He was named as part of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup New Zealand squad to travel to South Africa.

On 10 May 2010, Elliott was named in New Zealand's final 23-man squad to compete at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and played in all 3 of New Zealand's matches in South Africa.

Terenzo Bozzone

Terenzo Bozzone was born in South Africa and moved to New Zealand with his family as a young boy. He was a talented athlete at school winning many national titles in a variety of disciplines including cross country running, cycling, swimming and multisport. After finishing school he focused on multisport and won the 2001 & 2002 Junior Men's Elite Duathlon World Championship and the 2002 & 2003 Junior Men's Elite Triathlon World Championship.

In 2008, Bozzone capped off a successful year by winning the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater, Florida setting a then course record of 3:40:10.

This Weeks Guest, Friday 16 July

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 7pm to 8pm Newstalk ZB

Jean-Michel Cousteau

Since first being “thrown overboard” by his father at the age of seven with newly invented SCUBA gear on his back, Jean-Michel has been exploring the ocean realm. The son of ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, Jean-Michel has investigated the world’s oceans aboard Calypso and Alcyone for much of his life. Honoring his heritage, Jean-Michel founded Ocean Futures Society in 1999 to carry on this pioneering work.

Ocean Futures Society, a non-profit marine conservation and education organization, serves as a “Voice for the Ocean” by communicating in all media the critical bond between people and the sea and the importance of wise environmental policy. As Ocean Future’s spokesman, Jean-Michel serves as an impassioned diplomat for the environment, reaching out to the public through a variety of media.

He has produced over 80 films, received the Emmy, the Peabody Award, the 7 d’Or, and the Cable Ace Award. In 1989, he became a syndicated columnist for the Los Angeles Times where his articles appeared in over sixty newspapers worldwide. Reaching millions of people globally through Ocean Futures Society, Jean-Michel continues to produce environmentally oriented adventure programs and television specials, public service announcements, multi-media programs for schools, web-based marine content, books, articles for magazines, newspaper columns, and public lectures.

For more on the work of Jean-Michel Cousteau click here

Squadron Leader Tony Iveson DFC

Tony Iveson's first tour of duty was in Fighter Command. He flew as a Sergeant pilot with 616 Sqn flying Spitfires out of Kenley during the Battle of Britain and was shot down in the English Channel. He instructed pilots in Rhodesia and South Africa. Commissioned in 1942, he did his second tour with Bomber Command, flying with 617 (Dambuster) Squadron. Tony Iveson was to become one of 617 Squadron's most prominent pilots and flew on the squadron's three missions against the Tirpitz.

The final mission sank the battleship with a 12,500 lb. 'tallboy' bomb, designed to exceed the speed of sound at terminal velocity before penetrating the ship's deck.

For more on the sinking of the Tirpitz click here

This Weeks Guest, Friday 9 July

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 7pm to 8pm Newstalk ZB

Steve Swart

One of a select few New Zealanders to ever have ridden the tough Tour de France course, Steve rode it 3 times - 1997, 2004 and 2005 and rode in the US based Motorola team alongside Lance Armstrong.

Rodney Fox

Great White Shark attack victim, film maker and expedition leader, Rodney Fox, was born in South Australia on 9th November 1940. He is happily married to Kay and they have three children Andrew, Lenore, Darren and 7 grandchildren.

The Fox family opened "The Rodney Fox Shark Experience” a Shark Museum and Nautical Gift Shop. This museum featured Rodney's private collection of displays and items from a life time film making and research with sharks. The displays featured Great White Shark models, cages from the film "Jaws", giant fossil teeth plus photos and video highlights from many films that he has been involved in.

When he is not talking to groups of people about sharks, Rodney's time is spent consulting and coordinating film crews and arranging and guiding tourist adventure trips and expeditions specializing in Great White Sharks, Whale Sharks, crocodiles and other marine creatures.

Rodney Fox was attacked by a Great White Shark and badly bitten around the chest and arm in December 1963. His story of the attack and escape has been published many times. He is regarded as a miracle survivor of one of the world's worst shark attacks.

Rodney went on to build the first under water observation cage to dive the Great White Shark and has now led hundreds of major expeditions to film and study his attacker. He is regarded as a world authority on the Great White Shark and has a great reputation as an expedition leader and producer of sharks. It is estimated that Rodney has been involved in some way with 90% of all prominent White Shark images taken world wide, in the 20th Century.

Since Rodney's attack by a Great White in 1963 his involvement with the giant sharks include consultant, guide, expedition leader, hunter, film producer, photographer, coordinator, actor, diver, cage designer protector and more. He also spent much of his early career as a professional abalone diver. This wide variety of experiences gives Rodney a huge repertoire to talk on as a much sought after public speaker.

Rodney's talks inspire his audiences to overcome fears they may have in life, and through a process of understanding and education he hopes anyone can begin to appreciate and respect that which they were formally afraid of, to enjoy a better life.

In January 2007 Rodney was inducted into the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame.

At DEMA in 2007 Rodney received the prestigious Wyland Icon Award.

This Weeks Guest, Friday 2 July - Duane Mann and Jim Doyle

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 7pm to 8pm Newstalk ZB

Duane Mann began a professional career in rugby league back in 1989 with British heavy weights Warrington. He returned home in 1995 as a member of the Warriors inaugural team in the Australian Winfield Cup.

During this time he also played 29 test matches for the Kiwis and went on to become captain in 1994. Duane also has the distinction of being a player and captain for two countries as he captained Tonga in both the 1995 and 2000 rugby league World Cups.

Over recent years Duane has established a coaching, teaching and administration career working as a High Performance Director with the RL Foundation and has also worked along side the Vodafone Warriors as their Junior Development Coach.

Duane currently works as a Coaching Development Manager across the Greater Auckland Region. The focus is to improve coaching structures and the coaching process within regional sport organisations, clubs and schools.

Jim Doyle - Hailing originally from Scotland, Jim and his family made their way to NZ via South Africa arriving here 16 years ago. Starting life as an apprentice electrician and working his way up combining work with university studies, Jim became COO and then CEO of Navman in NZ, taking the organisation from a $3 million company to a $500 million worldwide brand.

Jim has extensive business experience with a number of well recognised NZ companies and is the architect of and driving force behind the widely respected NZRL "Game Plan". Believing it is more than just a game, Jim is determined to see rugby league become a respected sport of choice within NZ.

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 7pm to 8pm Newstalk ZB

Grant Fox's first class rugby career spanned more than a decade with his Auckland debut in 1982 and New Zealand in 1984. He was considered a master tactician and the accuracy of his kicking ability is legendary. He retired from test rugby in 1993 and was the greatest points scorer in the history of New Zealand rugby.

During his time with the All Blacks from 1985 to 1993, he wore the number 10 jersey, and was the main goalkicker for the All Blacks. He amassed 645 points from 46 All Black Test Matches (1 try, 118 conversions, 128 penalties, 7 drop goals). He is considered a true pioneer of the modern art of goal kicking, in particular the technicalities of leaning the ball forward, which has been adopted by world class kickers since; many believe he is one of the greatest first five eights in All Black history. Even though he was not a great runner with the ball in hand, he made-up for this with fantastic distribution skills reinforced by his long-term colleague John Kirwan's then-world-record career statistics playing outside him for Auckland and the All Blacks.The highlight of Fox's career was winning the inaugural Rugby World Cup with New Zealand in 1987; a victory based in part on his accurate kicking.

Fox remained an integral part of his Auckland club, involved at a coaching level and sharing in their success in the 1999 and 2002-2003 NPC seasons. Fox is now a commentator on Sky Sports, and in the EA Sports rugby union series.


Daryl Halligan was Rugby Leagues pre-eminent goal-kicker of his era, retiring as the highest point scorer in Australian premiership history. Halligan played club football in Australia for the North Sydney Bears and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, winning the 1995 ARL Premiership with the latter.

Before shifting to rugby league, Halligan played amateur rugby union for Waikato. In rugby league Halligan was renowned as a fine goalkicker, his 855 first grade goals coming at an impressive 80% success rate. He was the first person to score 2,000 points in the NRL. At the time of his retirement he held the competition point-scoring record at 2,034 points. He also scored 80 tries, and kicked 4 field goals.

Halligan is noted for revolutionising goal-kicking by using a plastic tee from which to kick.

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 7pm to 8pm Newstalk ZB

John Bertrand
John Bertrand skippered the winged keel Australia 2 to victory over Dennis Connor’s Liberty to win the 1983 America's Cup, breaking 132 years of American domination and, in the process, breaking the longest-running record in the history of modern sport. The comeback from 3-1 down and the final race victory, billed as the race of the century, was perhaps the greatest upset in modern Australian sports history. A World Champion and Olympic medalist, John represented Australia in five America's Cups and two Olympic Games.

In over 25 years of America’s Cup campaigning, he was involved in all areas of activity…from skipper of Australia 2to Chairman of One Australia. Australia conferred a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) on John in 1985. His biography 'Born to Win" published in 1985, was at the time the largest-selling biography in Australian publishing history.

John is both a businessman and philanthropist.  He is co-owner and Chairman of one of Australia’s largest independent television production and distribution companies. His company, World Wide Entertainment, exports television shows to 180 countries worldwide. John is Chairman of the Alannah and Madeline children’s Foundation. The Foundation is a world leader in developing anti-bullying programs within Australian Schools. He is also Chairman of Sport Australia Hall of Fame. John holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Monash University and a Master of Science degree from MIT in Boston. He is a life member of both the International America's Cup Hall of Fame and Australia’s Sports Hall of Fame. John’s love of sailing continues. He actively competes at the highest level within the International Etchells class.

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 7pm to 8pm Newstalk ZB

Kevin Fallon
In tandem with John Adshead, Kevin took the All Whites through to the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain where they competed in pool play against Scotland, Brazil and Russia. Kevin also coached the Kingz in the Australian soccer league, and took the under-17 All Whites to a win over third-ranked European team Poland in the 1999 Under-17 World Cup in New Zealand.

Kevin has won the Chatham Cup with Nelson, and the national league with Gisborne. Kevin was instrumental in establishing the New Zealand Centres of Excellence programme for young players. Kevin was also involved in the establishment of the national soccer academy in 1987.

He has received numerous awards, including New Zealand soccer personality of the year five times, and was made a member of the New Zealand soccer Hall of Fame in 1995. Kevin was made a life member of the New Zealand Coaches Association in 1998. In 2007 Kevin was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to soccer.

For the last 12 years Kevin has been the Director of Soccer and First Eleven coach at Mount Albert Grammar. He remains the best known face in New Zealand soccer. His son Rory continues this fine family tradition in elite sports and currently plays professional football in the English Championship, and at present with the All Whites in South Africa.

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 7pm to 8pm Newstalk ZB

Jim Clash
Journalist Jim Clash is an Explorers Club Fellow whose adventures include driving the Bugatti Veyron at its top speed of 253 mph; skiing to the South Pole; racing Indy cars at over 200 mph; flying in a MiG-25 Foxbat to 85,000 feet at Mach 2.6; two visits to the North Pole; driving a Fountain super-boat at 140 mph; and climbs to the summits of Aconcagua, Mt. Blanc and the Matterhorn. Clash, a 16-year Forbes veteran, also authored the critically acclaimed book, "To the Limits: Pushing Yourself to the Edge in Adventure and in Business" (John Wiley and Sons, 2003).

Clash has interviewed a number of of high profile adventurers and iconoclasts including Apollo 11 moonwalkers Neil Armstrong Buzz Aldrin; 4-minute miler Sir Roger Bannister; ace test pilot Chuck Yeager; 3-time Formula 1 champ Sir Jackie Stewart; the late Everest pioneer Sir Edmund Hillary, H-bomb physicist Dr. Edward Teller and balloonist Steve Fossett; 1968 200-meter Olympic champ and civil rights activist Tommie Smith; tennis great Martina Navratilova; 3-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves; and 2-time Heisman Trophy-winner Archie Griffin.

In the 1980s, Clash was drummer in the BizRock band The VPs. He holds an M.B.A. from Columbia and a B.A. from the University of Maryland.

For more on Jim Clash, click here
 

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 7pm to 8pm Newstalk ZB

Richard Noble and Andy Green
This is the story of ThrustSSC - a car designed to set the first ever supersonic World Land Speed Record. Conceived with a capability of reaching 850mph, it is the most powerful car ever built.

It is also the story of the ThrustSSC Team. From the easily recognised faces of current record-holder Richard Noble and Driver Andy Green, to the never-seen people working behind the scenes to make it all happen, this is the story of their struggles to beat bad weather, restricted funding, unforeseen setbacks - and stiff competition to be the first through the Sound Barrier.

For more on Thrust SSC, click here

 

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

Football Star Ryan Nelsen
Amongst the very best players New Zealand has ever produced, Ryan captains Blackburn Rovers in the English Premier League and will soon skipper NZ to the FIFA World Cup. Ryan has played 176 games for Rovers with 5 goals and 41 games for NZ with 9 goals. He is not only a great player but an inspirational captain, on the HPH we find out why.

For more on Ryan Nelsen, click here

 

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

Jet Boat Marathon Champion Mark Cromie
New Zealand's most crowned World Jet boat river racing Campaigner Mark Cromie has entered over 18 world marathons in more than 4 countries in a Jet Boat Marathon racing career that started in 1976. We talk with Mark live at the Hutch Wilco NZ Boat Show

 

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

Rally Driving Duo Richard and Sara Mason
Richard and Sara are a married couple who like to go fast. They are amongst the very best rally driving teams NZ has produced and have performed on the international and domestic stage for the past ten years, usually winning most events they compete in. We spoke to Richard and Sara about team work, about concentration, about preparation and about controlling fear as they race their Subaru at break neck speeds around gravel and tarmac roads around NZ and the world.

For More on Richard and Sara, click here

3pm to 4pm, Radio Sport 

Olympic Bronze Medalist Paul Kingsman
Paul Kingsman is a sought after expert on how to make your split seconds count.

As a professional motivational speaker and executive coach, he teaches financial industry business people how to overcome distractions and maintain focus.
Paul helps clients conquer daily distractions which seem urgent, but are more often inconsequential, so they can achieve the success they want in both their business and personal lives.

He knows the importance of keeping focused in life’s split seconds first hand: Paul trained for 13 years, to swim a 2 minute backstroke race at the 1988 Olympics, and won a medal by only four one-hundredths of a second!

After retiring from competitive swimming, Paul applied the same success habits he had developed in sport to business, going on to achieve big results with some of the world’s best known companies, both in his native country of New Zealand and here in his adopted home of the U.S. He’s managed Speedo New Zealand and worked as a high net-worth advisor for both Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo.

His financial industry experience has given Paul an understanding of the unique business challenges faced by financial services professionals, and he focuses his expertise in this area. He works with his clients so they can focus on best practices and achieve consistent, outstanding results. Whether through keynote speaking or one-on-one coaching, Paul gives his clients practical tools to make the best split-second decisions for their long-term success.

Paul currently lives in Northern California, and enjoys spending his leisure time with his wife, son, and their dog.

For More on Paul, click here

7pm to 8pm, Newstalk ZB 

RAF Bomber Pilot Tony Iveson
Squadron Leader Tony Iveson joined 616 Squadron at Keley on 2 September 1940 flying Spitfires. In May 1942 and his second operational tour was with Bomber Command. He joined 617 Squadron (the Dam Busters) in 1944. Tony is Chairman of the Bomber Command Association. Brian Milton worked with Tony to write the compelling book 'Lancaster'. A journalist and broadcaster, Brian is also an aero enthusiast and flyer, having flown a microlight aircraft around the world in 1998, recording his adventures in the book Global Flyer. 

For more on Tony Iveson and in particular the mission to sink the Tirpitz, click here

7pm to 8pm, Newstalk ZB and Radio Sport

"On January 28, 1998, Ken rode the biggest wave ever ridden in history, on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii at an outer reef known as Outside Log Cabins. This wave was considered to be in excess of 85 feet. That same day he also rode another 20 waves between 40 and 65 feet to make this the largest day ever ridden. Ken's dream has always been the same, to be one of the best big wave riders, and possibly the best big wave surfer in the history of the world. It looks like his dream may have come true."

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Ken started surfing at the age of 13 on Surfside Beach, Texas in 1965. After many youthful experiences in and out of school, Ken had to choose between academics, school sports or surfing. To his parents disapproval surfing won Ken's heart. For the next year, Ken threw himself into surfing 100%. Searching for better waves, he moved to California in 1969 and finished high school in Encinitas. By 1972 he was ready to master the big waves of Hawaii and decided to move to Sunset Beach. His first clothing sponsor was Sundek from 1979 to 1986. Then Quiksilver sponsored Ken from 1986-1992.   For more on Ken Bradshaw, click here