Dame Susan Devoy - Column

I am compelled to wade into the debate surrounding the All Whites taking out the supreme honour at the Halberg Awards last week.
To set the record straight, the Halberg Award is awarded to the individual athlete, athlete in a team or team whose achievement in 2010 represented excellence in sport at the highest level.
Judges are asked to consider whether the achievement was in that sport's "pinnacle event" (the Olympics); was it a world record, or world ranking or recognition (such as International Player of the Year); the quality of the field or competition; and the global nature of the sport.
I know this because I was a judge for a few years but resigned - not because I disagreed with the process, but because I was honest enough to admit that my own bias towards individual sportsmen and women who competed in minority sports (in other words the underdog) was clouding my judgment.
The judging panel comprises of sports journalists, former athletes, coaches and administrators. In years past, it was only the journalists who voted. This is probably why I won the coveted award once despite being nominated 10 times.
I have been amused by comments from some sports journalists who seem to believe that because they write or commentate on sport they are the only ones qualified to judge who is New Zealand's ultimate sporting champion.
Sometimes I ask myself: what would they really know? Some would go into oxygen debt getting the paper from the letterbox and how would they know what it is like to train exhaustively for years and then compete with the pressure of the whole country on your shoulders.
Sorry guys, watching and writing doesn't compare to training and competing.
Debate is healthy but when the comments become derogatory it can't help but take the shine off the All Whites' moment of glory.
To be frank, when I competed I truly believed that winning wasn't everything - it was the only thing.
That's what is expected of professional athletes, of world champion individuals or teams and, quite rightly so, it is what we expect of the All Blacks.
But we need to teach our kids that winning isn't only reflected by the scoreboard. How often do we see young children sidelined by over-zealous coaches or parents desperate for their team to win the under-7 local football derby?
How will the worst player on the team ever develop if he only gets to sit on the bench and play when the team has no chance of losing? Must do wonders for their self-esteem.
I also observe that the parents and coaches are more devastated when the team loses. Most kids are gutted but move on quickly, leaving the adults conducting the post mortem and apportioning the blame.
I often have parents of talented athletes - and let's face it, we always think our own children are much better than they are - ringing me for advice. "Do you think Jimmy has what it takes to be a world beater?" they ask.
Sometimes it's as obvious as the nose on your face that they won't, but I always say: "If it is their dream and not yours and they really love what they do then you owe it to them to give all the support and guidance and see how far they can explore their potential."
Never squash the passion for wanting to be the best.
I am not the perfect sporting parent. I have been as guilty as the rest of getting too involved and too intense but, at the end of the day, our expectations should be that they will enjoy what they do and be the best they can.
And despite what all the critics have said, the All Whites of 2010 will be remembered for just that - demonstrating excellence in their sport at the highest level.
Give them credit where credit's due and stop whingeing about it.