Farewell to a sporting institution

It might seem strange, not to say irreverent, to describe someone as being like an old sock.
But for me that was Jim McKenzie in a nutshell.
Having Jim around was comfortable ? just like an old sock.
I'd hate to think how many times over the last couple of decades I have rung Jim to check out some sporting detail.
Especially if it had something to do with either rugby or athletics.
Jim was a walking encyclopedia when it came to those pursuits.
Sure, he was aided and abetted by having an extensive library to which he could refer but seldom did he have to delve too deeply there before coming up with the answer you required.
His memory of names, events and situations was something special and he was never adverse to sharing his knowledge with you.
In fact, he inevitably came up with enough information to practically fill a book let alone a few inches in a newspaper column.
And, what's more, you could guarantee its accuracy, for that was something Jim prided himself on.
Indeed, in all the dealings I had with him I can't remember a time when he came up short in that respect.
His attention to detail was obviously a major factor in Jim becoming a household name around these parts as an athletics coach.
It didn't matter if his tutoring involved sprinters, middle distance runners, shot putters, long jumpers or high jumpers, Jim McKenzie was the man for the job.
I recall him telling me that to be successful as a coach you had to be a good communicator
You had to develop a bond between yourself and the athlete which would be unshakeable even when the going got tough.
It was no surprise then to attend a McKenzie coaching session and find that the amount of talk basically matched the amount of action.
It was all about the athlete not only understanding what they were expected to do but why they were doing it.
He was not into creating robots ? his charges had a brain and they were always encouraged to use it.
It was a mark of Jim's unbounded enthusiasm for coaching-not to mention his dedication-than even when he fell ill he continued to operate the best he could.
Even if he meant sitting in his car and watching his prot?g?s go through their paces from afar. And then signalling them to come to his vehicle so he could have a quiet chat and correct any deficiencies in their techniques..
It would be very remiss, of course, to end any tribute to Jim McKenzie without mention of his love affair with his home town of Carterton.
He was a veritable institution there, combining a huge contribution to its sporting life with an equally huge contribution to community work of all kinds.
Jim McKenzie passed away late last week and a service in his memory was held in Carterton today.
Gone but never forgotten.