Sniper fire inspirational for sports star old boy

It might seem strange for a leading New Zealand sportsman to start a speech talking about dodging sniper fire in war-torn Sarajevo, but Ben Collier knew where he was going with his message.

The Black Sticks veteran - capped 137 times - and 2008 Beijing Olympian received his special honours tie from his old school, Wanganui Collegiate, yesterday afternoon in a ceremony at the school's Prince Edward Auditorium.

Having travelled the world for his sport, Collier told the assembled students and guests about talking to a young man his age when he visited Sarajevo some years after the 1992-1996 siege.

As a teenager, every week the local man would leave the city and dash down "Snipers' Alley" the open road to the airport with no cover from sharpshooters on the hillside.

There, the boy would collect a week's worth of food for his family and also gorge himself because he didn't know if he would survive the trip home, then come the next week he would be just hungry and desperate enough to try again.

The point, Collier explained, is that the students had to "gorge" on every opportunity to advance themselves from the moment they left Collegiate.

"Be sure you take everything out of your life and talents now, it will make you braver to reach the goals you set for yourself."

Collier went on to talk about the lifelong friends he had made at Collegiate, and his career highlights of representing New Zealand at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

He recalled experiencing other cultures, including the night before a World Cup game in India when he and a teammate sneaked out to try out some sheep's brains at a local eatery.

"I took on the infamous 'Delhi Belly' and we won."

Then there was the keen trade of "shirt swapping" at the Olympic village, although Collier ruffled a few feathers when he traded with the Hungarian team and proceeded to add a question mark to that country's name on the back of the uniform.

He encouraged today's Collegiate students to always give everything to reach their goals, just as he trained hard to rise above the scratches received on the Gonville Domain turf to walk out on to the Melbourne Cricket Ground in his national colours.

Collier will take to the turf in Wanganui again today in the Men's Invitation match as part of the official opening ceremony for Collegiate's hockey turf.

He follows London Olympics bronze medallist Rebecca Scown, who received an honours tie from her old school last year.