Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.
Attention, all first fives in New Zealand - protect your greatest assets from now until September and you could find yourself on a plane to the United Kingdom for the Rugby World Cup.
It isn't great for her, but it makes us mere mortals feel better knowing that Lydia Ko is human.
What a week of second chances.
When exploring what to write about this week the idea of World Cups seemed top of the list.
How many parallels can be drawn between what is happening on and off the water with regards to Team New Zealand and the Barker-Dalton drama? Words such as leak, trimming and tacking, jumping ship and sinking ship have so many meanings in this scenario.
Despite my best attempts, it happened. I got hooked on the Cricket World Cup as a result of prolonged exposure to the nail-biting game between the Black Caps and Australia last weekend.
You can always count on the media to make a mountain out of a mole hill. If there is no drama, it will be conjured up to create hype, interest and, ultimately, attention.
Should a team selected along ethnic lines be coached by someone from that ethnic group?In rugby league, the Indigenous All Stars will play the NRL All Stars this weekend, and the Indigenous team is coached by Laurie Daley - a rugby league great whose Aboriginal heritage has come as a surprise to many league followers.
January and February - 'tis the season for sports fans to get ''jolly''.
Our appetite for being closer to the action and part of sport at the coal-face is so insatiable that teams are now expected to accept the invasion of cameras and microphones during their pre-game and half-time pep talks.
A survival story is just what is needed at this time of year.
The early stages of the ASB Classic have been associated with glitz, glamour and gritty determination.
At a recent conference, Maori human rights activist Moana Jackson suggested stories provided a means to ask questions and seek answers and therefore were part of the never-ending quest for knowledge.
Coaches are a rare breed and coaching is a strange profession, especially when there are language and cultural differences to consider.
Inertia - the tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged - is a condition many of us experience daily.
The air surrounding a group can tell you a lot about the emotions and relationships in the room.
It's back to reality after a whirlwind two weeks with the Maori All Blacks, and the last game against Japan was a close one.
Week two with the Maori All Blacks and the players are champing at the bit to play another match in Japan.
What a privilege it is to travel with the Maori All Blacks for two weeks during their two-test series in Japan.