In our day to day lives we are all largely aware of the comings and goings of the nation's sporting heroes - which rugby star is seeing which fashion model, which cricketer has defected to the rogue Indian league, which sailor has married their high-school sweetheart - but what of those athletes competing in sports without a PR machine and no support from car companies, big finance or even in some cases the tax payer to help them train and achieve at the highest levels internationally?
One such athlete competing in a so-called "minority sport" is Christchurch-born Blake Skjellerup, who represented New Zealand as a short track speed skater at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
An unknown to many New Zealanders, Skjellerup has a long list of sporting successes to his name including being crowned national champion five times, Australian champion four times and has previously been named Junior Maori Sportsman of the Year.
Off the track, Skjellerup recently won praise from Prime Minister John Key for his work fronting Pink Shirt Day, a
nationwide anti-bullying campaign which led to a meeting between Pink Shirt Day organisers, Skjellerup and Key to discuss ways to combat bullying in New Zealand schools.
This week, Skjellerup will return to Canada where he lives and trains for the eight-month-long speed skating season. The Olympic Oval in Calgary is widely considered the best facility in the world for his sport, however the costs of living and training at such the prestigious facility quickly add up, and despite his successes on and off the ice, Skjellerup is struggling to find funding to help support his training and bid to qualify for the next winter Olympics in Russia in 2014.
Mostly self-funded during his career to date, Skjellerup receives only a small annual contribution from SPARC, the national body who distribute funding to athletes, teams and sports. This money is designed to help subsidise travel to the annual speed skating world championships, but does not go towards covering the training and lifestyle required to qualify for the event.
Given the lack of funding, Skjellerup must look to corporate sponsorship and other sources of income if he is to stay in the sport and hope to compete for his country again at the next winter Olympics. He is considered within the sporting community to be among the strongest of competitors in his field and one of New Zealand's best hopes to claim a medal.
"The real tragedy here," says Skjellerup "is that New Zealand was once a major player in the international speed skating world. At the last Olympics I was sadly the only Kiwi skater in competition."
"Minority sports in New Zealand do get a raw deal when it comes to funding, but I refuse to accept a label of 'low priority' as a reason why I shouldn't compete at the Olympics again. With some financial support I know I'll be at Sochi in 2014 and hopefully there will be a few other Kiwi skaters there too."
Many companies have schemes in place to offer financial support to teams or community organisations, but as the sole representative for his country in international speed skating, Skjellerup is left without many options when it comes to seeking sponsorship from kiwi companies.
As well as his work with Pink Shirt Day Skjellerup, who came out as an openly gay athlete in 2010, spent his time during the speed skating off-season engaged in a nationwide speaking tour that took him from Kaitaia to Invercargill talking to secondary school students about the impact bullying can have on their peers, and the importance of diversity and acceptance.
Skjellerup can also be seen in the 2011 Cure Kids Red Nose Day campaign which helps raise money for medical research into life-threatening childhood illnesses in New Zealand.
Individuals who would like to support Blake Skjellerup can visit his site www.blakeskjellerup.com and donate using the secure link GABA have set up 'Help Blake Skjellerup Skate for Gold'.