Sportsman of the Year – A Suburban Philosophy  is a celebration of life and its foibles as well as its perfect imperfection. It represents the journey not the destination and tells the tale of grit  and determination.

Sometimes you have no option but to find your way to a more prosperous, fulfilled  and happier life  by using what you have on hand even if it means staying in the street where you live while raising kids and paying the bills. 

"No matter how uneven the playing field, I resolve to work with what I have on hand today because the alternative is to quit and, quite frankly, that is not going to happen." - Jan Hellriegel

Jan Hellriegel delivers her 4th studio album, with a unique twist: it is also a beautifully produced book with photos and 12 chapters based on the songs. She describes Sportsman of the Year as a ‘musical in a book’. The book grew out of her album project when Jan realised the songs were taking a more philosophical, personal direction. She decided to share some stories in parallel with the music, each informed by the other.  Jan says Sportsman of the Year is about finally arriving at a place where she can look back at failures, disappointments and rejections with a sense of accomplishment and pride, knowing that without them she wouldn't be doing what she is today. Sportsman Of The Year is about following your dreams, and never giving up.

The album Sportsman Of The Year can be found on all music streaming channels.

“My career has been nothing short of soul-destroying at times and even though I have tossed my music aside on more than one occasion I am glad I decided to persevere because through hardship came the wins, through the wins, more hardship, more flops, more lessons, more growth.  Every time I failed, I learned something new and I always got back up and kept going”.  - Jan Hellriegel

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jan Hellriegel is a New Zealand songwriter, performer, producer, music publisher, business owner, mother, media commentator and music copyright expert.  She is also a passionate advocate for music artists and the protection of their works and rights. This is her first book.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING…

1. “Sportsman Of The Year is as much a self-help guide to surviving modern adulthood as memoir. This album is full of confident songs which follow the books theme of refusing to be boxed in style and genre.”  – James Belfield / The Listener

2. "You’re one of my heroes Jan. May this music you make never stop. May you take your time and make it your own way always. Oblivious to trends, uninterested in genre or gender or tropes or trolls. Just making it as you can. Just making it work. Doing the work. Delivering. Here then, Ms. Hellriegel, until the next time, is your new career-best.." - Simon Sweetman /  Blog Off the Tracks

3. "Sportsman of the Year is stunning. Hearing it for the first time was unexpectedly emotional. Knowing how much Jan has gone through to be heard, I had tears and goosebumps." - Vicki Anderson / Stuff

4. "This is a glorious twelve track album with ‘mini stories’ attached by way of autobiographical style book of twelve chapters. In her own words, it’s a “musical in a book”, and, I think one of her most significant works to so far” - Tim Gruar / Ambient Light

5. “The book/album is beautiful and courageous” - Gary Steel / Witchdoctor

6. “With long time fellow musician drummer/producer Wayne Bell – a rock throughout these pages – alongside the likes of Brett Adams, Ben King, Mark Hughes, string and horn arrangements, Sportsman of the Year is as fine an album as anything in Jan Hellriegel's illustrious career” - Graham Reid / Elsewhere 

7. "Soul barring honesty shines through in each track. Sportsman Of The Year is a rich offering of beautifully composed and produced music combined with illuminating storytelling." - Corrine Rutherford / NZ Music.net

 First published in Aotearoa, New Zealand, 2019 by  

Seahorse Swim Limited, PO Box 47703, Ponsonby, Auckland 1144, New Zealand

 © Janette Hellriegel 2019

All lyrics reprinted courtesy of Songbroker 

www.janhellriegel.com

www.songbroker.nz

Other than where indicated, all photos and quotes are the author’s own 

Cataloguing in Publication Data: Title: Sportsman Of The Year – A Suburban Philosophy 

ISBN: 978-0-473-46197-3

Subjects: Music, Wellbeing, Philosophy

All photographs © Janette Hellriegel except where indicated 

Graphic design and book layout by Katie Kerr   www.katie-kerr.com

Proofreading and editing by Carolyn D’Ath    www.provemewrite.co.nz

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior permission of the publisher and artist.

Printed and bound in New Zealand by Soar Printing

www.soarprint.co.nz

First printing 2019