Download or read book First to the Wall written by Kelly Gonsalves and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Sakamoto s Swim Club written by Julie Abery and published by Kids Can Press Ltd. This book was released on 2021-05-04 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lyrically told true story of the teacher who coached Hawaiian swimmers to Olympic glory. When the children of workers on a 1930s Maui sugar plantation were chased away from playing in the nearby irrigation ditches, local science teacher Soichi Sakamoto had an idea. He would take responsibility for the children and train them to swim. Using his science background, Sakamoto developed a strict practice regime for the kids, honing their skills and building their strength and endurance. They formed a team and began to dominate events, first nationally and then internationally — until they made it all the way to Olympic gold! Told in simple rhyme, Sakamoto’s story will inspire athletes, coaches — and everyone who believes impossible dreams can come true.

Download or read book The Watermen written by Michael Loynd and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2023-06-13 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The feel-good underdog story of the first American swimmer to win Olympic gold, set against the turbulent rebirth of the modern Games, that “bring[s] to life an inspiring figure and illuminate[s] an overlooked chapter in America’s sports history” (The Wall Street Journal) “Once or twice in a decade, one of these stories . . . like Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken [or] Daniel Brown’s The Boys in the Boat . . . captures the imagination of the public. . . . Add The Watermen by Michael Loynd to this illustrious list.”—Swimming World Winner of the International Swimming Hall of Fame’s Paragon Award and the Buck Dawson Authors Award In the early twentieth century, few Americans knew how to swim, and swimming as a competitive sport was almost unheard of. That is, until Charles Daniels took to the water. On the surface, young Charles had it all: high-society parents, a place at an exclusive New York City prep school, summer vacations in the Adirondacks. But the scrawny teenager suffered from extreme anxiety thanks to a sadistic father who mired the family in bankruptcy and scandal before abandoning Charles and his mother altogether. Charles’s only source of joy was swimming. But with no one to teach him, he struggled with technique—until he caught the eye of two immigrant coaches hell-bent on building a U.S. swim program that could rival the British Empire’s seventy-year domination of the sport. Interwoven with the story of Charles’s efforts to overcome his family’s disgrace is the compelling history of the struggle to establish the modern Olympics in an era when competitive sports were still in their infancy. When the powerful British Empire finally legitimized the Games by hosting the fourth Olympiad in 1908, Charles’s hard-fought rise climaxed in a gold-medal race where British judges prepared a trap to ensure the American upstart’s defeat. Set in the early days of a rapidly changing twentieth century, The Watermen—a term used at the time to describe men skilled in water sports—tells an engrossing story of grit, of the growth of a major new sport in which Americans would prevail, and of a young man’s determination to excel.

Download or read book Below the Surface written by John Lohn and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2021-06-09 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fascinating, in-depth look at the history of competitive swimming and the people and moments that have defined the sport. From the first modern Olympic Games to the present, Below the Surface: The History of Competitive Swimming covers all the greatest moments, top rivalries, legendary swimmers, and biggest controversies in swimming history. It features athletes like Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky, who have elevated the sport to an unprecedented level, and individual performances that are groundbreaking and awe-inspiring, such as Australian Fanny Durack becoming the first female Olympic gold medalist in 1912 and Jason Lezak leading the US to a come-from-behind victory in the 400 freestyle relay at the 2008 Olympics. While controversies such as doping and the advent of tech suits have troubled the sport, a new generation of athletes have produced fresh enthusiasm for competitive swimming. Below the Surface offers little-known stories, unique insight, and a detailed history of a great sport with a remarkable past and an exciting future.

Download or read book The Most Memorable Moments in Olympic Swimming written by John Lohn and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2014-08-14 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every four years the summer Olympic Games capture the world’s attention. Over 10,000 athletes from more than 200 countries gather to prove they are the best in their sports. From the first competition held in 1896 to the 2012 London Olympics, the games have hosted some of swimming’s greatest victories and toughest defeats. Fans have witnessed Johnny Weissmuller win back-to-back Olympic gold medals before he found fame on the big screen as Tarzan; they have seen Dara Torres defy age to win three silver medals at the age of 41; and they will forever remember Michael Phelps capturing a record eight gold medals at the 2008 games. The Most Memorable Moments in Olympic Swimming relives the sport’s greatest moments on its biggest stage. Through careful research and the personal recollections from the athletes themselves, John Lohn has brought together the key performances, top athletes, major controversies, and improbable victories of the games. Organized chronologically, the progression of swimming as an Olympic sport comes to life as the top 25 moments are revealed. The best swimmers in Olympic history are featured throughout, from Mark Spitz and Ian Thorpe to Debbie Meyer and Dawn Fraser. Dozens of photographs highlight the athletes and their shared passion for swimming glory. Detailed appendixes include the top Olympic medal winners by country and by athlete, and a bibliography provides key swimming references for the reader. Swimming fans, coaches, athletes, and researchers will enjoy this history of a sport rich in tradition and spectacular moments.

Download or read book Making Waves written by Shirley Babashoff and published by Santa Monica Press. This book was released on 2016-07-05 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In her extraordinary swimming career, Shirley Babashoff set thirty-nine national records and eleven world records. Prior to the 1990s, she was the most successful U.S. female Olympian and, in her prime, was widely considered to be the greatest female swimmer in the world. Heading into the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Babashoff was pictured on the cover of Sports Illustrated and followed closely by the media. Hopes were high that she would become “the female Mark Spitz.” All of that changed once Babashoff questioned the shocking masculinity of the swimmers on the East German women’s team. Once celebrated as America’s golden girl, Babashoff was accused of poor sportsmanship and vilified by the press with a new nickname: “Surly Shirley.” Making Waves displays the remarkable strength and resilience that made Babashoff such a dynamic champion. From her difficult childhood and beginnings as a determined young athlete growing up in Southern California in the 1960s, through her triumphs as the greatest female amateur swimmer in the world, Babashoff tells her story in the same unflinching manner that made her both the most dominant female swimmer of her time and one of the most controversial athletes in Olympic history.

Download or read book The Three Year Swim Club written by Julie Checkoway and published by Hachette+ORM. This book was released on 2013-11-19 with total page 489 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New York Times bestselling inspirational story of impoverished children who transformed themselves into world-class swimmers. In 1937, a schoolteacher on the island of Maui challenged a group of poverty-stricken sugar plantation kids to swim upstream against the current of their circumstance. The goal? To become Olympians. They faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The children were Japanese-American and were malnourished and barefoot. They had no pool; they trained in the filthy irrigation ditches that snaked down from the mountains into the sugarcane fields. Their future was in those same fields, working alongside their parents in virtual slavery, known not by their names but by numbered tags that hung around their necks. Their teacher, Soichi Sakamoto, was an ordinary man whose swimming ability didn't extend much beyond treading water. In spite of everything, including the virulent anti-Japanese sentiment of the late 1930s, in their first year the children outraced Olympic athletes twice their size; in their second year, they were national and international champs, shattering American and world records and making headlines from L.A. to Nazi Germany. In their third year, they'd be declared the greatest swimmers in the world. But they'd also face their greatest obstacle: the dawning of a world war and the cancellation of the Games. Still, on the battlefield, they'd become the 20th century's most celebrated heroes, and in 1948, they'd have one last chance for Olympic glory. They were the Three-Year Swim Club. This is their story.

Download or read book Competitive Swimming written by David H. Robertson and published by In the Hands of a Child. This book was released on 1958 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Rush for the Gold written by John Feinstein and published by Knopf Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 2012 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two teenaged aspiring journalists who are dating solve a mystery at the 2012 Olympic Games, while one simultaneously competes for a gold medal in swimming.

Download or read book Relentless Spirit written by Missy Franklin and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2016 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The four-time Olympic Gold medalist and her parents trace the inspirational story of how she became both a legendary athlete and a happy and confident woman, achievements that were accomplished by doing things their own way and making the right choices for their family. --Publisher's description.

Download or read book Chasing Water written by Anthony Ervin and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2016-03-14 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Olympic swimmer reveals the wild and challenging journey that took place between two gold medals: “Inspiring, humorous, and often profound.”—People Magazine Anthony Ervin is an Olympic swimmer who won the gold at nineteen—and that may be one of the least interesting things about him. An athlete of Jewish and African-American descent who is also a practicing Buddhist, he auctioned off the medal he won in Sydney to help raise funds for victims of the 2004 tsunami. He had grown up battling Tourette’s syndrome, and later struggled with suicidal depression, drinking and drugs, and a period of homelessness. This blend of memoir and biography, written by Ervin in collaboration with trainer Constantine Markides, is part spiritual quest, part self-destructive bender involving Zen temples, fast motorcycles, tattoo parlors, and rock 'n' roll bands—revealing the journey that preceded his remarkable 2016 Olympic comeback as the oldest individual gold medal winner in swimming. Winner of the 2018 Buck Dawson Author Award presented by the International Swimming Hall of Fame “Gripping…Readers will understand the psyche and life of elite athletes as never before.”—Library Journal “A celebrated Olympian recounts how he rose to the top of his sport, crashed, and found redemption…The author never flinches at revealing his less-than-perfect past, and the humility he demonstrates at coming to terms with his own egotism and personal shortcomings makes the book frequently compelling. A provocative and refreshingly honest redemption memoir.”—Kirkus Reviews

Download or read book Gold in the Water written by P. H. Mullen and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2015-12-15 with total page 439 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gold in the Water is a nonfiction sports narrative that chronicles the journey of a group of America's finest swimmers and coaches as they vied to compete in the 2000 Olympic Games. In California, a team of talented young men begin pursuing the most elusive dream in sports, the Olympic Games. The pressure steadily increases as two best friends (a mentor and his protégé) reach the top of the world rankings and unexpectedly find themselves direct competitors. Their teammates include an emerging star methodically plotting to retrace his father's path to Olympic glory, as well as a super-extraordinary athlete desperate to walk away from it all. Led by one of the most passionate coaches in sports, a brilliant and explosive strategist on a personal quest for redemption, this team of dark horses and Olympic favorites works through escalating rivalries, joyous triumphs, and heartbreaking setbacks. Author P. H. Mullen chronicles their journey to the 2000 Olympic Games and presents one of the most powerful and moving sports books ever written. Boldly sweeping in literary power and pace, this startling book will permanently change how you view the Olympic athlete. It is a fascinating world of suspense and emotion where human desire for excellence rules over all, and where there are no second chances for glory. But above all, Gold in the Water is a triumph of the human spirit.

Download or read book The Greatest Olympics written by Kim Un-yong and published by Seoul Selection . This book was released on 2020-10-06 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Greatest Olympics It calls 1988 Seoul Olympics as the greatest Olympics. The author, the Former IOC Vice President Kim Un-yong in his book, calls the 24th Seoul Olympics as the greatest festival of mankind. He says Seoul Olympics put the Olympic Games on a right track, contributing to the development and democratization of Korea. He further says the Seoul Games will be recorded in history as the Games which gave desire and hope to Eastern European countries.

Download or read book Swim Smooth written by Paul Newsome and published by Fernhurst Books Limited. This book was released on 2012-06-15 with total page 437 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Transform your technique in the water and become a better swimmer with this remarkable new approach to freestyle swimming, suitable for all levels - beginner, intermediate and advanced, as well as swimming coaches. Aimed at both fitness and competitive swimmers, it explains what makes a successful stroke and how to develop your own swimming style. _x000D_The Swim Smooth approach, developed by consultants to the gold medal winning British Triathlon team, helps you identify the strengths and weaknesses of your stroke and provides drill and training tips to make the most of your time in the water. It accepts differences in individual swimmers and shows you how to understand the fundamentals of swimming to find a style that works for you. Technique, fitness training, racing skills and open water swimming are all covered, with photographs and 3D graphics helping you to put theory into practice. _x000D_Swim efficiently. Swim fast. Swim Smooth.

Download or read book Michael Phelps written by David P. Torsiello and published by Enslow Publishing. This book was released on 2009 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A biography of American Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. In 2008, he won eight gold medals at the Olympic Games in Beijing, breaking the record of most gold medals won at a single Olympics.

Download or read book Swimming written by Clive Gifford and published by Evans Brothers. This book was released on 2008 with total page 29 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This exciting new series explores different sports, describing how and where you play them as well as the equipment and kit you'll need. There are tips on training and on practising techniques. The books also feature heroes of the sport, with photos of them in action at the world's greatest competitions. In this book you can find: out all about swimming and learn how to develop your skills; clear, friendly text; highly illustrated, with pictures of children demonstrating techniques and shots of famous swimmers in action; fascinating facts and statistics with historical flashbacks and record-breaking performances; glossary and index.

Download or read book Sportswomen at the Olympics written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Do the global sports media continue to ignore and downplay female sporting success—or is this invisibility changing? Does the world’s largest media event, the Olympic Games, which places sport at the centre of world attention, also represent a media showcase for the achievements of female athletes? This is the main focus of this book.