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Skills, Drills & Strategies for Tennis
by Jack RutherfordThis book is part of the Teach, Coach, Play series, emphasizing a systematic learning approach to sports and activities. Both visual and verbal information are presented so that readers can easily understand the material and improve performance. Built-in learning aids help readers master each skill in a step-by-step manner. Using the cues, summaries, skills, drills, and illustrations will help build a solid foundation for safe and effective participation now and in the future. The basic approach in all of the Teach, Coach, Play activity titles is to help readers improve their skills and performance by building mastery from simple to increasingly complex levels. The books strive to illustrate correct techniques and demonstrate how to achieve optimal results. The basic organization in each book is as follows: Section 1 overviews history, organizations and publications, conditioning activities, safety, warm up suggestions, and equipment. Section 2 covers exercise or skills, participants, action involved, rules, facility or field, scoring, and etiquette. Section 3 focuses on skills and drills or program design. Section 4 addresses a broad range of strategies specifically designed to improve performance now and in the future. Section 5 provides a convenient glossary of terms.
Galveston Buccaneers, The: Shearn Moody and the 1934 Texas League Championship (Sports)
by Kris Rutherford E. Douglas McleodGalveston survived the Great Depression with a healthy dose of baseball, boll weevils and bootleg business. Farmers like future Galveston Buccaneers star Buck Fausett fled the insect infestation of North Texas for the city's sunny shores along with throngs of visitors eager to visit Sam Maceo's clubs and catch a ballgame. Galvestonians had a long love affair with America's favorite pastime, fielding the first game played in the state. Cotton heir Shearn Moody purchased the Buccaneers in 1931 and turned the languishing squad into a dominating force that won the 1934 Texas League Championship. Author Kris Rutherford weaves a captivating history of the Moody family, a team of talented players and the island that claimed them.
Plantation Game Trails
by Archibald Rutledge“TO have been able, during a matter of nearly thirty years, to follow the game trails of the great plantation region of the delta of the Santee—this has been my privilege. I have seen my homeland undergo great transformations during those years: the plantations have for the most part become waste tracts; many of the old families have died out; Nature has recaptured in her inimitable way what had been, for a few years, wrested from her. The game has held its own on these desolate plantations; and that is saying much in the modern day.“In these chapters I have tried to give a faithful account of the observations I have made as a hunter and as a lover of Nature. I have tried to present the wildwoods of the South as I have known them since boyhood. And I have attempted to preserve the memory of certain characters which have appeared to me worthy of a place in the picturesque gallery of American woodsmen.” (Preface)Richly illustrated throughout.
Tales of Whitetails: Archibald Rutledge's Great Deer-Hunting Stories
by Archibald RutledgeThirty-five stirring, contemplative stories of deer hunting from a winner of the John Burroughs Medal.Archibald Rutledge—renowned outdoor writer, poet laureate, and authority on whitetails—lived a rich life at Hampton Plantation in South Carolina, and had a mystical attachment to deer that found fulfillment in hunting and writing. No American sporting writer has been more persuasive in capturing the myriad, and often elusive, meanings of the hunt.According to editor Jim Casada, Rutledge has an unrivaled knack for capturing the thrill of the chase, and his ability to set a scene is such that it places the reader squarely amidst the deep swamps, ridges of mixed pines and hardwoods, and dense thickets of palmetto and greenbrier. Rutledge considered deer, “that noble, elusive, crafty, wonderful denizen of the wilds,” to be the wisest of the game animals. His firm belief was that there was “much more to hunting than hunting.” He praised whitetails in poetry, found in them a basis for a sophisticated philosophy, and, most of all, immortalized the world of the hunter and the hunted in prose. Tales of Whitetails is the only book ever published devoted exclusively to Rutledge’s deer tales.
Invisible Ball of Dreams: Literary Representations of Baseball behind the Color Line
by Emily Ruth RutterWinner of the 2018 John Coates Next Generation Award from the Negro Leagues Research Committee of the Society for American Baseball Research Although many Americans think of Jackie Robinson when considering the story of segregation in baseball, a long history of tragedies and triumphs precede Robinson’s momentous debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. From the pioneering Cuban Giants (1885-1915) to the Negro Leagues (1920-1960), Black baseball was a long-standing staple of African American communities. While many of its artifacts and statistics are lost, Black baseball figured vibrantly in films, novels, plays, and poems. In Invisible Ball of Dreams: Literary Representations of Baseball behind the Color Line, author Emily Ruth Rutter examines wide-ranging representations of this history by William Brashler, Jerome Charyn, August Wilson, Gloria Naylor, Harmony Holiday, Kevin King, Kadir Nelson, and Denzel Washington, among others. Reading representations across the literary color line, Rutter opens a propitious space for exploring Black cultural pride and residual frustrations with racial hypocrisies on the one hand and the benefits and limitations of white empathy on the other. Exploring these topics is necessary to the project of enriching the archives of segregated baseball in particular and African American cultural history more generally.
Attack on Everest
by Hugh RuttledgeIt was nine long years since the disappearance of Mallory and Irvine on the north face of Mount Everest. In the intervening years, the mountain had remained off limits. Suspicious of the foreign intrusions to Everest in 1921, 1922 and 1924, the Tibetan government had refused further expeditions permission to climb the mountain. Maybe the gods had not been happy, for already seven porters had perished on its mighty crags.Then in 1933 the Tibetan Government unexpectedly declared the mountain open again. The Mount Everest committee swung into action, and a new attempt was organised. The party set off from Darjeeling even earlier in the spring.All went well, with camps established above the East Rongbuk Glacier. The dangerous ice wall up to the North Col was breached. Camps were placed high on the northeast ridge. Of Mallory and Irvine there was no sign.But climbing Mount Everest is not just a struggle to conquer the ice walls and rocky precipices; it has as much to do with the fury of the gods, the wind, the monsoon clouds and the deathly intensity of the cold. In 1933 the gods were still angry, and the mountain remained aloof and daunting.In this volume some wonderful and now historic photographs beautifully illustrate the people, the countryside, the monasteries en route and the spectacular scenes from high on the mountain.So what was achieved by this fourth expedition to conquer Everest? Here is the fascinating story of that epic journey.
American Jews and America's Game: Voices of a Growing Legacy in Baseball
by Larry Ruttman Dr Martin Abramowitz Allan H SeligMost fans don’t know how far the Jewish presence in baseball extends beyond a few famous players such as Greenberg, Rosen, Koufax, Holtzman, Green, Ausmus, Youkilis, Braun, and Kinsler. In fact, that presence extends to the baseball commissioner Bud Selig, labor leaders Marvin Miller and Don Fehr, owners Jerry Reinsdorf and Stuart Sternberg, officials Theo Epstein and Mark Shapiro, sportswriters Murray Chass, Ross Newhan, Ira Berkow, and Roger Kahn, and even famous Jewish baseball fans like Alan Dershowitz and Barney Frank. The life stories of these and many others, on and off the field, have been compiled from nearly fifty in-depth interviews and arranged by decade in this edifying and entertaining work of oral and cultural history. In American Jews and America’s Game each person talks about growing up Jewish and dealing with Jewish identity, assimilation, intermarriage, future viability, religious observance, anti-Semitism, and Israel. Each tells about being in the midst of the colorful pantheon of players who, over the past seventy-five years or more, have made baseball what it is. Their stories tell, as no previous book has, the history of the larger-than-life role of Jews in America’s pastime.
White Sox Park's Amazing Vendors (Images of Modern America)
by Lloyd Rutzky Joel LevinBaseball lives, whether one interprets that as meaning that the country's national pastime is still breathing and well after nearly two centuries or as a reference to the people who work in the "industry." More than 50 years ago, one young man became employed by the Chicago White Sox and began photographing virtually everybody with whom he worked. His intention was to have pictures of his friends and coworkers for the future. Now, Arcadia Publishing is proud to add Lloyd Rutzky's memories of his "team" experiences to its Images of Modern America series in this volume, a companion to the groundbreaking Wrigley Field's Amazing Vendors, published in 2018.
Wrigley Field's Amazing Vendors (Images of Modern America)
by Lloyd Rutzky Joel LevinIn 1970, a vendor at Wrigley Field had an amazing idea to turn his personal camera away from the baseball diamond and toward his fellow ballpark hawkers as they went about their daily jobs of selling souvenirs, programs, hot dogs, ice cream, and soft drinks. Along the way, he also captured images of other employees--ushers, security staff, commissary workers, and union officials. The result, Wrigley Field's Amazing Vendors, offers a never-before-seen perspective of major-league baseball that Arcadia Publishing is proud to include in its Images of Modern America series. The subjects themselves are amazing: a blind Frosty Malt vendor; a singing peanut vendor; a Coca-Cola vendor who went on to become an economic adviser to the president of the United States. Many of the vendors photographed in the 1970s are still in the aisles of Wrigley Field today. Others left for new career opportunities. A few became legends in vending history.
Critical Thinking for Sports Students (Active Learning in Sport Series)
by Emily RyallThe capacity to think critically is essential for success in sport courses in higher education. This book provides all those involved in the study of sport with the tools to assess, construct and present arguments and to analyse and evaluate material. The emphasis is on the application of critical thinking – in the form of written arguments, discussion and negotiation. Throughout, the text and examples are presented within the context of sport, helping students to more easily apply their learning to their subject area.
The Philosophy of Play
by Emily Ryall Wendy Russell Malcolm MacLeanPlay is a vital component of the social life and well-being of both children and adults. This book examines the concept of play and considers a variety of the related philosophical issues. It also includes meta-analyses from a range of philosophers and theorists, as well as an exploration of some key applied ethical considerations. The main objective of The Philosophy of Play is to provide a richer understanding of the concept and nature of play and its relation to human life and values, and to build disciplinary and paradigmatic bridges between scholars of philosophy and scholars of play. Including specific chapters dedicated to children and play, and exploring the work of key thinkers such as Plato, Sartre, Wittgenstein, Gadamer, Deleuze and Nietzsche, this book is invaluable reading for any advanced student, researcher or practitioner with an interest in education, playwork, leisure studies, applied ethics or the philosophy of sport.
Sevens Heaven: The Beautiful Chaos of Fiji's Olympic Dream: WINNER OF THE TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019
by Ben RyanSHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018The uplifting, feel-good autobiography of Ben Ryan, the coach of the Olympic gold-medal winning Fijian rugby team It is late summer 2013. Ben Ryan, a red-haired, 40-something, spectacle-wearing Englishman, is given 20 minutes to decide whether he wants to coach Fiji's rugby sevens team, with the aim of taking them to the nation's first-ever Olympic medal. He has never been to Fiji. There has been no discussion of contracts or salary. But he knows that no one plays rugby like the men from these isolated Pacific islands, just as no one plays football like the kids from the Brazilian favelas, or no one runs as fast as the boys and girls from Jamaica's boondocks. He knows too that no other rugby nation has so little - no money and no resources, only basic equipment and a long, sad history of losing its most gifted players to richer, greedier nations.Ryan says yes. And with that simple word he sets in motion an extraordinary journey that will encompass witchdoctors and rugby-obsessed prime ministers, sun-smeared dawns and devastating cyclones, intense friendships and bitter rows, phone taps and wild nationwide parties. It will end in Rio with a performance that not only wins Olympic gold but reaches fresh heights for rugby union and makes Ben and his 12 players living legends back home.
Sevens Heaven: The Beautiful Chaos of Fiji's Olympic Dream: WINNER OF THE TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019
by Ben RyanSHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018The uplifting, feel-good autobiography of Ben Ryan, the coach of the Olympic gold-medal winning Fijian rugby teamIt is late summer 2013. Ben Ryan, a red-haired, 40-something, spectacle-wearing Englishman, is given 20 minutes to decide whether he wants to coach Fiji's rugby sevens team, with the aim of taking them to the nation's first-ever Olympic medal. He has never been to Fiji. There has been no discussion of contracts or salary. But he knows that no one plays rugby like the men from these isolated Pacific islands, just as no one plays football like the kids from the Brazilian favelas, or no one runs as fast as the boys and girls from Jamaica's boondocks. He knows too that no other rugby nation has so little - no money and no resources, only basic equipment and a long, sad history of losing its most gifted players to richer, greedier nations.Ryan says yes. And with that simple word he sets in motion an extraordinary journey that will encompass witchdoctors and rugby-obsessed prime ministers, sun-smeared dawns and devastating cyclones, intense friendships and bitter rows, phone taps and wild nationwide parties. It will end in Rio with a performance that not only wins Olympic gold but reaches fresh heights for rugby union and makes Ben and his 12 players living legends back home.
Sevens Heaven: The Beautiful Chaos of Fiji's Olympic Dream: WINNER OF THE TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019
by Ben RyanSHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018The uplifting, feel-good autobiography of Ben Ryan, the coach of the Olympic gold-medal winning Fijian rugby team It is late summer 2013. Ben Ryan, a red-haired, 40-something, spectacle-wearing Englishman, is given 20 minutes to decide whether he wants to coach Fiji's rugby sevens team, with the aim of taking them to the nation's first-ever Olympic medal. He has never been to Fiji. There has been no discussion of contracts or salary. But he knows that no one plays rugby like the men from these isolated Pacific islands, just as no one plays football like the kids from the Brazilian favelas, or no one runs as fast as the boys and girls from Jamaica's boondocks. He knows too that no other rugby nation has so little - no money and no resources, only basic equipment and a long, sad history of losing its most gifted players to richer, greedier nations.Ryan says yes. And with that simple word he sets in motion an extraordinary journey that will encompass witchdoctors and rugby-obsessed prime ministers, sun-smeared dawns and devastating cyclones, intense friendships and bitter rows, phone taps and wild nationwide parties. It will end in Rio with a performance that not only wins Olympic gold but reaches fresh heights for rugby union and makes Ben and his 12 players living legends back home.(p) Orion Publishing Group 2018
Feeling is the Thing that Happens in 1000th of a Second: the first cricket World Cup and an Ashes Series: LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017
by Christian RyanLONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017'Exquisite' Gideon Haigh'Magical, a head rush, a marvel' Rahul Bhattacharya'Startlingly original' Matthew EngelIn 1975 Patrick Eagar took some photographs which were unlike any cricket photographs anyone had seen before.It was the summer of an Ashes and a World Cup (cricket's first), a near last-gasp summer before revolution when cricket was still a sport of helmetless faces and green fields with no advertising paint on them. A clamour of rare glamour descended on England: Thommo and D.K., baby-cheeked Viv Richards, careworn David Steele, lithe supercat Clive Lloyd, the Chappell brothers, Andy Roberts, Tony Greig, Doug Walters, trails of cigarette smoke gusting in his wake. From this raw material, a thirty-one-year-old with an expired Sports Illustrated subscription and a love of long lenses found something almost magical. Eagar's pictures reveal that "feeling is the thing that happens in 1000th of a second". So this is a cricket book about photography and what it can do - tell the future and show human beings in ways not available to our eyes. It is part detective story, (and reconstruction of one of cricket's greatest summers), part biography, part wild-roaming conversation, part essay on the power of the image, myth and reality. It shows Christian Ryan as one of the most elegant and perceptive writers on sport today.With seventy black-and-white and colour photographs by Patrick Eagar and other seminal photographers, it is is essential reading (and looking) for ardent fans and will exhilarate those who know nothing about cricket.
Feeling is the Thing that Happens in 1000th of a Second: A Season of Cricket Photographer Patrick Eagar
by Christian RyanLONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017. In 1975 Patrick Eagar took some photographs which were unlike any cricket photographs anyone had seen before. It was the summer of an Ashes and a World Cup (cricket's first), a near last-gasp summer before revolution when cricket was still a sport of helmetless faces and green fields with no advertising paint on them. A clamour of rare glamour descended on England: Thommo and D.K., baby-cheeked Viv Richards, careworn David Steele, lithe supercat Clive Lloyd, the Chappell brothers, Andy Roberts, Tony Greig, Doug Walters, trails of cigarette smoke gusting in his wake. From this raw material, a thirty-one-year-old with an expired Sports Illustrated subscription and a love of long lenses found something almost magical. Eagar's pictures reveal that "feeling is the thing that happens in 1000th of a second". So this is a cricket book about photography and what it can do - tell the future and show human beings in ways not available to our eyes. It is part detective story, (and reconstruction of one of cricket's greatest summers), part biography, part wild-roaming conversation, part essay on the power of the image, myth and reality. It shows Christian Ryan as one of the most elegant and perceptive writers on sport today.With seventy black-and-white and colour photographs by Patrick Eagar and other seminal photographers, it is is essential reading (and looking) for ardent fans and will exhilarate those who know nothing about cricket.
The Grass Ceiling: On Being a Woman in Sport
by Eimear Ryan'A book which will very soon be acknowledged as a classic of Irish sportswriting' Ciarán MurphyWhat is it like to be female in a male-dominated sporting world? If you play with the boys, more people pay attention - but you get treated like an alien. Playing with other girls or women means you have to accept smaller audiences, diminished status and - for professionals - lower pay.And what if, as is the case for camogie player Eimear Ryan, your sport has a completely different name when women play it? What if you don't feel entirely comfortable in an all-female sporting environment because you're shy, bookish, not really one of the girls?In The Grass Ceiling, acclaimed novelist Eimear Ryan digs deep into the confluence of gender and sport, and all the questions it throws up about identity, status, competition and self-expression. At a time when women's sport is on the rise but still a long way from equality, it is a sharp, nuanced and heartfelt exploration of questions that affect everyone who loves sport.Praise for The Grass Ceiling'A gorgeous memoir about a life lived in sport, specifically a female, Irish rural life. I read it in two sittings.' Malachy Clerkin, Irish Times'A love letter to the GAA and a diatribe against the idea sport is not for women' Kathleen McNamee, Irish Times'Brilliant ... Ryan's bold and deep search into so many of those internalised questions provides a fascinating collage of emotional detail' Christy O'Connor, Irish Examiner 'Lyrical, urgent, wise and bracing' Irish Times
Holding Her Breath: A Novel
by Eimear Ryan“A joy to read. ... Emotional, clever, and humorous, Holding Her Breath will engross readers with its academic atmosphere and family drama.” — BooklistA moving and “whip smart” (Sunday Telegraph) debut novel, following a former competitive swimmer and granddaughter of a famous Irish poet as she comes of age in the shadow of her family’s tragic past, perfect for fans of Sally Rooney, Lily King’s Writers & Lovers, and Elif Batuman’s The Idiot.When Beth Crowe starts university, she is haunted by the ghost of her potential as a competitive swimmer. With her Olympic dreams shattered after a breakdown, she is suddenly free to create a fresh identity for herself outside of swimming. Striking up a friendship with her English major roommate, Beth soon finds herself among a literary crowd of people who adore the poetry of her grandfather, Benjamin Crowe, who died tragically before she was born. Beth’s mother and grandmother rarely talk about what happened to Benjamin, and Beth is unsettled to find that her classmates may know more about her own family history than she does.As the year goes on, Beth embarks on a secret relationship with an older postdoctoral researcher—and on a quest to discover the truth about Benjamin and his widow, her beloved grandmother Lydia. The quest brings her into an archive that no scholar has ever seen, and to a person who knows things about her family that nobody else knows.Holding Her Breath is a razor-sharp, moving, and seriously entertaining novel about complicated love stories, ambition, and grief—and a young woman coming fully into her powers.
The Making of New Zealand Cricket: 1832-1914 (Sport in the Global Society)
by Greg RyanIt is generally forgotten that cricket rather than rugby union was the 'national game' in New Zealand until the early years of the twentieth century. This book shows why and how cricket developed in New Zealand and how its character changed across time. Greg Ryan examines the emergence and growth of cricket in relation to diverse patterns of European settlement in New Zealand - such as the systematic colonization schemes of Edward Gibbon Wakefield and the gold discoveries of the 1860s. He then considers issues such as cricket and social class in the emerging cities; cricket and the elite school system; the function of the game in shaping relations between the New Zealand provinces; cricket encounters with the Australian colonies in the context of an 'Australasian' world.A central theme is cricketing relations with England at a time when New Zealand society was becoming acutely conscious of both its own identity and its place within the British Empire. This imperial relationship reveals structures, ideals and objectives unique to New Zealand. Articulate, engaging and entertaining, Ryan demonstrates convincingly how the cricketing experience of New Zealand was quite different from that of other colonies.
Nerve: Un juego sin reglas
by Jeanne RyanÚnete al fenómeno NERVE y descubre una historia trepidante, provocadora y muy, muy adictiva. Atrévete: no podrás para de leer. Cuando lo que más deseas está a tu alcance, ¿qué serías capaz de hacer para conseguirlo? Vee es una chica que no destaca demasiado, así que cuando es elegida para concursar en NERVE, un juego anónimo de retos que se retransmite online, decide probar suerte. Pronto descubre que el juego sabe cosas de ella: la tienta con los premios que más desea y la empareja con Ian, su chico ideal. Al principio todo es genial: los fans de Vee y de Ian los animan mientras ellos superan retos cada vez más arriesgados. Pero el juego da un giro inesperado cuando los mandan a una localización secreta con cinco jugadores más. De repente descubren que están jugando a todo o nada y apostando sus propias vidas a cada momento. ¿Hasta dónde será Vee capaz dellegar? La opinión de los lectores:«Nerve. Un juego sin reglas me ha enganchado desde sus primeras páginas. Con una gran intriga, un juego que saca lo peor de las personas y gran crítica social, la autora ha sabido mostrar la cara oculta de las redes sociales y la delgada línea que separa la cordura de la locura.»Blog Vorágine interna «Una novela trepidante donde realmente no sabes qué pensar, en quien confiar o lo que va a pasar a continuación. [...] Un thriller adictivo, oscuro y novedoso.»Blog Letras, libros y más «Lo he adorado, así, sin más. Nerve me ha cautivado y me ha tenido expectante. Curiosa, original y adictiva. Es una maravilla.»Blog Libros del cielo «Nerve. Un juego sin reglas desprende originalidad, intriga y acción en cada una de sus páginas. Una historia actual, fresca, trepidante y adictiva, con una fuerte crítica social, donde los personajes, a base de retos, arriesgarán su integridad y seguridad por conseguir sus más ansiados y costosos deseos. Toda una recomendación que no debéis pasar por alto.»Blog Dragonfly «Un libro que no solamente me ha encantado, sino que me atrapó desde la primera página y fue aumentando mi estado de nerviosismo conforme avanzaba en cada uno de los capítulos. [...] Una historia trepidante donde en un inicio parece ser que el fin justifique los medios, pero el verdadero reto será descubrir que a veces los medios no tienen justificación posible. Totalmente recomendado.»Blog Entre metáforas La opinión de la crítica:«Los lectores se sorprenderán pasando páginas como locos hasta el final del libro.»Kirkus Reviews
Nerve
by Jeanne RyanFor fans of The Hunger Games A high-stakes online game of dares turns deadly When Vee is picked to be a player in NERVE, an anonymous game of dares broadcast live online, she discovers that the game knows her. They tempt her with prizes taken from her ThisIsMe page and team her up with the perfect boy, sizzling-hot Ian. At first it's exhilarating--Vee and Ian's fans cheer them on to riskier dares with higher stakes. But the game takes a twisted turn when they're directed to a secret location with five other players for the Grand Prize round. Suddenly they're playing all or nothing, with their lives on the line. Just how far will Vee go before she loses NERVE? Debut author Jeanne Ryan delivers an un-putdownable suspense thriller.
Intangibles: Unlocking the Science and Soul of Team Chemistry
by Joan RyanFrom baseball to biology, an award-winning journalist highlights the power of team chemistry in this "terrific" data-driven investigation of human relationships (Billie Jean King).Does team chemistry actually exist? Is there scientific or mathematical proof? Is team chemistry as real and relevant as on-base percentages and wins above replacement?In Joan Ryan's groundbreaking book we discover that the answer to all of the above is a resounding yes. As Ryan puts it, team chemistry, or the combination of biological and social forces that boosts selfless effort among more players over more days of a season, is what drives sports teams toward a common goal, encouraging the players to be the best versions of themselves. These are the elements of teams that make them "click," the ones that foster trust and respect, and push players to exceed their own potential when they work well together.Team chemistry alone won't win a World Series, but talent alone won't win it, either. And by interviewing more than 100 players, coaches, managers, and statisticians, as well as over five years of extensive research in neuroscience, biology, physiology, and psychology, Ryan proves that the social and emotional state of a team does affect performance. Grit, passion, selflessness, and effort matter -- but never underestimate the power of chemistry.
Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: The Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters
by Joan RyanWelcome to the real world of women's gymnastics and figure skating -- the real world that happens away from the cameras, at the training camps and in the private lives of these talented teenage competitors. From starvation diets and debilitating injuries to the brutal tacties of tyrannical gymnasties guru Bela Karolyi, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes portrays the horrors endured by girls at the hands of their coaches and sometimes their own families. An acclaimed expose that has already helped reform Olympic sports -- now updated to reflect the latest developments in women's gymnastics and figure skating -- it continues to plead for sanity, safety, and an end to our national obsession: winning at any cost.
Molina
by Joan Ryan Bengie MolinaA baseball rules book. A tape measure. A lottery ticket.These were in the pocket of Bengie Molina's father when he died of a heart attack on the rutted Little League field in his Puerto Rican barrio. The items serve as thematic guideposts in Molina's beautiful memoir about his father, who through baseball taught his three sons about loyalty, humility, courage, and the true meaning of success. Bengie and his two brothers--Jose and six-time All-Star Yadier--became famous catchers in the Major Leagues and have six World Series championships among them. Only the DiMaggio brothers can rival the Molinas as the most accomplished siblings in baseball history. Bengie was the least likely to reach the Majors. He was too slow, too sensitive, and too small. But craving his beloved father's respect, Bengie weathered failure after deflating failure until one day he was hoisting a World Series trophy in a champagne-soaked clubhouse. All along he thought he was fulfilling his father's own failed dream of baseball glory--only to discover it had not been his father's dream at all. Written with the emotional power of sports classics such as Field of Dreams and Friday Night Lights, Molina is a love story between a formidable but flawed father and a son who, in unearthing answers about his father's life, comes to understand his own.
Molina
by Joan Ryan Bengie MolinaLa inspiradora y verdadera historia del pobre obrero de factoría puertorriqueño Benjamín Molina Santana, quien contra viento y marea crió a la mayor dinastía de béisbol de todos los tiempos. Los tres hijos de Molina--Bengie, José y Yadier--han ganado cada uno dos anillos de Serie Mundial, algo sin precedentes en ese deporte Uno de ellos, Bengie, narra su historia.Un libro de reglas del béisbol. Una cinta de medir. Un boleto de lotería. Esas cosas estaban en el bolsillo del padre de Bengie Molina cuando murió de un infarto cardiaco en el terreno surcado de Liga Infantil en su barrio de Puerto Rico. Ellas sirven como guías temáticas en la hermosa memoria de Molina sobre su padre, quien usó también el béisbol para enseñarles a sus tres hijos los principios de lealtad, humildad, valentía y el verdadero significado del éxito. Bengie y sus dos hermanos--José y Yadier, quien fue seleccionado seis veces para el juego Todos Estrellas--se convirtieron en famosos receptores en las Grandes Ligas y entre los tres han sido parte de seis equipos ganadores de Series Mundiales. Solamente los hermanos DiMaggio podrían compararse con los Molina como los más logrados hermanos en la historia del béisbol. Bengie era el que menos posibilidades tenía de llegar a las mayores. Era demasiado lento, demasiado sensible y demasiado pequeño. Pero ávido de ganarse el respeto de su querido padre, Bengie soportó fracaso tras fracaso hasta que un día logró alzar un trofeo de Serie Mundial en una casa club empapada en champán. Todo el tiempo pensó que estaba realizando el sueño glorioso de béisbol de su padre, sólo para descubrir que no había sido ese el sueño de su padre. Escrito con el poder emocional de obras clásicas sobre deportes, como Field of Dreams y Friday Night Lights, Molina es una historia de amor entre un formidable y a la vez imperfecto padre y un hijo que, al desenterrar respuestas sobre la vida de su padre, logra comprender las suyas propias.