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Your First Chess Lessons
by Paul van der SterrenThis is a 21st-century guide, throughout, there are references to online chess resources and suggestions for online activities, such as training, playing and live broadcasts, and chess-related social media. Also dotted throughout the book are pieces of chess lore, practical tips and information about great players past and present.
Your First Triathlon: Race-Ready in 5 Hours a Week, 2nd Edition
by Joe FrielJoe Friel is the world&’s most trusted triathlon coach and his friendly guide, Your First Triathlon, will get you ready for your first sprint or Olympic triathlon feeling strong, confident, and ready for the challenge. Friel has helped hundreds of thousands of people to enjoy the challenges of triathlon with his clear and comprehensive TrainingBible method. Your First Triathlon simplifies all the principles of Friel&’s training approach for newcomers who want a simple, no-nonsense way to train for triathlon. The practical triathlon training plans in Your First Triathlon take fewer than 5 hours a week and will build the fitness and confidence you need to enjoy your first event. Your First Triathlon offers a 12-week training plan for total beginners as well as custom plans for athletes who have some experience in running, cycling, or swimming. Each triathlon training schedule includes realistic swimming, biking, and running workouts with options to add strength workouts. These simple plans will build anyone into a triathlete. Friel simplifies your triathlon race day with smart tips to navigate your race packet pickup, set up your transition area, fuel for your race, finish your swim without stress or fear, and ensure your race goes smoothly from the moment you wake up until you cross the finish line. Triathlon is a fun and challenging sport that can help you get fit, healthy, and feeling great. Your First Triathlon will help you get off to a great start in the swim-bike-run sport.
Your Inner Golf Guru: The Science of Rethinking, Relearning, & Revamping Your Golf Swing
by Dr. James RagonnetLower your handicap and revamp your swing as you become your own best golf instructor. Conventional methodologies, which emphasize ball-striking dictated mostly by bio-mechanics and kinesiology, have failed to enhance the competencies of worn, weary, and wishful golfers. To diagnose and correct your dysfunctional swing, you must understand how your mind, brain, muscles, and club function. Your Inner Golf Guru explores the untapped potential of applying cognitive neuroscience and systems theory to govern your golfing game. Dr. James Ragonnet offers advice on: Unlearning harmful habitsFocusing attention and sharpening awarenessAdjusting movement patternsBreaking down a complex swing into predictable componentsIndividualizing your golfing methodologyAnd more! Although there's no prescribed or ready path for all golfers, you can improve your game by applying the lessons in Your Inner Golf Guru to become your own optimal golfing expert.
Your Pace or Mine?: What Running Taught Me About Life, Laughter and Coming Last
by Lisa JacksonThis book is for all runners, from beginners who fear they’re too slow or unathletic, right up to the most seasoned marathoners and ultramarathoners. Join Lisa and the extraordinary runners she meets along the way, in a journey that reveals a profound truth about running: it’s not about the time you do, but the time you have.
Your Putting Solution
by James Sieckmann Tom Per David DenunzioThe author of Your Short Game Solution presents his Tour-proven putting-improvement system that can work with any stroke. In a follow-up to the industry-acclaimed Your Short Game Solution (2015), James Sieckmann presents a no-nonsense plan to making more putts. Most putting manuals focus on hard-set mechanics that even the top putters on Tour fail to achieve. According to Sieckmann, you can score even if your mechanics are flawed as long as you master four essential skills: 1) choosing the correct line; 2) starting your ball on that line; 3) matching the line with appropriate speed; and 4) believing completely in yourself and in your training. Borrowing from the same playbook he uses with his Tour clients, Sieckmann outlines a step-by-step process for perfecting these skills, which automatically boost performance.
Your Short Game Solution
by Greg Rose James Sieckmann David DenunzioSupported by state-of-the-art motion analysis research, "short game guru to the pros" James Sieckmann unveils his "finesse wedge" swing -- a proven and pragmatic way to learn, practice, and perform with each wedge in the bag in every situation -- and shows players that upgrading their short game is possible. Since James Sieckmann first revealed his short-game methods two decades ago, he has amassed a cultlike following of more than seventy PGA and LPGA Tour disciples and has been dubbed the "short-game guru to the pros" (GOLF Magazine). Using his system, several of Sieckmann's students have become some of the best short-game players of the modern era. A two-time winner on the PGA Tour jumped 117 spots in the Sand Save rankings in one season; another client quickly jumped 81 spots in Scrambling percentage.The benefits of a good short game are undisputed. Unfortunately, players at all levels fail to develop effective short-game skills because instructors teach the exact opposite of the correct technique. Sieckmann studied the greatest short-game players in recent memory--including Seve Ballesteros, Corey Pavin, and Raymond Floyd--to develop a proven and pragmatic way to learn, practice, and perform with each wedge in every situation. His unique observations, which were later verified by motion capture technology, work equally well for amateurs and pros.In his long-awaited first book, Sieckmann opens up his vault of secrets for all golfers. After breaking down the basics, he presents a session-by-session training and practice guide--the same one he creates for his tour clients--to help the reader develop and sustain correct habits, avoid common flaws, and master essential skills. Next, Sieckmann explains how to optimize a player's wedge swing for every scenario. An easy-to-learn and easy-to-use system, Your Short Game Solution will be the go-to guide anywhere golf is played.
You're Not Lost if You Can Still See the Truck: The Further Adventures of America's Everyman Outdoorsman
by Bill HeaveyHumorous, insightful essays on outdoor life from the renowned contributor and editor of Field & Stream—“one of the best magazine writers in America” (The Wall Street Journal). Living the life of an outdoorsman doesn’t necessarily take skill. After more than two decades of writing about his adventures (and misadventures), Bill Heavey has proven that being a true outdoorsman just takes enthusiasm, determination, and a willingness to, occasionally, make a fool of oneself. You’re Not Lost If You Can Still See the Truck gathers together more than sixty of Heavey’s best stories from his work in Field & Stream, The Washington Post, and The Washingtonian. Including retellings of his adventures hunting ants in the urban jungles of Washington, DC; braving freezing winter expeditions in Eastern Alaska; attempting to impress ladies by immediately flipping over his canoe; and planning deer hunts around dad-duties, these tales are chock full of life, insight, and, of course, hilarity. Here is a far-ranging and enlightening volume that traces a life lived outdoors, for better or for worse. “To the list of great Field & Stream essayists . . . add the name Bill Heavey. His writing is funny, poignant, acerbic, and, best of all, always alert to the absurdities of life.” —Patrick C. McManus
You're the Basketball Ref: Mind-Boggling Questions to Test Your Basketball Knowledge
by Wayne StewartDo you think you know basketball? Do you think you know it well enough to take the court as an NBA or NCAA referee and accurately make the really tough calls? Well, here’s your chance to prove how much you really know about the history and rules of one of the world’s most popular sports. You’re the Basketball Ref, newly updated with a dozen fresh scenarios, is designed to inform, challenge, and entertain basketball fans. A brief introduction to the history of basketball is followed by an overview of NBA and NCAA matters. Topics range from situations that typically come up in games—traveling and shot clock violations, for example—to rules that are just a bit more unusual or, for the casual fan, more obscure. Then quiz yourself on what call you would make in each scenario! Many of the situations in You’re the Basketball Ref come from real games, but some scenarios are made up to illustrate specific points or rules. So don your stripes, grab your whistle, and take your position on the court. After all, you’re the ref!
You're the Ref: 156 Scenarios to Test Your Football Knowledge
by Wayne StewartDo you think you have what it takes to be a major college or pro football referee? Well now you can test your knowledge of the game with Wayne Stewart's You're the Ref.You're the Ref is divided into three exciting sections. "Routine Calls" deals with scenarios and rules which typically come up in games and deals with clear cut rules-out of bounds calls, holding, pass interference. "Basic Situations" deals with matters and rules that are just a bit more unusual or, for the casual fan, more obscure-illegal man downfield, for example, isn't a call you see every game, but it remains a rule that referees and many fans know quite well. In the final section, you can put your knowledge to the test. You'll be presented with what many football people call "knotty" problems. Here you will be asked questions involving the complex "tuck rule," the difference between roughing and running into the kicker, and other arcane matters.Most of the situations in this book come from real games, but some scenarios are made up to illustrate specific points or rules. You're the Ref is the ultimate test of your refereeing skills and knowledge.
You're the Ref: 174 Scenarios to Test Your Football Knowledge
by Wayne StewartWhen you watch football games, do you feel as if you know as much--maybe more--than the actual refs? Here's your chance to prove it, with Wayne Stewart’s You’re the Ref. You’re the Ref, first published in 2011 and now newly revised, is divided into five exciting sections covering all three phases of the game--offense, defense, and special teams. From basic holding and pass interference calls to more complicated rules such as roughing the kicker, illegal touching and those governing fumbles, it examines just about every scenario that could unfold on a football field. Most of the situations in this book come from real games--many that diehard fans will be sure to remember--so don your zebra stripes, grab your whistle, and take your position in the offensive backfield. After all, you're the ref!
You're the Umpire: 139 Scenarios to Test Your Baseball Knowledge
by Wayne StewartDo you think you have what it takes to be a Major League umpire? Well, now you can test your knowledge of the game with Wayne Stewart's You're the Umpire. Divided into three sections, this unusual handbook offers Routine Calls, which deal with scenarios and rules that typically come up in games and deal with clear cut rules-fair and foul, strike zone questions, and the like. The next section, Basic Situations, deals with umpiring matters and rules that are just a bit more unusual or, for the casual fan, obscure. Interference and obstruction calls, for example, don't come up too often, but they remain standard stuff involving rules that umps and many fans know quite well. In the final section, Obscure Rules and Situations, you will be presented with what many baseball people call "knotty" problems. Here, you will be asked questions involving the complex infield fly rule, and other arcane matters. This section, then, is the ultimate test of your umpiring skills and knowledge. Most of the situations in You're the Umpire come from real games, but some scenarios are made up to illustrate specific points or rules. Test yourself against your friends or against the famously iconic baseball rulebook. It's a challenge and it's fun.
You're the Umpire: Mind-Boggling Questions to Test Your Baseball Knowledge
by Wayne StewartDo you think you have what it takes to be a Major League umpire? Well, now you can test your knowledge of the game with Wayne Stewart’s You’re the Umpire. Divided into three sections, this unusual handbook, now in its third edition, offers Routine Calls, which deal with scenarios and rules that typically come up in games and deal with clear-cut rules—fair and foul, strike zone questions, and the like. The next section, Basic Situations, deals with umpiring matters and rules that are just a bit more unusual or, for the casual fan, obscure. Interference and obstruction calls, for example, don’t come up too often, but they remain standard stuff involving rules that umps and many fans know quite well. In the final section, Obscure Rules and Situations, you will be presented with what many baseball people call “knotty” problems. Here, you will be asked questions involving the complex infield fly rule and other arcane matters. This section, then, is the ultimate test of your umpiring skills and knowledge. Most of the situations in You’re the Umpire come from real games, such as the time a fastball from Randy Johnson killed a bird in flight and what the umps did regarding that pitch, but some scenarios are made up to illustrate specific points or rules. Test yourself against your friends or against the iconic baseball rulebook. It’s a challenge and it’s fun.
You're the Umpire: 152 Scenarios to Test Your Baseball Knowledge
by Wayne Stewart Ron BlombergDo you think you have what it takes to be a Major League umpire? Well, now you can test your knowledge of the game with Wayne Stewart’s You’re the Umpire.Divided into three sections, this unusual handbook, now in its second edition, offers "Routine Calls," which deal with scenarios and rules that typically come up in games and deal with clear cut rules-fair and foul, strike zone questions, and the like. The next section, "Basic Situations," deals with umpiring matters and rules that are just a bit more unusual or, for the casual fan, obscure. Interference and obstruction calls, for example, don’t come up too often, but they remain standard stuff involving rules that umps and many fans know quite well. In the final section, "Obscure Rules and Situations," you will be presented with what many baseball people call "knotty” problems. Here, you will be asked questions involving the complex infield fly rule and other arcane matters. This section, then, is the ultimate test of your umpiring skills and knowledge.Most of the situations in You’re the Umpire come from real games, but some scenarios are made up to illustrate specific points or rules. Test yourself against your friends or against the famously iconic baseball rulebook. It’s a challenge and it’s fun.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports-books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
You're Welcome, Cleveland: How I Helped Lebron James Win a Championship and Save a City
by Scott Raab"If I had a chance to return to Cleveland, and those fans welcomed me back, that’d be a great story." —LeBron James in 2010, days after "The Decision"You're Welcome, Cleveland is Scott Raab's big-hearted companion to his darkly comic "sports-jeremiad-slash-memoir" The Whore of Akron and follows the first two years of LeBron James’s return to Cleveland. Everybody just loves a good story of forgiveness—especially when you fulfill your promise and bring home an NBA Championship, the first major title for a Cleveland team since 1964.In 2010, when LeBron James announced to the world that he was leaving for Miami, he broke the collective heart of his native city and destroyed the hopes of an entire tortured generation.As LeBron headed south, unofficial spokesman Scott Raab sent him off with a middle-finger salute of his own—a deliciously obscene aria of sports fandom, Jewishness, and weight gain that became infamous as The Whore of Akron. Four years—and two NBA championships later—LeBron came home to the Rust Belt faithful who had vilified him mercilessly, none more so than Raab. You’re Welcome, Cleveland is the story of both LeBron’s and Scott’s redemption as they pursue the one thing they crave more than anything in life—an NBA title for the city that made them men.LeBron is back. So is Scott Raab. It’s a great story.You’re Welcome, Cleveland.
Yours Till Niagara Falls, Abby
by Jane O'ConnorAbby does everything she can to get her parents to let her go to sleepaway camp with her best friend, and at the last minute, her friend has to stay home! How will Abby survive this huge new adventure by herself? [From the back cover:] Dear Merle, Don't feel too guilty, but so far I'm miserable ... And who wouldn't be? After all, it took months for Abby Kimmel to convince her parents to let her go to camp with her best friend. But Merle breaks her ankle and can't go at all! If that isn't bad enough, Abby shares a bunk with the Camp Pinecrest goody-goody, two other bunkmates gang up on her, she gets poison ivy, and she can't learn to dive! Before it's over, though, Abby discovers the secret fun of camp, and her funny letters to Merle and her family reveal that it all turns out better than she'd expected.
Youth and Sport for Development
by Holly CollisonProcesses of development concerning reconciliation,rehabilitation and peace-building have become a central theme for globalorganizations tasked with intervening in broken and divided societies afterviolent conflicts. What can reunite populations divided by war and violencewhilst attempting to build a peaceful civil society? This book considers theimpact and value of sport, notably football, towards achieving this goal. Using extensive fieldworkfrom Liberia, Collison highlights the multiple and diverse stakeholders andactors aligning themselves with 'Sport for Development and Peace'interventions. By unpacking and conceptualising the ambiguous terminology,complex social effects and the lived experience of SDP, this book draw uponparticipant voices and the author's own lived experience within SDP to gainsymbolic understandings of culture, identity and the formal and informal socialstructures in which participants and interventionsoperate. Collison identifies that SDP has become fashionable withindevelopment agendas but it remains an aspirational image, a notion ofseduction, rather than a tested method of reintegration and youth developmentin post-conflict environments. Youth and Sport for Development questionsthe assumptions of SDP rhetoric and programs, and traces the effects offootball - the favoured vehicle of SDP- on youth in post-conflict Liberia. Examining three core themes: post-conflict development, youth and community,this book centralises the narratives of young football players in Liberia andwill appeal to scholars across Anthropology, Sociology, Sports Studies,Politics and Development.
Youth Culture and Sport: Identity, Power, and Politics (Critical Youth Studies)
by Michael D. Giardina Michele K. DonnellyYouth Culture and Sport critically interrogates and challenges contemporary articulations of race, class, gender, and sexual relations circulating throughout popular iterations of youth sporting culture in late-capitalism. Written against the backdrop of important changes in social, cultural, political, and economic dynamics taking place in corporate culture’s war on kids, this exciting new volume marks the first anthology to critically examine the intersection of youth culture and sport in an age of global uncertainty. Bringing together leading scholars from cultural studies, gender studies, sociology, sport studies, and related fields, chapters range in scope from 'action' sport subcultures and community redevelopment programs to the cultural politics of white masculinity and Nike advertising. It is a must read for anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of the role sport plays in the construction of experiences, identities, practices, and social differences of contemporary youth culture.
Youth Development in Football: Lessons from the world’s best academies
by Mark Nesti Chris SulleyThe identification and development of talented young players has become a central concern of football clubs at all levels of the professional game, as well as for national and international governing bodies. This is the first book to offer a comprehensive survey and assessment of youth development programmes in football around the world, to highlight best practice, and to offer clear recommendations for improvement. The book draws on original, in-depth research at eight elite professional football clubs, including Barcelona, Ajax and Bayern Munich, as well as the French national football academy at Clairefontaine. It adopts a multi-disciplinary approach, including psychology, coaching and management studies, and covers every key topic from organisational structures, talent recruitment and performance analysis to player education and welfare. Written by two authors with extensive experience in English professional football, including five Premiership clubs, this book is important reading for any student, researcher, coach, administrator or academy director with an interest in football, youth sport, sports development, sports coaching or sport management.
The Youth Olympic Games (Routledge Research in Sport, Culture and Society)
by Barrie Houlihan Milena M. Parent Dag Vidar HanstadThe first summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) were held in Singapore in 2010 and the first winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck in 2012. The IOC hopes that the YOG will encourage young people to be more active and that they will bring the Olympic movement closer to its original founding values. This is the first book to be published on the Youth Olympic Games. It critically examines the origins of the Games and the motives of the Games organisers, as well as the organisation and management of the Games and their wider impact and significance. The first part of the book discusses the relationship between the YOG and the ideology of Olympism, in the context of broader developments in youth sport competitions. The second part investigates a wide range of managerial aspects including the bidding process, finance, the prominent role of young people on the organising committees and as volunteers, the role of media and sponsors, and the distinctive competition structure. The final part of the book assesses the current and likely future impact of the YOG on the host cities and countries, the IOC and on national youth sport policies. The Youth Olympic Games is essential reading for any researcher, advanced student or policy maker with an interest in Olympic Studies, sports development, sport policy, youth sport or event management.
Youth Rugby (Routledge Research in Paediatric Sport and Exercise Science)
by Kevin TillYouth Rugby provides a summary of the latest and most up-to-date research evidence in relation to developing the youth rugby player. The book provides an overview of the latest scientific research for key topics related to the youth rugby player across the codes of rugby (union, league and 7’s; mainly league and union in youth players) whilst also summarising the quality of the evidence available and the limitations of this research and highlighting key future research directions. The book covers a range of fundamental scientific topics relating to paediatric exercise science, human physiology, youth athletic development and high-performance sport. Each author is an experienced researcher within their respective discipline related to the youth rugby player. The book includes chapters on: • Long-term athletic development, growth and maturation, talent identification and the physical demands of youth rugby training and match-play. • Physical characteristics and the current evidence behind training methods to promote desired physical qualities. • Fatigue and recovery, the tackle, psychosocial development, nutrition and injury prevalence and prevention. This text is essential reading for all scientists, students and applied researchers wanting to develop world-class, evidence-based programmes for their youth athletes.
Youth Soccer: From Science to Performance
by Thomas Reilly Dave Richardson Gareth Stratton A. Mark WilliamsAs the adult game has increased in popularity, youth soccer has also seen significant expansion in recent years. The popularity of the youth game is set to continue. Young boy and girl players wish to emulate professional soccer stars and the professional game, often with long-term financial rewards in mind, is increasingly keen to develop young talent. Applied sports science is now a well-established feature of the adult game but the sports science that supports modern football does not translate directly into the youth game. The coaches of young players need specific information about children. Themes explored in this text include: growth of physiological systems development of motor and perceptive skills paediatric environmental physiology prevention of injury diet and nutrition youth fitness and skills training effective teaching and coaching of juniors the role of football academies. Youth Soccer: From Science to Performance blends current child-focused sports science theory with youth-specific coaching practice to help create soccer development strategies for children. It promotes knowledge and understanding in all these areas and will further professional expertise amongst coaches who wish to develop the all year round potential of youth soccer players and train the stars of the future.
Youth Sport, Migration and Culture: Two Football Teams and the Changing Face of Ireland (Routledge Critical Perspectives on Equality and Social Justice in Sport and Leisure)
by Max MauroHow do migrant youth negotiate their role in society through sport and leisure practices? How can political theory and qualitative critical research work together to make sense of these processes? These are among the questions that led to a long-term investigation of young males’ sport practices in Ireland, possibly the most fertile contemporary setting for the analysis of questions of sport and identity. Youth Sport, Migration and Culture emphasises the epistemological and ethical urgency of doing research with rather than on young people. Engaging with the social changes in Irish society through the eyes of children of immigrants growing up in Ireland, the book looks closely at young people’s leisure practices in multi-ethnic contexts, and at issues of inclusion in relation to public discourses around ‘national identity’ and immigration. Offering compelling analysis of how ideas of race and racism are elaborated through sport, this book is fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in the sociology of sport, sport development or youth culture.
Youth Sport, Physical Activity and Play: Policy, Intervention and Participation (Routledge Research in Sport, Culture and Society)
by Andrew Parker Don VinsonSport, physical activity and play are key constituents of social life, impacting such diverse fields as healthcare, education and criminal justice. Over the past decade, governments around the world have begun to place physical activity at the heart of social policy, providing increased opportunities for participation for young people. This groundbreaking text explores the various ways in which young people experience sport, physical activity and play as part of their everyday lives, and the interventions and outcomes that shape and define those experiences. The book covers a range of different sporting and physical activities across an array of social contexts, providing insight into the way in which sport, physical activity and play are interpreted by young people and how these interpretations relate to broader policy objectives set by governments, sporting organisations and other NGOs. In the process, it attempts to answer a series of key questions including: How has sport policy developed over the last decade? How do such policy developments reflect changes at the broader political level? How have young people experienced these changes in and through their sporting lives? By firmly locating sport, physical activity and play within the context of recent policy developments, and exploring the moral and ethical dimensions of sports participation, the book fills a significant gap in the sport studies literature. It is an important reference for students and scholars from a wide-range of sub-disciplines, including sports pedagogy, sports development, sport and leisure management, sports coaching, physical education, play and playwork, and health studies.
The Yucks: Two Years in Tampa with the Losingest Team in NFL History
by Jason VuicFriday Night Lights meets The Bad News Bears in this uproarious account of the first two seasons with the worst team in NFL history: the hapless, hilarious, and hopelessly winless 1976-1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Long before their first Super Bowl victory in 2003, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did something no NFL team had ever done before and that none will ever likely do again: They lost twenty-six games in a row. It started in 1976, in their first season as an expansion team, and it lasted until the penultimate game of the 1977 season, when they defeated Archie Manning and the New Orleans Saints on the road. After the game, Saints coach Hank Stram was fired and said, "We are all very ashamed of what happened. Ashamed for our people, our fans, the organization, everybody." When the Bucs arrived back in Tampa, they were mobbed, and eight thousand people came to a victory party. It was the beginning of a new streak for a team that had come to be called "The Yucks." They won their final game at home, and the fans tore down the goalposts. This was no ordinary streak. It was an existential curse that unfolded week after week, with Johnny Carson leading the charge on The Tonight Show. Along with their ridiculous mascot and uniforms, which were known as "the Creamsicles," the Yucks were a national punch line and personnel purgatory. Owned by the miserly and bulbous-nosed Hugh Culverhouse, who charged players for sodas in the locker room, the team was the end of the line for Heisman Trophy winner and University of Florida hero Steve Spurrier, and a banishment for former Cowboy defensive end Pat Toomay after he wrote a tell-all book about his time on "America's Team." Many players on the Bucs had been out of football for years, and it wasn't uncommon for them to have to introduce themselves in the huddle. They were coached by the ever-quotable college great John McKay, whose press conferences were infamous. "We can't win at home and we can't win on the road," he said. "What we need is a neutral site." But the Bucs were a part of something bigger, too. They were a gambit by promoters, journalists, and civic boosters to create a shared identity for a region that didn't exist--Tampa Bay. Before the Yucks, "the Bay" was a body of water, and even the worst team in memory transformed Florida's Gulf communities into a single region with a common cause. The Yucks is an unforgettable and hilarious account of athletic futility and despair. But the players worked their way into the fans' hearts and were a team that, by losing, did more to generate attention than they ever could have otherwise.
Yukon Alone: The World's Toughest Adventure Race
by John BalzarIn the tradition of Into the Wild, John Balzar's Yukon Alone is a story of daring and determination in one of nature's harshest, loneliest, and most beautiful places.The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race is among the most challenging and dangerous of all the organized sporting events in the world. Every February, a handful of hardy souls sps over two weeks racing sleds pulled by fourteen dogs over 1,023 miles of frozen rivers, icy mountain passes, and spruce forests as big as entire states. It's not unusual for the temperature to drop to 40-below or for the night to be seventeen hours long.Why would anyone want to run this race? To find out, John Balzar moved to Alaska months before The Quest began and he spent time in the homes of many of the mushers. Balzar then spent many days and nights on the trail, and the result is a book that not only treats us to a vivid day-by-day account of the grueling race itself but also offers an insightful look at the men and women who have moved to this rugged and beautiful place, often leaving behind comfortable houses and jobs in the lower forty-eight states for the sense of exhilaration they find in their new lives. Readers will also be fascinated by Balzar's account of what goes into the training and care of the majestic dogs who pull the sleds and whose courage, strength, and devotion make them the true heroes of this story. For anyone captivated by the wild north country, this riveting tale of courage and adventure will inspire and entertain.