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Above the Clouds: How I Carved My Own Path to the Top of the World
by Kilian Jornet"Kilian Jornet is the most dominating endurance athlete of his generation."—NEW YORK TIMES"Inspiring and humbling"— ALEX HONNOLDThe most accomplished mountain runner of all time contemplates his record-breaking climbs of Mount Everest in this profound memoir—an intellectual and spiritual journey that moves from the earth’s highest peak to the soul’s deepest reaches.Kilian Jornet has broken nearly every mountaineering record in the world and twice been named National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. In 2018 he summitted Mount Everest twice in one week—without the help of bottled oxygen or ropes.As he recounts a life spent studying and ascending the greatest peaks on earth, Jornet ruminates on what he has found in nature—simplicity, freedom, and spiritual joy—and offers a poetic yet clearheaded assessment of his relationship to the mountain . . . at times his opponent, at others, his greatest inspiration.
Above the Line: Lessons in Leadership and Life from a Championship Program
by Wayne Coffey Urban MeyerRemarkable lessons in leadership and teambuilding from one of the greatest college football coaches of our timeIn only thirteen years as a head football coach, first at Bowling Green and then at Utah, Florida, and Ohio State, Urban Meyer has established himself as one of the elite coaches in the annals of his sport, with three national championships and a cumulative record of 142 wins and only 26 losses. But sheer statistics are not the measure of his true accomplishment, nor do they speak to his own extraordinary learning journey. Now, in Above the Line, he offers to readers his unparalleled insights into leadership, team building and the keys to empowering people to achieve things they might never have thought possible. Despite winning two national championships at Florida in only six seasons, Meyer stepped back from the game at the end of the 2010 season, amid health concerns and a growing awareness that his almost maniacal pursuit of perfection was distorting his priorities, distancing him from his family and taking him away from the reasons he wanted to coach in the first place. When he returned to the sport in 2012 as the head coach at Ohio State, the school he grew up rooting for, Meyer did so with a renewed sense of the deeper purpose of his work and a profound commitment to life balance that had previously been lacking. What remained constant was his passion for leading, teaching and motivating, forging his football teams into a cohesive whole, playing for one another with selfless commitment and uncommon intensity. Ohio State’s 2014 season was in many ways Urban Meyer’s master class in leadership. The world knows how the story ended: with the Buckeyes capturing the inaugural College Football Playoff Championship with a 42–20 victory over Oregon, with the team’s third-string quarterback at the helm, in only his third collegiate start. Few remember how it began: with a bad early season loss that sent OSU out of the Top 20, season-ending injuries at the most important position on the team, and then, infinitely worse, the tragic death of a teammate. But this team’s resilience was no accident. In Above the Line, Urban Meyer shares with readers OSU’s groundbreaking game plan—the game plan he followed every day in the Buckeyes’ historic 2014 season—for creating a culture of success that engages and inspires the people around them A student of psychology long before he became a coach, Meyer believes that trust is the bedrock of great achievements and healthy relationships, and explains how to build it, step by step—whether in a team, a family, or a Fortune 500 company. With trust in place, a deep bond unites us in common purpose, and cultivates what he calls "Above the Line" behavior—a learned, empowered response to the challenges we face every day. Writing with his customary candor and humility, Meyer delivers insights both practical and profound—and applicable far beyond the football field. Packed with real-life examples from a storied season, Above the Line offers wisdom and inspiration for taking control and turning setbacks into victories.
Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm
by DeMar DeRozanFrom one of the most outspoken and respected NBA athletes comes a groundbreaking and remarkable memoir chronicling a very public struggle with depression, in the hopes that other people will not suffer alone.&“DeMar DeRozan&’s story is one of adaptability, courage, and love. The persistent effort on his part to rise above is compelling and important.&”—Coach Gregg Popovich, from the foreword &“As men, and especially Black men, we don&’t talk about our mental health enough. We struggle to admit when things aren&’t okay, even when it&’s obvious to everybody around us. I&’ve seen how toxic that can become. I&’ve experienced it myself, keeping everything under wraps until your head and heart are full of fire and rage.&”DeMar DeRozan, six-time NBA All-Star, has been called a &“basketball savant&” (ESPN) and &“the best closer in the NBA&” (GQ)—but when he went public with his depression, it sparked a conversation that reached far beyond the court. By breaking the stigma of speaking out, he added a new, seldom-heard voice to the mental health dialogue: a successful Black male athlete, openly naming his pain and advocating for others to do the same.Now it&’s time to tell the full story. Born and raised in Compton, DeRozan was no stranger to hardship—living in poverty, losing friends to gang violence. In worn-out school gyms and community centers, fueled by hunger and a desire to prove himself, he started to rise, but doubts followed. In Above the Noise, DeRozan opens up about his proudest triumphs and the times he felt so weighed down he couldn't get out of bed. He reflects on what it took to make a name for himself in a new country after getting drafted by the Toronto Raptors, the pressure of playing with veteran athletes as a twenty-year-old rookie, and the pain of losing role models.From a scared, angry kid to a confident father of five, DeRozan traces his journey to basketball stardom and the forces that honed him into the player—and the slowly healing person—he is today. It will encourage anyone who has ever felt alone in their struggles and inspire people to rise above the noise and speak their truth.
Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm
by DeMar DeRozan Dave ZarumA remarkable, groundbreaking memoir from the six-time NBA All-Star and one of the most beloved Raptors players of all timeAs men, and especially Black men, we don’t talk about our mental health enough. We struggle to admit when things aren’t okay, even when it’s obvious to everybody around us. I’ve seen how toxic that can become. I’ve experienced it myself, keeping everything under wraps until your head and heart are full of fire and rage. —from Above the NoiseSix-time NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan has been called a “basketball savant” (ESPN) and “the best closer in the NBA” (GQ). But when he went public with his depression, it sparked a conversation that reached far beyond the court. By speaking out and breaking the stigma of mental illness, he added a new, seldom-heard voice to the mental health dialogue: that of a successful Black male athlete, openly naming his pain and advocating for others to do the same.Now it’s time to tell the full story. Born and raised in Compton, DeRozan was no stranger to hardship—he grew up in poverty and lost friends to gang violence. Practising in worn-out school gyms and community centres, fuelled by hunger and a desire to prove himself, he began to rise. But doubts followed. In Above the Noise, DeRozan opens up about both his proudest triumphs and the times he felt so weighed down he couldn’t get out of bed. He reflects on what it took to make a name for himself in a new country after getting drafted by the Toronto Raptors. He recounts the pressure of playing with veteran athletes as a twenty-year-old rookie, and the pain of losing role models. And he reveals what it felt like to be traded away from the team that he wanted to play with for the rest of his career.From a scared, angry kid to a confident father of five, DeRozan traces his journey to basketball stardom and the forces that honed him into the player—and the slowly healing person—he is today. His memoir will encourage anyone who has ever felt alone in their struggles and inspire people to rise above the noise and speak their truth.
Above the Rim: Essential Knowledge and Obscure Facts Every Basketball Fan Needs to Know
by Brian Boone Brendan BooneElevate your basketball trivia game with fresh facts and superfan challenges! Test your sports savvy and emerge a champion with this interactive, brain-busting trivia book written by fans for fans. Above the Rim delivers all the stats, figures, funny stories, and highlights your inner sports nerd craves. Take a shot at Who Said It?, Guess the Player, and True or False quiz questions. Discover little-known facts about the most iconic players of all time, from Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Boost your basketball wisdom and discover:- Who got thrown out of more games than any other player? - What's the punishment for dunking so hard you shatter the backboard (besides needing to pick the glass form your hair)?- Which team has the worst road record in NBA history? Hint: They went 1-40!Get ready to score fascinating new insights and push your existing knowledge to the ultimate limits with Above the Rim.
Abrazos y zancadillas: Memorias deportivas
by José Javier Santos RubioTreinta años de profesión dan para mucho. J.J. Santos, uno de los periodistas deportivos con más gancho de la televisión, repasa las anécdotas más controvertidas de su trayectoria. Abrazos y zancadillas no es un ajuste de cuentas ni un minucioso relato cronológico, es el retrato de dos mundos, el del deporte y el del periodismo, de sus grandezas y de sus miserias, de sus intereses, que desvela las estrategias y comportamientos de algunos de los grandes medios de comunicación de nuestro país y en el que se descubre la otra cara de los deportistas, esa que casi nunca se cuenta en los espacios deportivos. Un libro divertido que nos acerca al sacralizado mundo del deporte y de sus profesionales.
Abs on the Ball: A Pilates Approach to Building Superb Abdominals
by Colleen CraigInnovative abdominal exercises to help tone the abdomen, improve posture, and build a strong back using the Swiss exercise ball. Offers a 10-minute and 20-minute workout for all levels of fitness. Shows how the mobility of the ball targets underutilized muscles. Shows how traditional sit-ups and "ab" machines limit how much abdominal muscles can be trained and also aggravate lower back pain and neck tension. The exercise ball has long been recommended by doctors, physical therapists, and Olympic coaches for people suffering from back pain. Now Colleen Craig, author of the bestselling book Pilates on the Ball, reveals why the exercise ball is unmatched as a tool for building superb abdominal strength. She presents a selection of over 80 innovative exercises, including some of the key powerhouse-builders from the Pilates Method, all of which she has adapted specifically to the ball. Craig shows how traditional sit-ups and "ab" machines actually limit the degree to which abdominal muscles can be trained and can even aggravate lower back pain and neck tension. In contrast, the very mobility of the ball targets underutilized muscles, recruiting both deep and superficial abdominal muscle fibers to enhance results. Abs on the Ball includes exercises for all ability levels that show how to properly use the breath and how to activate the correct muscles during a workout--from the core exercises of the Waterfall, Oblique Curls, and Full Abdominal Curls to the more advanced Side Twist Plank, the Teaser, and Backward Crunch. The author also offers a 10- and 20-minute workout designed not only to build the abdominal core, but also to strengthen and train deep muscles in the back and hip in order to soothe lower back pain and increase overall body strength, balance, and coordination.
Absolute Pressure (Orca Sports)
by Sigmund BrouwerIan has been going to Key West every summer for years, helping his Uncle Gord at his dive shop and spending as much time as he can underwater. When he's not diving, he's admiring Sherri, the girl who works at the dive shop, and wondering how she would feel if he told her that he tastes blackberries whenever he sees her. A series of accidents leads Ian to believe that his uncle is in grave danger, but the truth is more complicated and terrifying than he could ever have imagined.
Absolutely Foxed
by Graeme FowlerWith riotous stories of life on England tours, partying with Ian Botham and Elton John, combined with a moving account of his battle with mental-health issues, Graeme Fowler's Absolutely Foxed is a cricket memoir unlike any other. Seen by many as a maverick, happy-go-lucky figure, Fowler became a hugely influential coach, and is one of the most original thinkers about the game. He's battled and won against the best spinners in India, and the fastest bowlers from the West Indies - he's even found himself at the centre of a tabloid storm. In this book, he looks back over his 40 years in the professional game, spending 16 years on the county circuit with Lancashire and Durham, and three years as an England international - a period that was cut short by a life-threatening injury. He followed that with a spell working on Test Match Special, before running the Durham Centre of Excellence for 18 years. Alastair Campbell provides an Afterword in which he commends Fowler's support for others suffering from mental-health problems; Fowler's own experiences should provide help and inspiration for those dealing with similar problems. In his Foreword, lifelong friend Sir Ian Botham describes Fowler as 'one of the gutsiest I ever encountered', but also points out how he 'made a dressing room tick'. Those elements of courage, knowledge and humour are all present in Absolutely Foxed - a truly unmissable read.
¡Academia, carajo!: Pasión, locura y secretos del título 2001
by Alejandro WallLa crónica sobre el Racing campeón del torneo Apertura 2001, en plena crisis argentina y corralito financiero. Testimonios, datos no revelados hasta el momento. Dijo el autor: «Hay negociaciones en la Casa Rosada un sábado a la mañana para que Racing pueda jugar su final. Hay historias de hinchas. Hay historias del plantel. Hay historias de árbitros. Uno de ellos, juez de línea clave para el título, es hincha de Racing. Fanático». «Esta sólida crónica sobre "el Racing campeón del Apertura 2001, después de treinta y cinco años" registra meticulosamente los acontecimientos sociales y políticos que conmovían al país y que estuvieron a punto de arruinar la singular conquista. Pero, al mismo tiempo, incluye detalles desconocidos de las entidades vinculadas al fútbol, poniendo en evidencia la cercanía de los intereses del mundo del fútbol con la política y los poderes en general. En este sentido el libro contiene la enorme e inusual virtud (casi antiargentina) de estar identificado con una pasión futbolera pero sin enceguecerse, de contar los hechos sincreerse dueño de la verdad absoluta. Vale la pena conocer lassorprendentes historias que aquí se relatan». Carlos Ulanovsky.
ACA's Beginner's Guide to Fly Casting: Featuring the Twelve Casts You Need to Know
by John L. FieldIn The ACA's Beginner's Guide to Fly Casting: Featuring the Twelve Casts You Need to Know, John Field, tournament caster and FFI Master Casting Instructor, teaches and explains the fundamentals of fly casting, step by step. John shares the casting games of the American Casting Association and its 110 years of proven methods. This guide also includes learning tips from champion casters Steve Rajeff and Chris Korich. To begin, Field carefully lays out the essentials for getting ready, like assembling an outfit, and caring for your tackle. Next, he shows the simplest but most efficient way to start casting and practicing for results. Once you can make the basic cast, the next chapters provide the steps to achieve casting accuracy and distance. Whether learning to fly fish in fresh or saltwater, Field's expertise is sure to have you casting like a pro before you know it. With expert instructions, accompanying diagrams and fun drills, The ACA's Beginner's Guide to Fly Casting will help the next generation of flyfishers participate in this wonderful sport.
ACC Basketball
by J. Samuel WalkerSince the inception of the Atlantic Coast Conference, intense rivalries, legendary coaches, gifted players, and fervent fans have come to define the league's basketball history. In ACC Basketball, J. Samuel Walker traces the traditions and the dramatic changes that occurred both on and off the court during the conference's rise to a preeminent position in college basketball between 1953 and 1972.Walker vividly re-creates the action of nail-biting games and the tensions of bitter recruiting battles without losing sight of the central off-court questions the league wrestled with during these two decades. As basketball became the ACC's foremost attraction, conference administrators sought to field winning teams while improving academic programs and preserving academic integrity. The ACC also adapted gradually to changes in the postwar South, including, most prominently, the struggle for racial justice during the 1960s. ACC Basketball is a lively, entertaining account of coaches' flair (and antics), players' artistry, a major point-shaving scandal, and the gradually more evenly matched struggle for dominance in one of college basketball's strongest conferences.
Acceptance and Commitment Approaches for Athletes’ Wellbeing and Performance: The Flexible Mind
by Ross G. White Andrew Bethell Lewis Charnock Stephen Leckey Victoria PenprazeElite sport can be an unforgiving and harsh environment. This book explores psychological predictors of wellbeing and performance excellence in elite level athletes, and presents an innovative approach for optimizing mental wellbeing and sporting performance. Jointly developed by performance psychologists, clinical psychologists and sport scientists the Flexible Mind approach draws on contemporary psychological theory and research to help athletes build ‘psychological flexibility’ - the ability to experience challenging thoughts and emotions and still be true to one’s values. A range of case studies relating to different sports are used to demonstrate how three core components - Being Present, Being Open and Doing What Matters - can improve athletes’ performance and wellbeing. This book will be a game-changing resource for sports psychologists, mental health practitioners, coaches and support staff who are committed to helping athletes to excel and stay well.
Accessibility in Sport Management: International Venue Perspectives (European Association for Sport Management Series)
by Simon Darcy Paul J. Kitchin Tracey J. Dickson Juan Luis Paramio-SalcinesThis book introduces the fundamental principles of accessible and inclusive sport venue management, with a focus on people with disability. It offers a social‑ecological analysis of how governments, businesses, the disability social movement, sports organisations, and their stakeholders can, and should, make sport more accessible and inclusive.Using a critical disability studies perspective, this book highlights recent global human rights initiatives, challenges, and ongoing resistance to the drive for accessibility in sport venue management. Drawing on the latest research, it takes a step‑by‑step look at the sporting experience – including pre‑experience planning, travel to and from an event, the built environment, the experience itself, and online participation – and considers how each phase might be made more accessible and inclusive, and how commercial and social justice considerations intersect.Addressing the needs of participants, consumers, employees, volunteers, and organisations, this book is essential reading for any student, researcher, practitioner, or policymaker with an interest in sport management, disability sport, event management, corporate social responsibility, disability studies, or human rights.
Accessible Connecticut: A Guide to Recreation for Children with Disabilities and Their Families
by Nora Ellen Groce Lawrence C. Kaplan Josiah David KaplanThis user-friendly guide helps parents of children with disabilities plan family outings in Connecticut that are stimulating and fun. Intended for youngsters who use wheelchairs or who have visual, hearing, or mental impairments, it presents places throughout the state that are easily accessible and reasonably priced and that require little or no prior planning. The entries are arranged by type of activity. They include places to see animals (zoos, aquariums, hatcheries, farms); children's museums; museums of nature, history, science, fine arts, and special interest; places of historic interest; playgrounds; nature centers and walks; theaters and performing arts; and weekend excursions for the family. Each place or activity lists location, directions, phone numbers, web information, hours, admission fees, brief descriptions, and assessment of accessibility by type of disability. The guide is an invaluable resource, helping children with disabilities (or, for that matter, parents with disabilities) share with their families the experiences and playtime activities that are part of all happy childhood memories. Book jacket.
Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body
by Jivana HeymanThis daring, visionary book revolutionizes yoga practice--and makes it truly accessible to everyone, in every body, at any age, and in any state of health.Yoga practice has so much to offer us physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. But many of us feel discouraged to practice because we see young, slim, flexible, well, and able-bodied people dominating yoga spaces. Yet, yoga is truly a practice for all--conferring enormous benefits to our overall well-being as our bodies change, age, and navigate various health challenges. Jivana Heyman, founder of Accessible Yoga, views yoga as a basic human right--saying we all deserve to practice it in whatever state we find our body or mind. Accessible Yoga offers a simple, clear, and wonderfully adaptable practice for all people regardless of ability, health, and body type. Heyman has spent over twenty years sharing yoga with people of all abilities and backgrounds, and in this book, he shares his knowledge by breaking down complex yoga poses, breathing practices, meditation techniques, and yoga teachings into clearly understandable and practical tools we can use every day, regardless of our limitations or challenges.
The Accidental Angler
by Charles Rangeley-WilsonFishing can take you to the heart of a landscape in a way few other forms of travel can match. Whether in the world's most outlandish and awe-inspiring places or just at the end of your road, fishing will introduce you to crabby weather and crabbier locals, moon-phases, rip-tides, floods, droughts, remarkable tales, and of course fantastic slippery beasts.In The Accidental Angler you'll battle titanic monsters on a tropical atoll and make-believe sharks on the mushy-peas-and-gravy Wash. You'll chase inscrutable grayling through back gardens in Provence, or phantom sea trout in downtown Southampton. And you'll dance in Brazilian carvinals and find secret rivers hidden beneath the streets.Join Charles Rangeley-Wilson - angler, conservationist, television presenter and traveller - for the trip of a lifetime, on a journey that will make the familiar new, and the strange familiar.
An Accidental Athlete: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Middle Age
by Bingham JohnKnown by fans as "The Penguin" for his back-of-the-pack speed, John Bingham is the unlikely hero of the modern running boom. In his new book, the best-selling author and magazine columnist recalls his childhood dreams of athletic glory, sedentary years of unhealthy excess, and a life-changing transformation from couch potato to "adult-onset athlete." Overweight, uninspired, and saddled with a pack-and-a-half-a-day smoking habit, Bingham found himself firmly wedged into a middle-age slump. Then two frightening trips to the emergency room and a conversation with a happy piano tuner led him to discover running--and changed his life for the better. Inspiring, poignant, hilarious, and heartbreaking, An Accidental Athlete is a warm and engaging book for the everyday athlete. Bingham tells stories of the joys of running--the pride of the finisher's medal, a bureau-busting t-shirt collection, intense back-of-the-pack strategizing. An Accidental Athlete is about one man's discovery that middle age was not the finish line after all, but only the beginning.
The Accidental Footballer
by Pat Nevin***THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A heroic outsider - a pleasure to read.' - The Guardian'A fulsome evocation of football before the Premier League.' - The i'Such a good storyteller...joyous.' - Financial Times'Honest, raw, revealing and very funny. How to live a life and career to the full. Insightful book about the most successful outsider inside football ever...' - Henry Winter, Chief Football Writer, The Times'Pat is a wonderful one-off...and this is the story of why that is.' - John Murray, Chief Sports Correspondent, BBC Radio 5 Live'Unusually vibrant and elegant with heroic doses of humour, insight and self-effacement, this is an absolute must-read for the football connoisseur.' - Omid Djalili 'The biggest influence of my professional career both on and off the pitch.' - Graeme Le Saux'I grew up captivated by Pat Nevin the player. As a man he taught me even more about the beauty of the game. One of football's great mavericks, and Chelsea's greatest players. And he can spin a mean tune too.' - Sam Matterface 'I used to walk miles to see Pat Nevin play football and I'd do the same now to read his thoughts. Always challenging, always entertaining.' - Lord Sebastian Coe'A refreshingly honest and thought-provoking autobiography. As deftly delivered as some of Pat's ball skills in his 1980's heyday.' - ToffeeWeb Pat Nevin never wanted to be a professional footballer.His future was clear, he'd become a teacher like his brothers. There was only one problem with this - Pat was far too good to avoid attention. Raised in Glasgow's East End, Pat loved the game, playing for hours and obsessively following Celtic. But as he grew up, he also loved Joy Division, wearing his Indie 'gloom boom' coat and going on marches - hardly typical footballer behaviour!Placed firmly in the 80s and 90s, before the advent of the Premier League, and often with racism and violence present, Pat Nevin writes with honesty, insight and wry humour. We are transported vividly to Chelsea and Everton, and colourfully diverted by John Peel, Morrissey and nights out at the Hacienda.The Accidental Footballer is a different kind of football memoir. Capturing all the joys of professional football as well as its contradictions and conflicts, it's about being defined by your actions, not your job, and is the perfect reminder of how life can throw you the most extraordinary surprises, when you least expect it.
The Accidental Footballer
by Pat Nevin***THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A heroic outsider - a pleasure to read.' - The Guardian'A fulsome evocation of football before the Premier League.' - The i'Such a good storyteller...joyous.' - Financial Times'Honest, raw, revealing and very funny. How to live a life and career to the full. Insightful book about the most successful outsider inside football ever...' - Henry Winter, Chief Football Writer, The Times'Pat is a wonderful one-off...and this is the story of why that is.' - John Murray, Chief Sports Correspondent, BBC Radio 5 Live'Unusually vibrant and elegant with heroic doses of humour, insight and self-effacement, this is an absolute must-read for the football connoisseur.' - Omid Djalili 'The biggest influence of my professional career both on and off the pitch.' - Graeme Le Saux'I grew up captivated by Pat Nevin the player. As a man he taught me even more about the beauty of the game. One of football's great mavericks, and Chelsea's greatest players. And he can spin a mean tune too.' - Sam Matterface 'I used to walk miles to see Pat Nevin play football and I'd do the same now to read his thoughts. Always challenging, always entertaining.' - Lord Sebastian Coe'A refreshingly honest and thought-provoking autobiography. As deftly delivered as some of Pat's ball skills in his 1980's heyday.' - ToffeeWeb Pat Nevin never wanted to be a professional footballer.His future was clear, he'd become a teacher like his brothers. There was only one problem with this - Pat was far too good to avoid attention. Raised in Glasgow's East End, Pat loved the game, playing for hours and obsessively following Celtic. But as he grew up, he also loved Joy Division, wearing his Indie 'gloom boom' coat and going on marches - hardly typical footballer behaviour!Placed firmly in the 80s and 90s, before the advent of the Premier League, and often with racism and violence present, Pat Nevin writes with honesty, insight and wry humour. We are transported vividly to Chelsea and Everton, and colourfully diverted by John Peel, Morrissey and nights out at the Hacienda.The Accidental Footballer is a different kind of football memoir. Capturing all the joys of professional football as well as its contradictions and conflicts, it's about being defined by your actions, not your job, and is the perfect reminder of how life can throw you the most extraordinary surprises, when you least expect it.
The Accidental Footballer
by Pat Nevin***THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A heroic outsider - a pleasure to read.' - The Guardian'A fulsome evocation of football before the Premier League.' - The i'Honest, raw, revealing and very funny. How to live a life and career to the full. Insightful book about the most successful outsider inside football ever...' - Henry Winter, Chief Football Writer, The Times'Pat is a wonderful one-off...and this is the story of why that is.' - John Murray, Chief Sports Correspondent, BBC Radio 5 Live'Unusually vibrant and elegant with heroic doses of humour, insight and self-effacement, this is an absolute must-read for the football connoisseur.' - Omid Djalili 'The biggest influence of my professional career both on and off the pitch.' - Graeme Le Saux'I grew up captivated by Pat Nevin the player. As a man he taught me even more about the beauty of the game. One of football's great mavericks, and Chelsea's greatest players. And he can spin a mean tune too.' - Sam Matterface 'I used to walk miles to see Pat Nevin play football and I'd do the same now to read his thoughts. Always challenging, always entertaining.' - Lord Sebastian Coe'A refreshingly honest and thought-provoking autobiography. As deftly delivered as some of Pat's ball skills in his 1980's heyday.' - ToffeeWeb Pat Nevin never wanted to be a professional footballer.His future was clear, he'd become a teacher like his brothers. There was only one problem with this - Pat was far too good to avoid attention. Raised in Glasgow's East End, Pat loved the game, playing for hours and obsessively following Celtic. But as he grew up, he also loved Joy Division, wearing his Indie 'gloom boom' coat and going on marches - hardly typical footballer behaviour!Placed firmly in the 80s and 90s, before the advent of the Premier League, and often with racism and violence present, Pat Nevin writes with honesty, insight and wry humour. We are transported vividly to Chelsea and Everton, and colourfully diverted by John Peel, Morrissey and nights out at the Hacienda.The Accidental Footballer is a different kind of football memoir. Capturing all the joys of professional football as well as its contradictions and conflicts, it's about being defined by your actions, not your job, and is the perfect reminder of how life can throw you the most extraordinary surprises, when you least expect it.(p) 2021 Octopus Publishing Group
Accidental Ironman: How Triathlon Ruined My Life
by Martyn BruntHaving spent 10 years scaling the lower echelons of the sport, the time has come for one of Britain's least successful athletes to reveal all about how he got involved in all this nonsense in the first place. Marvel as he reveals: His sporting history - how being last pick at school football in the 1970s set him on course for a lifetime of being rubbish at team games. How he took up triathlons in the first place (for a bet, and the cow who made it with him never paid up). How he overcame a crippling lack of talent and a chorus of complete indifference from his family to complete 10 Ironmans, all outside the top 500 finishers. The many triathlon adventures he has experienced over the past 10 years (cow pats, Ironmans, incontinence, driving bans, broken bones, public nudity, spending entire redundancy payments on a new bike, Belgian portaloos, German knocking shops, sunburnt arse cheeks, channel swimming, fights with chavs, obsessions with weather and the nutritional value of Jaffa Cakes, 3 hour marathons, chronic dehydration and so on). The many and varied idiots he's got to know as a result of taking up the sport (aka his mates). The typical training (hell) he goes through to take part in a race given he has absolutely no ability whatsoever. How triathlons ultimately caused him to sell his Mercedes, give away his expensive suit, chuck in his job in the City and become, as his father put it, a "god-damned hippy" (A cycle path designer who owns a camper van).
Accidental Ironman: How Triathlon Ruined My Life
by Martyn BruntHaving spent 10 years scaling the lower echelons of the sport, the time has come for one of Britain's least successful athletes to reveal all about how he got involved in all this nonsense in the first place. Marvel as he reveals: His sporting history - how being last pick at school football in the 1970s set him on course for a lifetime of being rubbish at team games. How he took up triathlons in the first place (for a bet, and the cow who made it with him never paid up). How he overcame a crippling lack of talent and a chorus of complete indifference from his family to complete 10 Ironmans, all outside the top 500 finishers. The many triathlon adventures he has experienced over the past 10 years (cow pats, Ironmans, incontinence, driving bans, broken bones, public nudity, spending entire redundancy payments on a new bike, Belgian portaloos, German knocking shops, sunburnt arse cheeks, channel swimming, fights with chavs, obsessions with weather and the nutritional value of Jaffa Cakes, 3 hour marathons, chronic dehydration and so on). The many and varied idiots he's got to know as a result of taking up the sport (aka his mates). The typical training (hell) he goes through to take part in a race given he has absolutely no ability whatsoever. How triathlons ultimately caused him to sell his Mercedes, give away his expensive suit, chuck in his job in the City and become, as his father put it, a "god-damned hippy" (A cycle path designer who owns a camper van).
Accidental Roommates (Love & Laughter)
by Charlotte MaclayHow to lose your virginity...At twenty-eight, getting down and dirty should be real simple-except if you're a good girl from an excruciatingly small town. Why, Hannah Jansen even lives with her father and helps him run the local hardware store! She's sick to death of being wholesome and dependable.When her hotel mixes up her reservations and puts her in the same room as sexy rancher Holt Janson, Hannah considers her options. Here she is footloose and fancy-free in the big city. And fate has given her an honest-to-goodness sex symbol for a roommate. Thank you!Except, Holt decides to be responsible and not seduce her. Great, just great.There was only one answer. Hannah Jansen needed to become a bad girl....
Accro d’la planche: (Skate Freak) (French Currents)
by Lesley ChoyceDorf is all about skateboarding, and so far that's worked out fine. But now that he's in a new city, the terrain has changed. He's no longer free to skateboard where he wishes, school is more difficult, and his passion for skateboarding garners him the nickname and reputation of a freak. With daring stunts he gains the grudging respect of local troublemakers, but he needs to tap into another kind of courage to effect real change.