Other books that might interest you

• 

  Walking Tall

  Rob Heffernan

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Deemed too small for his school Gaelic football team at the age of fourteen, Rob Heffernan took up race walking on a whim. Driven by a fiercely competitive nature and a dogged desire to be the best, he strode his way to the pinnacle of the sport, winning bronze in the London 2012 Olympics and becoming world champion in Moscow in 2013. In 2016, he became the first athlete to represent Ireland at the Olympic Games for a fifth time. In this no-holds-barred account, Rob describes his battles with injury, depression and poverty on his way to the top. Even when at his best, he found himself cheated out of medals by those who crossed the dark line into doping. He candidly tells of the confrontations with Athletics Ireland and the Irish Sports Council that raged in the background to his struggle for that prestigious Olympic medal. This is the inside story of how one boy's dream led him from the council flats of his tough upbringing to the winners' podium. It is also a heartfelt chronicle of the sometimes nightmare-ridden journey to become a top athlete in this gruelling sport.

  Show book

• 

  Big Bill Tilden - The Triumphs...

  Frank Deford

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  “A compelling, long overdue tribute” to America’s first tennis star from the renowned sportswriter and author of Everybody’s All-American (Kirkus Reviews).   When he stepped onto the Wimbledon grass in 1920, Bill Tilden was poised to become the world’s greatest tennis star. Throughout the 1920s he dominated the sport, winning championship after championship with his trademark grace, power, and intelligence. He owned the game more completely than Babe Ruth ruled baseball, making his name, for more than a decade, synonymous with tennis. Phenomenally intelligent—he completed his first book on tennis in the three weeks before his first Wimbledon triumph—Tilden’s success came with a dark side. This classic biography by legendary sports writer Frank Deford tells of Tilden’s dominance, which was unlike anything the sport had ever seen—and the big man’s tragic fall.

  Show book

• 

  The Power of Two

  Susan Foster, Carl Brewer

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  One of the most compelling figures ever to lace on a pair of skates, Carl Brewer was a gifted skater and stickhandler, renowned for his ability to control the pace of a game and goad opponents into costly errors. His talents made him an NHL All-Star and one of the cornerstones of a Toronto Maple Leafs dynasty. But he was also a loner playing a team game, a free spirit in an era when players were expected not to make waves. Teammates and management alike wrote him off as an eccentric, an enigma. At what should have been the peak of his career, he abandoned the game, embarking on a lifelong search for meaning in his life. Along the way, he met Susan Foster, and together they would discover that purpose. The Power of Two tells the story of how Carl and Susan successfully battled the hockey establishment over the issue of player pensions. Together they uncovered fraud, corruption, and betrayal of trust, ultimately helping bring down the powerful Alan Eagleson. The Power of Two also provides intimate insights into Brewer, who was aptly remembered as a "magnificent, misunderstood fanatic", and his enduring bond with the life partner and ally whose tireless support he depended on.

  Show book

• 

  ILCA Book - ILCA sailing from...

  Jon Emmett, Tim Davison

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  The single manufacturer one-design (SMOD) Laser, launched just over 50 years ago, has now been renamed the ILCA and moved to multiple licensed builders. To reflect this change, the leading book on Laser sailing since 1979, The Laser Book, has now changed its name to The ILCA Book and moved from a single to multiple authors. In this latest edition, ILCA guru and multiple champion Jon Emmett has updated Tim Davison's seminal text to make it completely relevant to today's ILCA sailors. All the latest control lines, masts and sails are covered for all 3 rigs. Targeted at the club sailor, The ILCA Book covers the techniques and skills needed to succeed in ILCA sailing, for those starting out through to those striving to win a Club Championship. Whether you are a youngster moving into an ILCA 4 or 6, or a club sailor looking to improve your ILCA 7 results, the expert advice from the authors and contributions from Laser / ILCA gold medallists, world champions and their coaches, will take your ILCA / Laser sailing to the next level. Beginning with setting up the boat, the book takes you through your early sailing experiences and caring for your ILCA. Developing your skills on all points of sailing, you will then be introduced to race tuning and racing itself. Over 350 photographs show you exactly how it's done, and 50 diagrams illustrate key boat parts, the different points of sailing and complex on-the-water scenarios with clarity. Whatever your background, your current level or the extent of your ambition, this book gives you all the tools you need to get out on the water and improve your ILCA sailing.

  Show book

• 

  The Old Man and the Tee - How I...

  Turk Pipkin

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  The Old Man and the Tee presents one man's hilarious and heartwarming quest to drop 10 strokes from his golf game in a year, using the top teachers, pros, and equipment money can buy.As a kid caddying for his father on the sunburned links of West Texas, Turk Pipkin had dreamed of great achievements in golf. Unfortunately, life got in the way. A lack of talent didn't help much either. It was not until his father passed away that Turk realized he'd forgotten his childhood dream and had lost the simple joy he'd once found in the game.Deciding that the time for all his pitiful golf excuses was past, Turk embarked upon the golf quest of a lifetime. For twelve months, he'd ignore work and other distractions, and dedicate himself to the game. He'd seek instruction from golf's greatest teachers, put the best equipment in his bag, and play the world's finest courses. His seemingly impossible goal was to take ten strokes off his 16-handicap.With lessons from David Leadbetter, Dave Pelz, and Ben Crenshaw, and with spiritual guidance from great old men like Willie Nelson, George Plimpton, and Byron Nelson, Turk's epic journey carries him from Pebble Beach to Scotland and back again, where he risks everything on one final round for his father.Follow Turk on the journey of a lifetime, and learn to love golf-and life- all over again.

  Show book

• 

  It's How You Play the Game and...

  Brian Kilmeade

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Surprising, entertaining, and always imparting an important life lesson, It’s How You Play the Game features anecdotes and vignettes that are sure to benefit any reader. As Brian Kilmeade writes, ""Regardless of who you are, what sport you chose, or how much success you achieved, playing the game is all about getting you ready for life. Winning or losing has little to do with who you will become. Instead, it’s how you prepared for the game that determines whether you’ll be a winner or loser in life."" 
  From competition to camaraderie, failure to success, humiliation to glory, individual achievement to teamwork, the world of sports encompasses it all and enriches our lives. The Games Do Count reveals that America’s best and brightest haven’t just worked hard—they’ve played hard—and the results have been staggering!

  Show book