Product Description
Ages 8-10. Beginning readers can practice their reading skills with this 6-book set that introduces some of the sports played during the Olympic Games. The Easy Olympic Sports Readers are fun-to-read for primary grade children and are highly motivational. These 16-page books are also filled with exciting full color photographs. ... Read more

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Chapters: Ice Hockey, Figure Skating, Track and Field Athletics, Gymnastics, Boxing, Discus Throw, Archery, Javelin Throw, Taekwondo, Alpine Skiing, Speed Skating, Track Cycling, Rowing, Sailing, Snowboarding, Badminton, Field Hockey, Judo, Fencing, Table Tennis, Short Track Speed Skating, Cross-Country Skiing, Olympic Weightlifting, Bobsleigh, Team Handball, Ski Jumping, Luge, Biathlon, Diving, Freestyle Skiing, Water Polo, Synchronized Swimming, Triathlon, Modern Pentathlon, Curling, Nordic Combined, Dressage, Keirin, Show Jumping, Eventing, Shooting Sports, Yacht Racing, Skeleton, Bmx Racing, Cricket, Artistic Gymnastics, Mountain Biking, Road Bicycle Racing, Trampolining, Canoeing, Whitewater Slalom, Demonstration Sport, Amateur Boxing, Canoe Racing, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Colorado Time Systems, Ceremonial First Puck, Canoeing 1000m, Canoeing 500m, Canoeing 200m, Official Association of Professional Table Tennis Athletes of North America, Towy Boat Club, Degree of Difficulty. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 831. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: BMX racing is a type of off-road bicycle racing. The format of BMX was derived from motocross racing. BMX bicycle races are sprint races on purpose-built off-road single-lap race tracks. The track usually consists of a starting gate for up to eight racers, a groomed, serpentine, dirt race course made of various jumps and rollers and a finish line. The course is usually flat, about 15-foot (4.6 m) wide and has large banked corners that help the riders maintain speed. The sport of BMX racing is facilitated by a number of regional and international sanctioning bodies. They provide rules for governing the conduct of the races, specify age group and skill-level classifications among the racers, and maintain some kind of points-accumulation sys...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=430728 ... Read more

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This book of interviews with track and field athletes highlights those whose lives have revealed courage, persistence and decency both on and off the field. After their great careers ended, they went on to become authors, teachers, coaches, radio and television sports commentators, consultants, Congressmen, actors, businessmen, military officers, social workers and ministers. Many continued in athletics long after their days as Olympians.

The Olympic track and field athletes include Glenn Cunningham (middle distances), Lee Calhoun (high hurdles), Ken Doherty (decathlon), Dick Fosbury (high jump), Bruce Jenner (decathlon), Abel Kiviat (middle distances), Bob Mathias (decathlon), Al Oerter (discus throw), Bob Richards (pole vault), Wes Santee (middle distances), Jackson Scholz (sprints), Bill Toomey (decathlon), Forrest Towns (high hurdles), Craig Virgin (long distances), Archie Williams (long sprints), John Woodruff (middle distances), and Olympic coaches Payton Jordan and Berny Wagner. They talk about the influences in their lives that helped them develop their values, their first memories of competition and participation in their sport, their educational experiences, the problems they faced when they were active competitors and the problems athletes today face, and many other topics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A MUST READ BOOK!
I was fortunate enough to attend a recent college graduation where the author, Dr. Don Holst, gave the commencement address. His wonderful and impassioned speech led me to purchase his book that he so eloquently referred to. He used the triumphs and successes of the Olympic athletes as a backdrop to his theme that diligence and hard work are the keys to the graduating students' futures.
What a wonderful surprise! Holst recounts his discussions with the great athletes in this great book! He tells their stories in their own words while painting a brilliant picture of the worlds they lived in and how the ultimately came to affect it!
A must read for all! Great stories from both young and old to enjoy!

Universal Appeal
Don Holst, a consummate athlete, coach and professor in his own right has given us an important work on Olympic American Men of Track and Field.He has presented their Herculean accomplishments, taken us into their homes and made these icons our hosts as we sit at their feet listening and marveling and learning.Dr. Holst and Marcia Popp have offered a specialized work which has universal appeal.

I Thought I DIDN'T Like Sports, But Apparently Now I Do !
Don Holst has managed to accomplish the IMPOSSIBLE --- he has made me LOVE SPORTS !Read this book, I DARE YOU, and then TRY TO PUT IT DOWN...Glenn Cunningham's story will inspire you, Jackson Scholz will delight and tickle you, and Bruce Jenner will continue to amaze you, even as Craig Virgin's breaks your heart ... it's all about the times, and the timing.

Every MOM needs to read this, to help you understand why those boys and girls want to work SO HARD, when many of their peers choose the drugs and booze...It's HEART, my friend, something in the soul they are born with that whispers to them to do something MORE, and in the cases of these athletes, MUCH, MUCH MORE...

I have an extensive, eclectic home library, but I can't remember the last time I actually dog-earred and mutilated a book by LOVING IT SO MUCH..., or carried it from room to room, not wanting to miss a moment. (OR re-read it as soon as I finished, just to enjoy it all over again).

Hard to put down, and harder to forget Holst's unforgettable interviews with these true American Heroes, from the start of this project in the 50's to the present, this little book has the big heart of a sports history classic. NO superlatives in Webster's will suffice for this fine expenditure of your all-too-busy time. Buy 2, and send 1 to your favorite NON-athlete !

KMorris in Saint Louis,
Home of the big stainless steel handle next to the water ... Read more

Product Description
This comprehensive reference work details the accomplishments of over 90 African-American women in Olympic track and field. They overcame racism, sexism and often, abject poverty to compete and frequently to set world records and win Olympic medals.Detailed information is provided on their Olympic participation and accomplishments. Also, through a series of first-person interviews, 20 of the most prominent Olympians (such as Wilma Rudolph and Evelyn Ashford) reveal their struggles both on and off the track. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Can You Catch Them?
Track and field is the one sport were an athlete by there single effort of running, jumping, or throwing can establish there superiority over all competitors. Michael D. Davis the author of "Black American Women In Olympic Track and Field" writes an inspiring story of how African American women rose in Olympic Track and Field. Until 1948 Black American women were not allowed to compete in Olympic Track and Field despite there outstanding in the sport. Davis glorifies athletes like Alice Coachman, Mae Faggs, Wilma Rudolf, Earlene Brown, Willye White, Wyomia Tyus, Edith McGuire, Chandra Chessebrough, Evelyn Ashford, Valarie Brisco-Hooks, Florence Griffith-Joyner, Jakie Joyner-Kerse and many more. He tells about there life stories and the many adversities they had to go through. These women were said to be manly and had to undergo criticism from newspaper writers and television and radio host. For three generations black women have played a major role in the Olympic track and field events and still continue till this day.
Davis includes illustrations of these great athletes, this helps the reader envision what the conditions were in those times. These stories are in great detail and reveal fascinating information about these female runners, jumpers, and throwers. Some of the athletes still alive praise this book for the dedication Davis put into the writing of this book. There are a few negatives about this book, the writing sometime drags on and drifts to other athletes off the topic. Although the reading about some unknown athletes can be boring, it is interesting to learn about these different people. The book is easy to understand and read, it is overall a wonderful read and I recommend to any athlete who would like to be inspired by other great athletes. ... Read more

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An overview of the events that make up the field athletics portion of the Olympic Games, highlighting great athletes and moments related to the sports. ... Read more

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Provides an overview of track and field competition at the Olympics. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Fine Discussion of the St. Louis Olympics of 1904
American's have long been fascinated by the modern Olympics, the winners and losers, the exotic locations where they are held, and the stories of the participants. Without question the Olympics have been a critical element in both the competition and cooperation of nations throughout the twentieth century. It has been a source of prestige and geopolitics for all nations involved as well as a marketplace for the interchange of cultures.

"America's First Olympics: The St. Louis Games of 1904" provides an excellent overview of the first Olympics held in the United States (odd that it was not New York or another more exotic American city), held in conjunction with the St. Louis World's Fair over nearly a six month period.

Accordingly, the subject matter of this work is both significant and timely. The work is based on the good use of several key sources, many of them primary. Accordingly, this offers a fine addition to the literature on the subject. The work is also well written and offers considerable reflection on this subject. It offers stories about the people mentioned in the text, their likes and dislikes, their perspectives on the world, their ideals and opportunism. There are telling anecdotes relayed and thoughtful stories told throughout. Finally, the last chapter offers a superb set of conclusions about the meaning of this Olympics for the summer games writ large and their place in American history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A must handbook for any decathlete or track fan.
Dr. Zarnowski provides a throroughguide for any level of decathlete from beginner to Mastersathletes. The author develops the textfrom a historical perspectiveand walks the reader/athlete through the rules,equipment, training, and insightful competition tips that will benefitathletes of all ages. This bookis not a one time read. This is a handbookthat you will read over and over and it will be in training bag - not onyour shelf. I am sure with the authors expertise in the event this couldhave been decathlons version of "War And Peace", but the writingis concise, entertaining and not over layden with training jargon. A mustfor your library. ... Read more

Product Description
All the hopes of a Frenchman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, were realized in 1896, when the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens. He had dreamt of an international sporting festival where the world's supreme athletes could compete against each other for the title of Olympic champion. Although the Games have continued as the most prestigious sporting championship for amateur athletes, de Coubertin's Olympic ideal has been constantly challenged. For many athletes, taking part is not enough and winning is everything. Politics and the misuse of drugs have often dominated the headlines, casting a shadow over the sporting triumphs and achievements that represent the true spirit of the Olympic Games. This series examines the history of the Games through eight of the most popular sports. Of all the events held at the Olympics, track athletics are the focus of most attention. The sprint, hurdle, middle-distance, long-distance, steeplechase and relay races attract the largest audiences and receive the most media coverage. All Olympic sports have their share of personalities and characters, but it is generally the track athletes who are considered the most glamorous and exciting.Jesse Owens, Fanny Blankers-Koen, Abebe Bikila, Herb Elliott, Carl Lewis and Florence Griffith-Joyner are just a few of the athletes who have become immortalized in Olympic history and whose stories make compulsive reading. This book is a tribute to all those - the winners and the losers - who have taken part in the Olympic Games and helped to make them the ultimate sporting event. ... Read more

Product Description
Presents "great" moments in Olympic history that have taken place in track and field events, highlighting performances by athletes that were particularly spectacular. ... Read more