Product Description
A biography of the young Chinese-American figure skater who won national and world championships in 1996 and a silver medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics. ... Read more

Product Description
Covers the life and achievements of the Olympic speed skater Bonnie Blair. ... Read more

Product Description
An introduction to women's figure skating, plus a brief history of the sport and its highlights. Profiled are Oksana Baiul, Nancy Kerrigan, Michelle Kwan, Tara Lipinski, Chen Lu, Katerina Witt, and Kristi Yamiguchi, and others. Photos, many in color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Olympic Gymnasts of the World
All gymnasts, even beginners, work very hard on their goals.This book shows that no matter what size you are, you can be a good gymnast.If you're big and powerful you are probably good on floor and vault, or if you're light and flexible you're probably good on beam and bars.This book also shows that gymnastics is a team sport.This book is great and interesting.It shows different gymnasts from different places and different methods.There's all different ways of doing gymnastics, that's what'sso cool about it.Read this book!

Good, but too many errors
The problem with this book is that although it features good biographies and very nice pictures of several female gymnasts, it has way too many typos and errors. If careful editing and consideration would have been made before publishing the book, the book would probably be a far more enjoyable read. Anyways, this book includes biographical sketches of female gymnasts such as Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Vanessa Atler, Svetlana Khorkina, Kristen Maloney, and some others that I can't remember. It also has a chapter with a brief history of gymnastics at the beginning. The biographies include very nice full-color pictures along with a brief list of highlights in each gymnasts's career. Overall, I thought that this book was pretty good, but I would have rated it more if it was more accurate and had less mistakes.

The Worst of the Worst of Gymnastics Books!
Clearly, Rachel Rutledge does not know how to write a decent book of gymnastics. I have read many more that were far better then this one. There is wrong and left out info, (Who says that Kim Zmeskal was on the 1996 Olympic team, and why did Ms. Rutledge leave out Amanda Borden, the team captain?!) Also, there are misspelled words. Vanessa Atler's name is NOT ZVannessa! Plus, why does Dominique Moceanu have to be included in all the gymnastics books I read? She is a wimp and in my opinion, a very bad gymnast. (Sorry Dominique Moceanu fans!) The only thing I thought was good about this book were the pictures. Save your money for a better book.

A rushed, but interesting book
I liked the people in this book, but there were incorrect facts and many typos. If a little more effort would have been put in this book it would be excellent.

TERRIBLE!
I am totally in love with gymnastics, but please, don't ell me that Kim Zmeskal was on the '96 Olympic Team.Nor that Vanessa Atler's name is spelt ZVanessa!I love the pictures, I hate the inaccurate info!!! ... Read more

Product Description
Anyone who has known-or been-a little girl dreaming of becoming a skater, ballerina, or professional athlete will love this comic, heartfelt memoir about what happens after those dreams come true. After years of intensive training, Bertine finally becomes a professional figure skater-and finds herself traveling through South America with 'Hollywood on Ice,' a portable ice rink and an international cast of odd characters in tow. At show time, the costume trailer is transformed into a bizarre half-Disney, half-Penthouse maelstrom of activity as the skaters apply false eyelashes the size of caterpillars and wriggle into ever more revealing costumes-from The Little Mermaid to Flashdance. Some performers dress as farm animals and others are the real thing: an actual cow, duck, and chicken take the ice in their very own skates. But the real show-stopper is the Michael Jackson number, starring a blond, middle-aged Canadian whose beer belly barely fits into his flashy spandex costume. When Bertine realizes that going pro means betraying all her athletic ideals, she plots a daring escape straight out of Mission Impossible-breaking into a safe to steal back her passport between the Barbie scene and the Flintstones on Ice number! A vivid and entertaining account of the darker side of showbiz, ALL THE SUNDAYS YET TO COME is also a poignant and utterly winning story of a female athlete's spirit and perseverance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

Not just for skating fans!
I discovered Kathryn Bertine's writing in 2007 when she began writing for ESPN about her attempts to make it to the Olympics.I found her writing both funny and well done, and kept coming back on an almost daily trip to check to see what else was going on.Fast forward a year, and I finally ordered her book, and I feel it gives a deep glimpse into the personality of the writer those familar with the ESPN work ought to know.The desire to make the Olympics harkens back to her desire not to quit in her dreams of skating professionally.

Now, as a male who is not a skating fan, I was skeptical that I would enjoy this book.I was drawn to her work originally because I love cycling, and she spoke of that with excellent skill.But Bertine makes the sport simple to understand, and doesn't get stuck on the details.I found her relationship with both parents to be excellent, and her descriptions of her body image to be tragic.

All in all, this book is an amazing coming of age tale, and I would recommend it to anyone who has body image issues, any athlete (especially ladies), and to all those who might have had a difficult childhood or have undergone a difficult period in their own life in which they felt alone.

An excellent book, and well worth the time!

Excellent Expose
This book really engrossed me.I don't know the first thing about skating, and I'm a mediocre runner at best, but I'm an avid armchair traveller, and I loved hearing about what the author went through.It was a nice structure for the book to see her grow up and go from young skater to disillusioned older skater to fulfilled triathelete.Good job!Can't wait to read the next one!

Strrrroooooong!
An absolutely amazing story of a strong athletic girl with amazing talent forced to weaken herself in the name of show.Here we have a beautiful, very talented figure skater with--gasp--muscles of all things!Not anything like a female body builder or such, but a beautiful streamlined athleticism that anyone would envy.Unfortunately, in order to skate professionally, she was forced to lose her muscles, her strength, and dignity as a athlete in order to fit into the preconceived notions that female ice 'professionals' should look like pre-pubescent sticks on skates, pretty much by starving themselves..and to match a specific weight far too low for the performers.Nevertheless, our heroine (with the help of 'Captain Graceful') overcomes the inconceivable tortures that her mind and body had to overcome to become one of the strongest female athletes today.This behind the scenes look at the beautiful/ugly world of professional skating is an absolute must for those who skate, or parents of little girls wishing to fulfill the ice princess dream.Only Kathryn Bertine could tell such a horrowing story, while keeping you laughing.Thank you, Ms. Bertine, for sharing this with us!

A touching memoir of not only a figure skater, but a young woman
Delving into more than just figure skating, All the Sundays Yet to Come poignantly portrays the story of a woman coming to terms with her inner demons as she discovers the type of person she wants to be.Her story demonstrates that things are not as great as they seem when she is accepted into a professional skating tour, her childhood dream.Skaters are not judged by their ability, but rather by their looks.Ms. Bertine's height and muscular build are looked down upon, which spurs her into the dark depths of eating disorders and low self-esteem.She carries you from a world of despair and unhappiness into a world of self-fulfillment and happiness.Anyone who has had a mental disorder of any kind can easily relate to her struggle, and can experience hope for themselves by witnessing her triumphant recovery.Her writing is mixed charmingly with a unique humor as she pokes fun at herself as well as life, keeping the story from becoming too dark.Ms. Bertine shows you that even when one dream dies, another comes to life, and a fulfilling existence is always within reach.Considering her successes in writing and triathalons since her professional skating career, she has made a very wonderful life for herself.

Humor and Heartbreak
Kathryn Bertine's book about life as a professional ice skater is both humorous and heartbreaking.Written in an engaging style that makes you feel like she's sitting across the table from you, sharing a cup of coffee, and giving you the inside scoop on the world of ice skating, ALL THE SUNDAYS YET TO COME, is an honestly written memoir that strips the sugar-coating from a sport that appears to be all beauty and grace and sequins and spandex--and allows us to glimpse how it can be ugly...the constant weigh-ins that force healthy young women to starve themselves so they can look like stick figures, the behind-the-scenes addictions to drugs and sex, the physical violence that happens between couples and is ignored by management.Ms. Bertine doesn't hold back, allowing us to see the beauty and the ugliness, even as she struggles with her own self-esteem which is stripped away by management and their weekly weigh-ins.You'll laugh and you'll cry as you read this amazing book--and you'll never look at the sport of figure skating in the same way you did before. ... Read more

Product Description
Presents the success story of figure skater Tara Lipinski, who at fourteen-years-old became the youngest National Champion and World Champion in the history of women's figure skating. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

This biography ends before Tara's Olympics
There are many biographies (and an autobiography) of American figure skater, Tara Lipinski on the market, and this book by Veda Boyd Jones ends before the 1998 XVIII Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, where Tara won the gold medal in Ladies Figure Skating.You might prefer Totally Tara: An Olympic Journey by Mark Zeigler, which is primarily a children's picture book but does include her Olympic experience.Christine Brennan's 432-page Edge of Glory: The Inside Story of the Quest for Figure Skating's Olympic Gold Medals contains behind-the-scenes coverage of the 1997 - 1998 figure skating seasons, including Tara Lipinski's World Championship and Olympic Gold Medal, but it is not a biography of one particular skater.

This book by Veda Boyd Jones is just the right size to present a focused portrait Tara through the beginning and middle of her rise to figure skating glory.The controversy involving her brief amateur career, and the snide commentary on her personality are left for other authors to document (mainly, Christine Brennan).

At age 14, Tara Lipinski became the youngest U.S. National Champion & the youngest World Champion in women's figure skating history.No one is likely to surpass this record, because the minimum age limit to compete at the World Championship is now set at 15.I remember her as a lithe, brilliant presence on the ice, and was quite saddened when she turned professional.

This 64-page biography is a part of Chelsea House Publishers' "Female Sports Stars" series and is illustrated with black-and-white photographs from Tara Lipinski's short but exceptional career, up through her 1997 59-city `Tour of World Figure Skating Champions,' sponsored by Campbell's Soups (earning what the author calls "a staggering amount of money.")Her Olympic glory was still to come.

This book will discourage all but the most persistent junior figure skaters from pursuing an Olympic dream.Tara Lipinski was a fierce competitor and practiced at least two hours a day on the ice.She had to drop out of school in 5th grade, and continue her education with tutors.She and her mother had to move away from their home in Texas to take advantage of the superior ice rinks and coaches on the East Coast.The author says of Tara's dream:"It was work.Practice, practice, practice.The more difficult a technical element, the more determined Tara became.If she couldn't master a movement, she concentrated harder."

This youngster was gifted with the perfect physique to become a world-class figure skater, but Tara's commitment and persistence to this difficult, beautiful sport is what this reader will remember the longest from this biography.

The Coolest Ice Skater
This book was really cool. It told everything that I would need to know about Tara, like that she was born on June 10 in Philadelphia. It really kept me in in the beginning and kept me through the whole time. It looks very long, but I wish it was longer.

Of Course Tara is a Legend!
Of course,Tara Lipinski is a legend! She broke Sonya Henies record, and was the first women to do a triple-ltriple loop combo.And the fact that she's been around for such a short time is a testament to her boundless talent.And if you think Olympic gold medalists,Peggy Fleming, and DorthyHamil are legends,(which no sane person will deny) then wheather you likeher on not, Tara Lipinski name is right besides them, AS A LEGEND.

Really great book
This book was really good. It tells about a "skating legand" and I am sorry but she is not bragging. If you like Tara Lipinski and love skating, read this book

Not Bad..... Still Bragging
It's another one of Tara's self centered books. Female skating legend? Yea right she's been around for what a year? But there is a few good tips and helpful quotes. ... Read more

Product Description

In all of her roles -- athlete, wife, mother, role model, and cancer survivor -- Olympic gold medalist Peggy Fleming has relied upon the discipline she cultivated as a young skater. Now in this intimate memoir, she eloquently reveals her fascinating life story and shares her secrets to serenity and success.

The long Program

In the 1968 Olympic Winter Games Peggy Fleming not only captured the United States? only gold medal, but a country?s collective heart as well. A young woman who embodied both stunning athleticism and magnificent grace, Peggy Fleming reluctantly became an instant celebrity. In the decades that followed, she also triumphed off the ice -- commentating for ABC Sports and nurturing a long-standing marriage while raising two delightful sons.

But Peggy?s toughest challenge came in 1998 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Here, Peggy candidly details her courageous physical and emotional battle. She also explains how she ultimately prevailed, and why she became an outspoken, highly visible promoter of breast cancer awareness. Most important, she relates how every person?s life has its own version of the long program, those precious years that take little girls and turn them into wives, mothers, grandmas, and survivors. A compelling memoir that deserves the highest marks, The Long Program is both a portrait of a remarkable woman and a collection of inspiring lessons on how each of us can be our best. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Peggy Fleming "The Long Program"
Too bland.While Peggy Fleming's skating style will always be my favorite, reading this book felt like an entertainer who never really connected with the audience.

The book attempts to cover a smattering of events in the author's life but it was too superficial to hold my interest.Here's two examples:

-- Peggy alludes to her mother's domineering personality and provides the example of taking control her wedding, but doesn't get into any of the details or how this made her feel.
-- Peggy also mentions a favorite marinated pork recipe that she enjoys making for her family, and it would've seemed fitting that the recipe be included but it wasn't.

I'm not sure what the focus or the purpose of this book was/is.Is it Peggy's philosphy?An instruction book?Her life story?I think if the author just focused on one of these things, it would've been more successful in both quality and sales.

what a lady
Well this book reflects what we see about Ms. Fleming in her television commentary - she is a lady in the true sense of the word.But if you're looking for an inside look at the politics of figure skating, keep looking.This is Peggy's personal story - there no juicy gossip (which says a lot about her as a person but would have made the book more interesting) - what I love the most is that she includes a copy of her choreography diagram for her 1968 figure skating program - It's interesting to see how they "write" out a figure skating program

A bit impersonal
I love Peggy Fleming -- she was talented, unspoiled, and professional as an athlete.But folks who want to get to know Peggy in depth willl need more than this autobiography.Fleming writes in a very impersonal tone, as if she is telling the story of another skater.While it is chockful of details about skating programs and locations, it lacks any real insight into what it FELT LIKE to be a 1960s Olympic athlete and her views on the skating world today.Fleming barely mentions the pressures that skating must surely have placed on her formative years, family life, social and personal development, and self esteem.The impact of the family's Peggy-focus on her sibilings is only lightly mentioned in brief paragraph.Indeed, the most interesting struggle Fleming appears to have had was finding skating outfits that were both pretty and modest.There is also little indepth analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the skating world today.Her commentary about the Harding/Kerrigan incident could have easily been made by a nonprofessional spectator.Fleming comes across as a nice person who speaks well of others and the sport, but lacks (or chooses to surpress) any kind of a critical eye to the controversies that have surfaced in the skating world (e.g., excessive pressure to excel, anorexia/bulimia, inside politics, etc.).It is a "nice" book, but Ms. Fleming remains a very private person which is not what one expects when the personal account of someone's life story!

Fleming's lack of depth is disappointing
Fleming's autobiography, The Long Program, does a poor and inadequate job of telling a potentially profound story. Fleming's words and descriptions do not give justice to the depth of many of the stories told throughout the novel. Tragedies such as the unexpected death of her coach in a plane crash, and the deaths of her parents are stated in a sentence or two, never getting into the emotions that surely surrounded the experiences. Readers looking for a first-hand recount of Fleming's experience with competitive skating should also beware. She just barely skims the surface of the pressures and glory of being an Olympic medal winner and World Championship title holder. Humorous and detailed stories that often liven up autobiographies are also few and far between. Due to the shallowness and straightforwardness of this book, I would not recommend it for anything higher than purely recreational reading when a few hours can be spared.

Insightful But Not Fascinating
When I first started reading this novel. I wasn't keen about reading it because The book seemed to be like A How to Skate book. Who is her favorite skaters and me this and me that. Until I read the chapter about Being Mom and the chapter about her fighting breast cancer. Those chapters were truly inspirational. Then I felt I knew the Real Peggy Fleming. So I'm giving it three stars. ... Read more

Product Description
Based on the candid and sometimes startling conversations that YOU were never meant to hear, THE TONYA TAPES, written by award-winning author Lynda D. Prouse, chronicles the life of the world's most infamous female athlete -- TONYA HARDING -- revealing for the first time the whole truth of her difficult and amazing life on and off the ice. Based on actual, extensive interviews with Tonya Harding, and written with her collaboration, this is her story! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

FINALLY-THE REAL STORY COMES OUT!
THE TONYA TAPES is an incredibly fascinating revelation...Tonya (in her own voice)comes across as surprisingly caring and nice--characteristics rarely attributed to her because of her obvious toughness.

Aside from being one of the best pure athletes America has ever produced, Tonya Harding set an athletic standard which wasn't duplicated within the skating world for a generation; and she accomplished that without the help of more than a very small number of people who spurred her on.

This attractive, small woman epitomizes survival; and the book, thru Lynda Prouse's outstanding use of leading questions, does an excellent job enumerating what Tonya had to overcome, including the rough family problems, poverty, non-support from her national federation, her failed marriage and the overriding public doubt regarding her consistent denial that she would ever "hurt her friend, Nancy."

To this day, she retains that position, and never once has anything been proved to contradict it. Highly, highly recommended for people facing tough times and hard choices, for skating fans (of course), and for the worldwide millions who followed her trials and tribulations to see if she would 'make it'--and she has!A brilliant book.

Tonya on Oprah tells the story in this book
Tonya was on Oprah on 23 April and told her true harrowing tale about abuse at the hands of her ex-husband. Disagree with the nay-sayers, most of whom haven't read the book. Rape is never something to be fickle about. An honest, well written book with probing questions by Lynda Prouse and honest, heartfelt answers by a former champion olympian forced into a situation of life or death. Well worth buying.

Big Tonya Supporter, but Book is Difficult To Get Through
The book is basically Lynda Prouse's conversations with Tonya transcribed. It's not really a story, but reading two people's conversations. They are divided according to topics, but it is still difficult to get through because some of it is not in chronological order.

First off, I admire Lynda Prouse and Tonya Harding for transcribing her recorded tapes verbatim, and not leaving anything out. (Except there are parts that are edited out because she is embarrassed to make it public.)

However, there is a lot of unnecessary, mundane information that is not interesting and could've been cut to make a more smooth and easy consumption. It's frustrating when events are mentioned out of chronological order, and as a reader, I become confused at what happened when.

At times, I wished the book was a biography so it would be more straightforward, summarized and easy to get through.

Tonya is candid, and I support her.

I wished this was an easier book to get through.

Don't Bother
This book is disorganized, whinny, incoherent, almost unreadable. In fact, at some point I stopped trying to swim through this sludge, and threw the book away.

Misunderstood
The general impression of Tonya is that she assaulted and tried to disable a competing skater. As revealed in this book she only pled guilty to hindering prosecution by giving a false account of the assault. The account was only given after a gun was put to her head, and she was told she would be shot, if she testified otherwise.

Tonya at age 3 decided she wanted to skate. Surviving beatings, rape, thefts, sports injuries, failed marriages and car crashes, she won an Olympic medal, which was revoked on reports of the alleged assault.

What a ride! ... Read more

Product Description
"Perspectives" is designed for young independent readers. The series combines core non-fiction features with an emphasis on research skills. "My Amazing Body" correlates with the science curriculum and helps students to understand the connection between humans and animals. Using magnified photographs, the basic life processes about how the human body works and comparisons with other living things are explained. The books introduce the idea or looking at the body inside and outside. ... Read more

Product Description
A biography of the accomplished figure skater, Scott Hamilton, who was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1990. ... Read more

Product Description
A biography of the young Chinese-American figure skater who won National and World Championships in 1996 and a silver medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Michelle Kwan champion on ice
When Michelle was younger she wanted to be just like her older sister Karen. Karen was a skater so Michelle thought she had to be too, so she did. When Michelle became pro Karen was a little jealous because her sister had been winning more medals than her but she got over that. When Michelle was 15 she had one her first National Figure Skating Title. Ron (brother), was a hockey player he wanted nutting to do with skating but he did go to a couple of Michelle and Karnes competitions. The parents of those three were very happy parents; because of their children they also learned the part of being a teammate.

Michelle didn't even plan her life to be a pro skater; she really didn't even know what she wanted to be. But in the end she followed her sister and her sister leads her to be a pro skater.Michelle's parents (Estella and Danny) also encouraged their children to follow their dreams and so they did.

Beautiful book about a beautiful champion
This beautiful hardback book has gorgeous photos, and well written information concerning thebeautiful champion figure skater, Michelle Kwan. She has graced the ice with her mesermizing performances, and shown theworld how golden a champion can be with her extraordinary sportsmanship,integrity, and character. This book is written for young girls, but sowhat. This biography of Michelle Kwan, world-class figure skater, andworld-class sportswoman, is excellent reading for anyone with its lovelyphotos showcasing some of the most important events and people in her life.Her career and career goals are detailed more than personal life, and theultimate goal is highlighted throughout this book: be happy and do the bestone can. The author even thanks Michelle for being such a role model tomillions. I highly recommend this book for readers of all ages.

A very nicely done bio of America's ice sweetheart.
Very professionally done, perfect for all ages, fans of figure skating ornot.Kim Gatto tells of Michelle Kwan's life with class and grace thatMichelle herself would be proud of. Her account of the 1998 U.S.Championships, Michelle's career performance, is told wondefully. ... Read more

Product Description
Figure skating phenom Sarah Hughes is taking the ice-and the world-by storm. Here, for the first time ever, is the true, unauthorized story of America's newest skating sweetheart as she goes for the gold in the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Awesome!!!
It is much better than the other Sarah book by Ruth Ashby! It starts off with Sarah at the 2001 World Championships and chronicles her life better than any other Sarah book could!Then it tells a LOT about her main competitors and ends telling how prepared she is for the 2002 Olympics (which she won!!)
I would definitely give it five stars in my book!!

Awesome First book!
Hi, I saw the book online and so I decided to try and go find it at the local bookstore.I was actually there to see if they had the May issue of International Figure Skating which I was very disappointed to find out they didn't carry.I went ahead and bought the book and I was so happy to get my hands on it, I read the whole thing start to finish in about an hour, stopping to look at the pictures of course :)

The book overall was great! It had her ups and downs thru the years, her fight with her mom's illness, a summer she broke her hand and nearly all her competitions. It had a great look at the skaters Sarah has faced and how she did in her programs.She works so hard and is so dedicated!This is a great book to just sit and read, but its also a wonderful collectors items just like the wheaties I found todayhehe :) Thanks for listening~

Great insight!A superb bio with lots of intriguing info.
This book gives the WHOLE story about her life and competition leading up to the Olympics gold.It tells about private emotional times in her young life and the training and competitions.There's a nice appendix listing all her placings and some web URLs.I'm glad I got this collector's item before they ran out! ... Read more

Product Description
A 10-year-old relates her experiences as a skater. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Wonderful book!
I read this book back in 1980 when I was in junior high. I remember being very impressed with young Katherine Healy reaching the junior skating level at the tender age of ten, and mastering those awful school figures -- something I could relate to as I took skating myself and struggled on chilly Saturday mornings to perfect my figures! It clearly showed her dedication to both her skating and ballet, and the love and support of her parents.

Katherine also starred in the movie "Six Weeks". She played the bright and talented 12-year-old leukemia stricken daughter of a wealthy cosmetic magnate (Mary Tyler Moore). She and her mother strike up a sentimental friendship with a California politician (Dudley Moore), and as one of Nikki's last wishes, the trio fly to New York City to see the sights. By chance Nicole assumes the lead of Clara in a few scenes of The Nutcracker ballet, after the head of the company sees her dance, but unfortunately dies shortly thereafter.

It is the Nutcracker scenes that reveal Katherine's brilliant ballet talent. She went on to become a stunning principal ballerina with the English National Ballet, the Vienna State Opera Ballet Company, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo and the London Festival Ballet, as well as skating competitively and professionally. Currently, she is married to Peter Burrows and is a choreographer as well as appearing with the Ice Theater of New York and in numerous guest skating events. An outstanding book of the early years of this talented artist! Highly recommended!

A great background!
I read most of the "A Very Young_____" books over and over as a little girl and they all come back to me.In taking ice-skating classes now, I remember a lot of Katherine's story, especially when she talked about how light her "tracings" were on the ice.Anyone who doesn't know skating, will enjoy the introduction, and it will be a great nostlagia venture for older adults.

Very Sentimental!
My late grandparents gave me this book, brand new, in 1979.I was 8 years old and was involved in skating, too! I read it constantly back then.I came across it again two days ago, 23 years later.The book is about a 10 year old skater named Katherine Healy from Brooklyn Heights.At 10, she has already been very successful as a figure and free skater.She talks about her day-to-day experiences, from how her school schedule is rearranged to accomodate her skating schedule and how skating takes up a significant amount of time in her life.She talks about ice shows, exhibitions, ballet classes to help skating, costuming, testing, and especially, skating for fun!She is very ambitious but clearly loves skating and she has a wonderful and loving family who supports her.Her father is a lawyer and she is an only child - her mother devotes a lot of time to Katherine's skating career as well, which is important to note! :)The pictures are beautiful and the story is told to a child from a child which is great.I'm 32 and I liked reading it again.If there were any drawbacks, it would be that Katherine talks about practicing 'school figures' and the difficulty that she sometimes has with them.The reader gets the impression that this is the only part of skating that Katherine doesn't love - practicing school figures.The best part is that figure skating has been revised so that these school figures are no longer a necessary part of advancing through the skating ranks.So many skaters had a negative response to them that they have been eliminated from requirements of testing (I am almost positive about this).Now that I have my own daughter, who is a gymnast, I want to get her the 'Very Young Gymnast' book, which is how I came across this site.I hope she'll treasure it as much as I loved this book 'A very young skater'.It really is a collectible.

A very young skater
Katherine Healy is the young skater in this book written by Jill Krementz.Katherine is ten and already a successful skater.She talks about her skating lessons, her school figure lessons, and her idol, John Curry.Theprivileged Katherine attends a summer class taught by the wonderful Curry,and is invited by this important personage to be in Superskates, a bigskating show held once a year in Madison Square Garden.Follow Katherineas she leads you through her exciting life filled with new skates, prettydresses, ballet lessons, skating competitions, skating shows, wonderfulcoaches, and best of all, a loving and supportive family.This book ispriceless. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Notable Sports Figures, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1998 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Takes a close look at the people in sports who have captured attention because of success on the playing field, or controversy off the playing field. This work features biographies on more than 600 people from around the world and throughout history who have had an impact not only on their sport, but also on the society and culture of their times. It also includes not only the record-breakers that dominated and changed their sport, but also the controversial figures that made headlines even apart from athletic events. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Notable Sports Figures, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1282 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Takes a close look at the people in sports who have captured attention because of success on the playing field, or controversy off the playing field. This work features biographies on more than 600 people from around the world and throughout history who have had an impact not only on their sport, but also on the society and culture of their times. It also includes not only the record-breakers that dominated and changed their sport, but also the controversial figures that made headlines even apart from athletic events. ... Read more

Product Description
Ice Princess

Sarah Hughes was born to skate, and she proved to the world with her dramatic gold medal victory at the 2002 Winter Olympics. But the road to Olympic glory was not always easy for this Long Island teen.

Going for the Gold: Sarah Hughes is the amazing true story of a brilliant skater's Olympic quest.

Customer Reviews (1)

Nice Book!
It is an extremely nice book for Sarah fans. Also if you have never heard of Sarah Hughes, this is the book! It tells everything about Sarah from the first time she put on skates to her Olympic experience! A must have for Sarah fans! ... Read more

Product Description
As the 1998 Winter Olympics approaches, two young American figure skating champions, Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan, prepare themselves for the ultimate showdown. Skating for the gold gives fans a closer look at these two highly-popular skaters--on and off the ice. Photos throughout. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

An Ok Skating Book
I liked this book.It's about skating.This book really tells about skating for gold from 12 years old and on. It tells the challenges Michelle and Tara went through.I liked especially how Michelle started and the tricks she pulled on her father.This is a golden book.

Awesome
I personally thought this was a great book. It did have a lot of technical things, but there was a glossary as well. It had a lot of narration, but it also had some stuff in the skaters' eyes as well. There was just enough writing, but some pictures as well. There were featured chapters on each skater, but ones with them together. This book is a great buy if you want to find out about a competitive skater's life, or just find out about Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan's lives.

Not fiction nor fantasy, but a very helpful book.
I am a figure skater, I have been for 4 years now, and I am not reading this book, I am studying it.I think there is excellent advice and quotes that help me to realize why I skate, not to win, but have fun.Skating is as much physical as it is mental.I think this book really helps people to see the pressure skaters face before competing and how many people are depending on them to win.This book itself should take home the gold.

If You Like Both Tara and Michelle....
...as I do, this book would make a fair addition to your skating collection.The book was not bad -- it was an interesting read, but it didn't really tell me much that I didn't already know about both skaters.Tara and Michelle's individual autobiographies give you a far better look into their lives and their emotions throughout the especially eventful 1996-1997 skating season.The photos were good and it was a good overview of both skaters and their careers, but if you want the real story of these skaters as well, you should definitely pick up Triumph on Ice and Heart of a Champion to get the whole story.

A Gold Medal of Excellence for this Work
I was quite impressed with the deep metaphor used throughout the novel.The author used the metaphor of the ice skate to symbolize how we must shape the world for the better.Just as the blade of the skates skims across the cold and unaccepting ice of the rink, mankind must skim across the world, leaving a trail of happiness edged by cold hard steel.The zamboni that cleans off the ice, symbolizes negative forces that serves to erase all that we have created.Our dreams of gold and silver as shattered, just like Nancy Kerigan's knee years ago.I love the Olympics and I love how the author integrates these wonderful games into his work.The only problem with this book are the two main characters.The author has gone too far with these characters.They do not seem realistic.Sometimes authors can be too creative, this is apparant in the characters of Tara and Michelle.However, I recommend this book as a guide for everyday life. ... Read more

Product Description
At 16, Californian Michelle Kwan claimed the women's World Champion crown. A bright and appealing role model for kids and adults alike, her story is one of hard work and true achievement. Four-color photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (58)

Great book for skaters!
My daughter and I really enjoyed this book by Michelle Kwan. The story is very interesting and I like how Kwan focuses so much of the book on what she did to be the best (good sportsmanship, positive attitude, hard work). Very good values for aspiring skaters to read about and see that a champion follows, too! I also recommend her other book-- it reads more like an inspirational, quiz-type book, kind of like an American Girl magazine. This one is more pure biography.

On Time, As Ordered
The book is a good read for youngsters. Ironically, it cost a penny, which was less than half a percent of the shipping/handling charges. No complaint, though, because in an upside down economy, what can you expect?

There should be a rule against teenagers writing autobiographies
There should be a rule against teenagers writing autobiographies. Even teenagers who have achieved as much as Michelle Kwan had by the age of seventeen.

There was, admittedly, an obvious commercial reason for bringing this book out in 1997, just ahead of the 1998 Winter Olympics at which Kwan was expected to win a gold medal. She was fortunate to come into her sport immediately after the notorious Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan affair in 1994. The skating authorities had feared that this affair (variously known as Waterskate or the Battle of Wounded Knee) would damage their sport, but in fact it had precisely the opposite effect, thus proving conclusively that there is no such thing as bad publicity. Public interest in figure skating was therefore at its height in the mid-nineties, and much of this interest centred on Kwan, Tara Lipinski and Nicole Bobek who had succeeded Harding and Kerrigan as America's leading female skaters. Bobek, another pretty blue-eyed blonde with a troubled history, was immediately crowned Queen Tonya II, leaving Kwan and Lipinski to skate off for Kerrigan's role as America's sweetheart (a role in which Nancy herself had often seemed ill at ease).

There are two main problems with this book. The first is that it came far too early in Kwan's career. Since 1997 she has gone on to become one of the great female figure skaters of all time, the winner of five world and nine American national titles. Originally criticised as a "jumping bean", a purely technical skater, she has developed into one of the most artistic skaters of recent years. (She has never won an Olympic title, but the blame for that must lie with the eccentric judges who handed the 1998 gold medal to Lipinski, a skater who throughout her amateur career never seemed to get beyond the "jumping bean" stage). In 1997 Kwan's career was only just beginning, and her ghostwriter Laura James was left with little to do except narrate a pedestrian and repetitive account of Kwan's childhood and her early skating career, leavened with occasional bits of bland philosophising. The second problem is that it the book is appallingly badly written. Ghostwriters are not normally noted for a polished literary style, but James's is dull far beyond the call of duty.

I was disappointed with this book because I have always been such an admirer of Kwan as a skater. (The second star is awarded more for her skating style than for her book's literary merits). I hope that one day, preferably after she has retired, she will find the time to produce a proper autobiography and tell the full- and doubtless fascinating- story of one of figure skating's great careers. If she lacks the time or self-confidence to write it herself (although I generally find that autobiographies actually written by the celebrity whose name appears on the cover often read better than ghostwritten ones) she should find a writer whose talent matches her own for skating.

reason for a champion
. Maggie Willems
9-29-05
Period 4
Story of a champion
Michelle Kwan
I chose Heart of a Champion because Michelle Kwan is an inspirational woman in a tough sport.She explains how she gets through the sport that she loves with all its pressure.The expectations of the reporters are described.The worlds that Michelle went to are in this extraordinary book.Michelle Kwan is a wonderful ice skater.She gets through the building pressure in the sport with help from her support group.
Michelle Kwan loves figure skating.She has loved it since her older brother, by four years, joined an ice hockey team when he was nine.She would easily learn moves and then want to move on.When she got older she was told not to go into the senior tryouts while her coach was away, but she went to the competition and was advanced to the hardest level.Since she always wanted to move on, she quickly moved up, but her support group stayed with her all the way.
Michelle Kwan's support group was an asset to her winnings.Her support group consisted of her family who always told her to "work hard, be yourself, and have fun."When they noticed she wasn't doing this they would remind he, but they were careful not to put pressure on her.Her family showed her where her flaws were and gave her support when she was no doing her best, allowing her to do better every day.
"The pressure was on, and I liked it.Correction: I loved it (page 73)," explains Michelle Kwan when she was competing for her first time at worlds.She placed eighth that year.Worlds were her favorite competition, although sometimes she didn't do her best there.When people were expecting everything from her there, she would fall short, but when nobody was paying attention, she would do her best.
` Michelle Kwan learned many things.For one, she learned that she needed to work hard, be herself, and have fun.When she wasn't having fun, she noticed and she'd always do worse.She learned to appreciate everything.Her perspective of the sport needed to change after a while, so she adjusted.Nobody is flawless, but with the right help you can become as close to perfect as you can.

Great book from a great champion!
Hard to believe that Michelle is old enough to have an autobiography, but it's a taste of her great record and the hint of promise yet to come. Ignore the troll review below me - if the person isn't a fan of skating, why did he read the book???? Skating champs come and go, but Michelle will be remembered long after she hangs up her skates. Dignified in victory and gracious in "defeat" (since when are Olympic silver and bronze medals a loss????), she exemplifies the word "Champion" both on and off the ice.A must-have for Michelle's fans and for fans of the sport. ... Read more

Product Description
From the moment her mom laced up her first pair of skates at age five, Michelle Kwan has been a natural on the ice. Graceful and determined, she sailed through her first competition when seven years old and has been winning ever since. Now, at seventeen, Michelle Kwan is poised for triumph at the 1998 Winter Olympics, training for gold and a glittering place in skating history.

This inspiring biography of the young skating superstar reveals the support and sacrifice that have propelled Michelle to the top: her close-knit family, the pressure to get a proper education while competing all over the world, the perseverance after she fell during competition and lost her number one status, and--of course-- the constant demand to create unforgettable skating performances.

A fascinating behind-the-scenes story of challenge and conquest, BORN TO SKATE recreates the magic and beauty of a life on the ice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Written like a bad soap opera
This was written like a bad soap opera.Details are over the top and too dramatic and the writing style goes over the top.The message becomes too obvious and just too much! There's a reason people are willing to sell this book for a penny. Not worth reading.

Slightly informing and incredibly brief
If you want to learn about Michelle Kwan, a girl who worked hard for her dreams, you're not getting it. You will read about Michelle Kwan, ice skating star. The book has one page, that's one measly page, of information BESIDES Michelle. I am writing a report on Michelle, and I am having the HARDEST time extracting information from this book. All it focuses on is her awards and later accomplishments. Where is all the information about her youth life? COULDN'T FIND IT!

Disappointing and inaccurate
I'm a huge fan of figure skating in general and Michelle Kwan in particular, but this book sounded like it was written by an over-enthusiastic child.A lot of the quotes were taken directly from interviews that the skaters had done on TV, the writing and grammar were sloppy, and there were a lot of details that were just plain wrong. Tonya Harding did NOT come in third at the 93 nationals; that was Tonia Kwiatkowski (whose parents, by the way, are named Phil and Corinne, not Shirley and Leonard).Epstein waxes poetic about Michelle's brilliant artistry in 93 and 94, when she really didn't begin to shine until the 95-96 season. And any time Michelle didn't win first place, Epstein acts like she was robbed.These may seem like petty gripes, but with all the well-written literature available about Michelle, this book's numerous errors cause it to fall far short of what we've come to expect in skating coverage.Do yourself a favor and read Michelle's own autobiography or either of the two better-researched books by Christine Brennan.

This book had very good detailing of how Kwan skated.
The book I read, "Born To Skate," was the best bool on a bibliography that I have ever read. The book had a lot of excellent detailing, which made the book sound a lot better. Michelle Kwan's storyabout her was interesting and educating. It talked about her dreams whenshe was little and how she made her dreams come true.

Her big dream wasto go to the olympics, which she did and to become a world figure skater,which she also did. She always lived up to her expectations in life. Shealways kept a smile on her face even when she was down.

This story aboutMichelle Kwan's life was so wonderful to read about, because everything waspositive about her attitude. Born To Skate was a good story about peopleliving up to their dreams and never letting go of them no matter what. Inthe story she said, "Always live up to your dreams!"

I loved this book!
This book, besides giving tons of information on Michelle, had a great little directory in the back about all the jumps and spins. It taught me how to do my first lutz! I loved this book like I said and I hope you will too, but only another figure skater could give it 5 stars. ... Read more

Product Description
At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Joannie Rochette was thrust into the international spotlight when her beloved mother died two days before the ladies short program. The world held their breath for the bereaved figure skater when she opted to compete in her mom's memory. Joannie then captured hearts everywhere when she courageously skated two moving programs to win the Olympic bronze medal. Joannie Rochette: Canadian Ice Princess reveals answers to ice skating enthusiasts' most asked questions. Why did Joannie move away from home at a young age? How did her split and subsequent reunion with her beloved coach Manon Perron ultimately ignite her career? How did Joannie cope in the hours following her mother's death? Read the moving story of how Joannie Rochette overcame physical injuries, self-confidence issues and family tragedy to become the inspirational darling of the Vancouver Olympics. ... Read more

Product Description
As a young girl, Nancy Kerrigan had a dream: to  become a world-class figure skater. With the  support of her father and her mother, who is legally  blind, she skated into the spotlight by winning a  bronze medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics and a gold  medal at the 1993 National  championships.



Then disaster struck.



A  frightening attack before the 1994 National  championships injured her knee and threatened her Olympic  hopes. But with courage and determination, Nancy  battled back to compete at the 1994 Winter Olympics.  Win or lose, Nancy Kerrigan has the heart of a  champion. This is her inspiring story. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

very insparational
I enjoyed this book very much. It was a wonderfull book that told about Nancys life right up to when she was struck with the bat.I recomend it to anyone who is interested in nancy's life. ... Read more