Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

Roller Skating Rink Murder
Very entertaining book. Author has a thorough background of roller skating and skating rinks. She emulates the "big city girl" stranded in a small town in rural Illinois. This book "flows" well.

Wonderfully balances a healthy dose of comedy & an engaging mystery.
When Rebecca Robbins returns home to tiny Indian Falls, Illinois she initially thinks she has one problem to deal with - selling the roller rink she inherited from her mother - but ends up with something decidedly more ominous on her hands... a dead body in one of the roller rink's bathrooms.

Though at first it looks like an accident or suicide given the bottle of prescription pills found nearby, the town's doctor / coroner soon rules it a homicide making Rebecca's task of selling the roller rink even more difficult. (Who wants to buy a murder scene?)

And if a dead body throwing a monkey wrench into her plans to make a quick sale and hightail it back to Chicago wasn't bad enough, the glacial pace - and incompetence - of local law enforcement's investigation makes the prospect of Rebecca ever getting out of Dodge look downright grim.

What's a girl to do? Take matters into her own hands, of course. So, with the "help" of her grandfather, Pop, Rebecca becomes a reluctant detective... and finds more than she expected.

Author Joelle Charbonneau has obviously drawn upon her extensive experience in the performing arts to give each of her characters a strong, and unique, voice. From Rebecca (who has a wonderful mix of whimsy and level-headedness), to Pop (who's both well connected and disturbingly "active" in the town's retired community), to Neil (Rebecca's seriously misguided boss and would-be suitor), to Lionel (the veterinarian Rebecca loves to hate... or is it hates to love?), to Elwood the camel, every character has an incredibly rich, fully realized personality (yes, a camel can have a personality... trust me on this.)

A few of the situations Rebecca finds herself in are reminiscent of the early Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich (when they were still fresh and funny), though Charbonneau wisely never veers into the all-out slapstick territory that Plum frequently ends up in. Rather, Charbonneau has managed to deftly balance a healthy dose of comedy with a serious and engaging mystery. Add to that pitch perfect descriptions of the ins and outs of small town living and Skating Around the Law hits so many right notes it's like reading an exquisitely conducted symphony.

Most Fun I've Read in a While
What struck me the most about this novel was the strong thread of humor running throughout, and I enjoyed the heck out of that. There is an excellent cast of characters holding up an interesting little whodunnit, with just enough twists and mild coincidences to keep the story flowing. An excellent first novel from Ms. Charbonneau!

Fresh and fun
Joelle tells this cozy in a fresh, slightly crazy voice that charmed me from start to finish. The story will keep you guessing and smiling, because in the tradition of the best whodunits, everyone is guilty of something. Just when you think you've figured it all out, another twist will twist your mind. Fun, fun, fun.

A must read for Evanovich lovers!
What a great debut for Joelle Charbonneau!

In Skating Around The Law, Rebecca is feisty & funny as she begrudgingly reacquaints herself with her childhood hometown. Hilarity ensures as Rebecca tries to overcome the ineptitude of the town sheriff's department while trying to solve a murder so she can return to her `real life' in the city.

Outstanding characters make this book something special (I personally love Elwood). It's a funny and engrossing read that you just hate to put down. ... Read more

Product Description
In Ice Skating: Steps to Success, Karin Künzle-Watson—nine-time Swiss National Champion, former Professional World Champion, and one of skating’s best instructors—shares the learning sequence that she and many of her students used to become elite skaters. Karin’s unique insights along with over 300 detailed illustrations make this guide your best source for learning proper form and technique.

The 50 drills in the book come with performance goals and a list of key points to remember when performing each of them, and many of them include instructions for increasing or decreasing their level of difficulty.

Part of the highly popular Steps to Success Activity Series, this book will help improve your skating knowledge and performance on your way to becoming a confident and capable skater. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

excellent beginner's manual
I will echo what other reviewers have said: this is an excellent book for beginning skaters. It will help you understand and develop basic skills so you can progress in whatever direction you choose, even if it's just to have more fun and be a more confident recreational skater.

I like that she explains the value in each drill; what it does specifically (i.e. "swizzles" teach you to keep your weight on a certain part of the blade), and how it will improve your skills as a skater. I'm currently taking group classes, but it was due to the written information in this book, plus the illustrations, that I am finally able to properly do the one foot glide (and am getting better at it every day).

The actual instructions are generally detailed enough that the reader can usually grasp what she means just by reading, but the illustrations take it to a whole new level. The only possible improvement would be a companion DVD, but as well done as the illustrations and written descriptions are, it probably isn't necessary.

My only complaint with the book is that every once in awhile, she uses descriptions/terminology that are non-intuitive and would not be familiar to a new skater. It's infrequent, but a brand-spanking-new beginner will have to head to google from time to time to look up some of the terminology. In a book written specifically for beginners, that shouldn't be happening. She does specify in the beginning that the book isn't meant to be a substitute for a good coach, but realistically, she should have known that many of her readers would be people who do not have access to professional coaching of any kind.

Overall, for any beginner looking to learn some basics on their own, or supplement what they're learning in classes or lessons, this book is worth checking out.

Helpful, if daunting.
This book is daunting for a true beginner.However, I found myself reading sections over and over again, and each time I got more out of it.I didn't skate as a child, and started at age 55.It hasn't come easily to me.I'm glad I didn't get this book at the very beginning, but now I find it is particularly useful for pointing out common mistakes, and tips for correcting them.There are drills and diagrams, and detailed explanations of what each part of your body should be doing on a turn, for example.It's definitely a technical manual more than a coffee table book with pretty photographs, so if that's what you need, I recommend it.

Good Book for Beginner
This book is good for the beginner. A lot of basic and experienced informations are included. A new edition is expected.

excellent resource
If you're looking for a companion read to your lessons or solo forays onto the ice, this is a great start. The illustrations are easy to follow and the tips on how to troubleshoot and how to increase your proficiency are helpful. Ice skating is a difficult thing to learn through a book, but this is a great one to consult as you get your bearings.

So easy to understand
This book is excellent for the beginner!I just recently started skating and take weekly group lessons.This book has helped me greatly by providing specific excercises to put into my practice sessions which in turn have made me feel like I am finally "getting" the whole concept of edges and especially the crossover maneuver.I highly recommend this book for the beginning skater. ... Read more

Product Description
What is a noun? It's easier to show than explain--and this book is brimming with examples. Author Brian Cleary and illustrator Jenya Promitsky creatively clarify the concept of nouns for young readers. Nouns are printed in color for easy identification, and the playful rhymes and illustrations combine to highlight key words. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Great Book
Great Book...my kids love them.I wish that these books had been around when I was a kid.This book is fun and has a Dr. Seuss feel to it.Great for reinforcing the parts of speech to kids...

Can't recommend highly enough
This book taught my 4 year old what nouns were. I read it for her older brother, but they both picked up on the concept.The rhymes are silly, so it keeps their attention, and they really get it by the end of the book.

I also recommend the others in the series - To Root, To Toot, To Parachute:What is a Verb?;Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What is an Adjective?We don't have the latest ones, but I'm sure they're just as good.

After reading the other reviews, I want to check out other series that this author has done.

Great
This book was great.It was too young for my 8yr old but just right for the 6yr old.

A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink: What Is a Noun?
My five year old daughter loves this book! Prosmitsky's colorful illustrations make it so much more fun learning the parts of speech. My daughter adores the illustrator's goofy pillow-like cats!

All Primary Teachers Could Use This!
As a teacher of third graders, I've used this book and "Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What is an Adjective" to teach and delight my students, and to take some of the tedium out of parts of speech. Within a day or so of introducing these books, all 27 of my group knew the difference between the major parts of speech. We found out that Mr. Cleary has a website, and I printed out some word-building worksheets off it for free, and a took away a couple of suggestions on how integrate teaching nouns with a fun art project, called the noun quilt, in which each letter of the alphabet has a noun, as in B, BOOT, C, CAT and the students draw the item and eventually it becomes this big old paper quilt full of nouns. His publisher assures me that TO ROOT, TO TOOT, TO PARACHUTE: WHAT IS A VERB? will be in soon, and it's a no-brainer that I'll get that as well. ... Read more

Product Description

In the years after 9/11, officials scrambled to rethink security at the border and in the air—while privacy groups and foreign governments did their best to stop and then roll back security measures. As a result, we have only partially closed gaping security holes. Worse, the resistance has made it all but impossible to head off other disasters that are inherent in new technologies such as computer networks and biotech.

In Skating on Stilts, Stewart A. Baker draws on his experience at Homeland Security to give the reader a ringside seat as the battle unfolds. In a lively memoir, he describes his agency s post-9/11 strategy to rebuild border security on a foundation of better information about travelers, and the bitter resistance the strategy met from privacy campaigners in the United States and Europe. He shows how a left-right privacy coalition helped set the stage for the Christmas Day bombing.

Looking to the future, Baker examines two new technologies that carry within them the seeds of disasters more damaging than 9/11. As with border security, we can avoid catastrophe by changing our current course a few degrees, building prudent new security measures around information networks and biotechnology. But that course faces stiff resistance from the same groups that fought new security measures after 9/11. Baker argues that privacy campaigners should abandon their stance of opposing all new government uses of technology. Instead of fighting the inevitable in the name of privacy, we should embrace new technologies that offer new ways to protect citizens from abuse.

Customer Reviews (4)

A terrific book
This book is terrific, both in substance and in style. It works on about 4 levels--as a review of what has happened over the last decade on terror/counter measures, a primer on DHS and the workings of government, a discussion of good lawyering/negotiating, and a thoughtful look at the privacy/security issue. Baker's discussion of the famous Brandeis article on privacy and its implications is particularly interesting.

The book also reflects the value of having people in office who have had a chance to think long and hard about issues prior to entering senior levels of government.

The Inside Story on Post 9/11 Policy How Privacy Concerns Matter
This is an excellent view of post 9/11 security policy decision-making in general and the formulation of major homeland security policy during the second Bush administration in particular.Readable and fascinating, the author manages to provide an inside view of the sausage-making nature of the policy process without destroying your appetite for breakfast meats.As someone who was involved in many of the issues that Mr. Baker discusses, I can attest to the accuracy and balance of his description.This is no "kiss and tell" but a personal memoir of some of the most important negotiations and policy decisions of Secretary Chertoff's, and Stewart Baker's, Department of Homeland Security.
Just as importantly, Mr. Baker turns his eye to the future with a thought-provoking look at both bio-terrorism and cyber-crime and terrorism, drawing from his experience with the protection of international travel to suggest why we are not yet adequately prepared to face the current and coming generations of terrorists.Throughout, he crosses swords with the privacy community, blaming them where it seems appropriate for opposing or derailing measures to protect against real security threats in the name of theoretical risks to personal privacy and posing some difficult questions about the future of our discussion of personal privacy in a world where the bad guys don't play by the same rules.
I highly recommend this book to students of terrorism, government security policy and privacy issues.It's a fast read, and Mr. Baker offers a perspective and level of experience that needs to be heard.

Superb Read
This book provides a fascinating inside account into the early days of the Department of Homeland Security.Stewart takes what many would believe is the dry bureaucratic work of the Department and turns this into a page turner.The description of negotiating with the EU raises several salient questions about what are really US strategic interests. This narrative also accurately points out the true interests of the privacy community, and how they hold hostage many sensible security reforms.It is still remarkable that we, as a nation, are ok with Google recording our web browsing history and our neighborhoods, yet we prevent the government from sensible security procedures, that in many ways would reduce the physical security procedures one receives as they enter another country.These stories serve as a backdrop and appropriate context as Stewart describes the threats of the future.These threats- cyber and bio - require attention, and the preceding chapters regarding the inertia of the US government and the difficultly of international negotiations do not provide comfort that we will address these threats before another crisis is thrust upon us. Overall, this book isa great read that brings to life a Department at its inception, provides advance notice of future threats, and finally underscores that we need to have a more balanced discussion about privacy and the governments responsibilities before we are confronted with another crisis. In sum, I highly recommend this book and would encourage all interested in national security issues to pick up a copy. I would even say this is a book to bring to the beach - and to give to others so they are aware of the challenges ahead of us as well.

Lawyer for the Defense
This book provides a rather narrow account of the legal issues that have impacted on what used to be known as the Global War on Terrorism. Stewart Baker is a lawyer who worked in the General Counsel Office of the National Security Agency (NSA) in the 1990's and, after the disaster of 9/11 joined the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under its second director Michael Chertoff.This book concerns the related issues of protecting the privacy of U.S. citizens and protecting their safety from terrorist attacks.
The reader learns a good deal about the workings of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the special court that determines if intelligence operations undertaken within the U.S. meet its criteria. The book also covers the legal issues that have become central to identifying and preventing terrorist attacks against U.S. property and citizens. These latter issues are matters not just of U.S. Law, but also of International Law. Baker provides particularly interesting discussions of his efforts to bring the European Union into line with what the DHS determined to be minimum U.S. screening procedures.
An unintended consequence of this book is that it also reveals how remarkably ill-informed the senior officials at DHS, including Baker, were of the structure and nature of terrorism. In the most egregious example Baker reviews the difficulties he had in gaining access to the records of the Society for Worldwide Inter-bank Financial Transactions (SWIFT). In point of fact it was not a problem, but SWIFT records weren't very helpful either since very few terrorists identify their accounts as "terrorist funds" like a Christmas account. Also Baker is apparently unaware for the small amounts of cash that are actually needed for terrorist operations and are easily lost among the billions of currency sent and received over the SWIFT system everyday. Also there are the use front companies and non-governmental organizations (NGO), mostly Islamic charitable organizations to conceal transfers of terrorist funds. Finally there is the traditional Islamic banking system called Hawala which is used by Islamic people the world over as a cheaper and more reliable system of international cash transfers (See IMF paper, "Informal Funds Transfer Systems: An Analysis of the Informal Hawala System, 2003).
This is a specialized book and Baker is undoubtedly a good lawyer, but the book would have been better and he would have been more effective at DHS if he had a better grasp of terrorism in the 21st Century.
... Read more

Product Description
The beloved Noel Streatfeild classic back in print!

It's a stroke of great luck when Harriet Johnson’s doctor prescribes skating after an illness that has left her feeling frail and listless. For on her very first day at the rink, Harriet meets orphaned Lalla Moore, who is being brought up by her wealthy aunt Claudia to be a skating champion. Although they have little in common, the girls form a fast friendship. Harriet is energized by talented, funny Lalla, and Lalla in turn blossoms under the affection of openhearted Harriet. The girls skate together more and more. But just as Lalla’s interest in skating starts to fade, Harriet’s natural talent begins to emerge. Suddenly Lalla and Harriet seem headed in two very different directions. Can their friendship survive? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Lovely Book - Spell-Checkers Please Note!
As a mother who screens and usually enjoys everything her 11-year-old daughter gets to read, I had been hoping for more children's fiction on ice-skating (like Michelle Kwan's "Skating Dreams" and Melissa Lowell's "Silver Blades" series) then there are currently in print. So I was pretty happily surprised to see "Skating Shoes" by Noel Streatfeild of the "Shoes" series fame on the list for Amazon's New Releases. As another reviewer pointed out, this is a somewhat "old-fashioned" series - but that's, of course, part of its charm. Streatfeild didn't see a need to ignore the parent figures in her characters - in fact, they are what make her characters the way they are. One of my issues with kids' books now is how adults are either absent or made to look stupid - I appreciate the concept of child empowerment, but, ultimately, kids need to know how to deal with everyone, not just kids their age, and certainly not with the conviction that they can do everything in an adultless vacuum, or with the view that adults don't know anything.

My one issue with this book is also, like the other reviewer, with the typos in the book, and it's not just this book, sadly. Publishers and copy editors need to realise that it's embarrassing when an 11-year-old can proof-read better than they can. ... Hmmm, maybe kids *are* smarter than adults!! What do I know? I'm only one more "big-person"!

But let me get off this high horse: here's said daughter's take on the book (the five-stars rating is hers - I had to take one star off mine for the copy-editors' reliance on Spell-Check!):

"The book, 'Skating Shoes' by Noel Streatfeild was wonderful.

"When Harriet Johnson's doctor prescribes skating after an illness that has left her looking like a daddy long-legs, it is a brilliant stroke of luck when she meets orphaned Lalla Moore, future skating champion. The girls form a fast friendship as Lala's instructors give Harriet and Lalla Moore lessons together. However, just as Lalla's interest in skating fades, Harriet's natural talent begins to emerge after several years. Luckily, in the end, the girls continue to be friends and everything is giggerty-geggerty.

"My favorite part in the book was when Harriet and Lalla look into the soup Harriet's mom is making and Lalla says, 'Giggerty-geggerty, I can't wait. Imagine if that soup could show the future. Don't you all want to know what happens to Harriet and me? Because I do.' It was so satisfying!

"I would recommend this five-star book to anyone interested in skating and friendships. Plus, if you really like the book like I did, you can read 'Ballet Shoes', 'Dancing Shoes' and 'Theater Shoes', all by Noel Streatfeild. Trust me, they are all awesome."

Some problems mar this edition.
I love this book. When I was a kid, I literally read our copy to pieces. It fell apart. I taped it together, but that didn't keep.

So I was thrilled to see it back in print with a spiffy new cover! Look at that!

I'm reading it to my just-turned-seven year old niece right now. I'm surprised at how much she's taken to it, given that it's really a fairly old-fashioned book (and British besides!), with long, complex sentences; time taken to introspect the grownups; and mentions of weird things like pre-1970s English money, rationing, and skating figures. But she loves it! I guess it's not THAT much of a surprise, I loved it too at her age : )

Just FYI, Streatfeild's books are a little formulaic - you have the talented child and the untalented (but secretly REALLY gifted child), the star and the shadow, and the family togetherness. It's a formula that works, and it's in full force in this book - the shadow discovers she has a real talent, the talented star discovers that she's not THAT gifted, the stage mother (aunt, really) gets hers, the poor family is helped by a combination of friendship and bootstraps, the various teachers worry about every aspect of the whole child - pretty much what you expect. Good story, satisfying ending, classic literature, you have to love it!

However, there is one major issue that flaws this specific edition. It's been badly edited and is full of typos. Often, "Lalla" and "Nana" are written "Laila" and "Nina". Other names are similarly misspelled in various parts, and every chapter has a handful or two of typoed words. This isn't just an English/American spelling issue, I'm talking about actual mistakes.

I grew up in a proofreading household. My mother has no qualms about taking a pencil and correcting errors in books. These are such big, blatant ones that they really jump out at you and break off the enjoyment of the reading. This is a big disappointment, of course, so I took off one star. This would've been a 4 star review if the book were edited better. I hope this problem can be remedied in future printings.

below average
I usually love anything by this author but this book was not good.The characters and story line were very disappointing.

Book
Exellent produt and seller.I would purchase product from this seller again and again.

Not a Shoe Fan
I suggest picking up a copy of SKATING SHOES for the ruff-and-tumble young lady of your household.This is the only one of the "Shoe" books that held my attention past the end of the first page -- the other's were just so-o girly!As a kid I put them in the same category as the Little House on the Prairie set (GAG).However, this one caught my attention with the description of Harriet's appearance and her family interaction and it kept me to the end with the antics of competition. ... Read more

Product Description
Twirl andspin your way into the artistic and high-precision world of figure skating with none other than Kristi Yamaguchi, 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist and former amateur winner of thirteen titles, including two consecutive World Championships. Whether you love skating around the rink or you're a fan of the sport and never miss a live or televised skating event, Kristi Yamaguchi's Figure Skating For Dummies covers all the important topics, includingFinding the right equipment (from boots to skates) that fits your budgetSelecting a practice rink and choosing a choreographer to compose movements to enhance your performancesPicking a great coach and getting the most from your lessonsDiscovering the lowdown on the secret world of figure skating judges; what they look for in a performance and how they themselves qualify to be judgesDeciphering what those scores mean and how a 5.5 score can beat a 5.8 score Finding out the requirements for passing each test offered by the U.S. Figure Skating AssociationBest of all, Figure Skating For Dummies gives you the inside scoop about ways to improve and enhance your performance, and even lets you in on Kristi's personal conditioning program -- the one she used to win the Gold Medal in the 1992 Winter Olympics!Amazon.com Review
After watching a figure-skating performance, do you everwonder what just happened on the ice? The skater supposedly executeda flawless double Salchow and triple Lutz, among other things, andthen the judges posted a bunch of numbers. Maybe you need help fromthe Dummies. Written by 1992 Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi (with a foreword by Scott Hamilton), Figure Skating for Dummiesis a primer for spectators and would-be skaters alike. Learn thelingo, understand the judging practice, and--if you're reallycommitted--embark on a practical training schedule in hopes of performingyour own double-toe loops and triple axels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

NIce book!
this is a nice book for beginners to have a general idea.however this book can not substitute a coach. Some instructions must be explained in details.

The best FS book I've read
I wasted a lot of money on figure skating books prior to buying this one.This book includes everything you need to know if you are a skating parent or are new to figure skating.A lot of books either speak to you as though you are an idiot or they are too advanced.This book is just right and packs EVERYTHING you could ever want to know about FS into an easy-to-read and enjoyable format.Buy this one first, you won't need to waste your money on other books.

***2010: a little outdated now, but still great overview for beginner.***

Awesome book!Very well written by a champ!
This book was not only extremely informative but it was written with a fun, light tone that made reading enjoyable.Everything was very user friendly and never, at any given time, was I slightly confused or bored.Great book for skaters (because secrets are revealed) and non-skaters (who always wondered about the names of things, how certain moves are done, etc.).

Dummies?
The title might just as well be "Ice skating for aspiring professionals."In any case, a wonderful book about skating, well written and clear.I saw the chart on the Axel and thought, "Oh!It's just a waltz jump with a full turn at the end.Wow!I can do that!"Fortunately, I haven't attempted that yet. I'd have to be a dummy to try.Knees are nice. (BTW I'm well over 13 y.o.)

Good reading, although the judging system has changed
This is a great book for fans of the sport, but especially those armchair fans who know nothing about the elements but want to appreciate the finer points of this lovely sport. An explanation of the jumps and spins, plus how a program is put together and an overview of the rules, make this an entertaining and useful tool. ... Read more

Product Description
“He is by far the most exciting writer to come from South of the Rio Grande in a long time.” —Ilan Stavans, Los Angeles TimesSet in the seaside town of Z, on the Costa Brava, north of Barcelona, The Skating Rink oscillates between two poles: a camp ground and a ruined mansion, the Palacio Benvingut. The story, told by three male narrators, revolves around a beautiful figure skating champion, Nuria Martí. When she is suddenly dropped from the Olympic team, a pompous but besotted civil servant secretly builds a skating rink in the ruined Palacio Benvingut, using public funds. But Nuria has affairs, provokes jealousy, and the skating rink becomes a crime scene. A mysterious pair of women, an ex-opera singer and a taciturn girl often armed with a knife, turn up as well.

A complex book, The Skating Rink’s short chapters are skillfully broken off with questions to maintain the narrative tension: Who was murdered? Who was the murderer? Will the murderer be caught? All of these questions are answered, and yet The Skating Rink is not fundamentally a crime novel, or not exclusively; it’s also about political corruption, sex, the experience of immigration, and frustrated passion. And it’s an atmospheric chronicle of one summer season in a seaside town, with its vacationers, its drifters, its businessmen, bureaucrats and social workers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Skating Rink
A little dark, but fascinating.Shows how politics and matters of the heart can become so intertwined that clear thinking goes out the window.

A hypnotic dark nightmare
Anyone who has enjoyed the roman durs works of George Simenon will be entranced by this early Bolano "mystery" novel. Filled with atmosphere, subtlety, and thoroughly worked out characters, this well plotted work weaves three separate narratives together into a complex tale of modern-day alienation, unfulfilled sexual yearning, political corruption, and murder. There is no question of Bolano's literary stature as he uses language to wide effect, creating settings that shock and intrigue and characters that irritate and fascinate all at once. The three narratives skate around one another and come together remarkably, reminding me in structure of Mario Vargas Llosa's "Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter," among others that use this technique well. Although this work is just 182 pages in the New Directions translation of 2009, its cinematic cuts and speed make maximum use of every word and give the reader a dose of human malice and reality not soon forgotten. I highly recommend this work as a first read of Bolano or as an "entertainment," as Graham Greene called his novels, for seasoned Bolano veterans.

Worth reading?
I chose this book for our bookclub as it was well reviewed and fairly short.I was looking for something that was not too popular and yet would inspire coversation.This book is an interesting read.It did provide some good talking points but does not seem to leave too much to discuss.It seems one must read some of his longer books to truly see his genius.Although the end was a suprise It did not seem to fit with the rest of the book.It was if the story ran out of room or time.

Impossible to Follow
I tried to read this three different times but gave up. I could not follow the characters.The plot obscure and devoid of cultural anchors. Who are these people?What is this grim existence?

I Miss the Point
If you feel compelled to read this book, be sure to make a list of the three narrators, and who they are--otherwise you'll have a difficult time remembering who is who.

I have no idea how this writer could ever be compared to Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who is a wonderful story teller and writes beautifully.I kept waiting for a climax, or explanation, or logical ending, but never received one.Perhaps it's cool to write without paragraphs or quotation marks, but unless the book is being read by the author, it makes for confusing reading.

I plan on adding this to my growing list of least favorite books I have ever plodded through.Just so you know my taste, the first on my list is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. ... Read more

Product Description
The dazzling smile, the signature haircut, the staple spin. "America's Sweetheart" Dorothy Hamill grew up on the ice, working toward the dream she was to accomplish by age nineteen: winning Olympic gold in figure skating. But life was not the picture of perfection it appeared to be. Dorothy faced a painful inner struggle from the time she was a young girl that followed her into adulthood -- though she would not know about the depression that ran in her family until much later in life. Weeks and months away from home to train and compete took a difficult toll, yet little reprieve could be found in the tumultuous and fragile relationship she had with her parents.

Dorothy went on to marry the man of her dreams, only to have the partnership end in heartache and a tragedy that almost pushed her to her breaking point. Then, just when a light at the end of the tunnel finally began to appear, a second failed marriage tried and tested Dorothy's trust and strength yet again -- a travesty that could have led her to give up. But, she found a remarkable strength in what she did have -- her greatest love, her daughter Alexandra.

"Thank goodness, I had my skating. There was certainly a pattern to my life. When times were tough, I went skating. It was only while I was out on the ice, enjoying the freedom of movement and my love of music, that I was able to escape from my bottomless heartache."

In her deeply moving and honest memoir, Dorothy opens up for the first time about love, family, courage, and what it means to truly win both on and off the ice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Enjoyable reading
Dorothy has written her life story in a pleasing manner and I found it most enjoyable reading. I took it one or two chapters a day and think that made it easier to realize what skaters endure. The parents should be
commended for all they contribute to their children in the years of skating efforts. Sorry Dorothy had so many roadblocks in her marriages but happy she has a lovely daughter to treasure. Thank you Dorothy for
writing this book. May you have many happy years ahead.

Susan

Great Story but Emotionless Delivery
Hamill has an interesting life and story but you'd never know it from reading this book.Everything from her fairly meteoric rise in the skating world to her marriages, bankruptcy, physical and emotional issues . . . it's a tale that should be fascinating.However, as described in this book, it isn't and that's due to the way the story is told.

First, Hamill uses short, choppy sentences that make the book read like something intended for a second-grader -- I finished second at x event.I worked harder.To my surprise, I won the next event. Few complex sentences and even less dialogue.Second, the book reads like a narrative -- I did this and then this happened and then I did this and then that happened.Events that should pack a tremendous emotional punch (the sudden death of her first husband, the financial betrayal and infidelity of her second, etc.) just don't.Rather than letting the reader see how she feels through exposition, she simply tells us -- e.g., "I was depressed."

The best part of the book is probably the first chapter -- when she discusses her mother not being present for her Olympic victory.In that chapter, she takes a brief moment in time and expounds on it.In my view, the book would have been better and more enjoyable if she'd done that with other moments.Rather than simply running through her life, if she'd taken specific moments of importance and really focused on them.For example, she talks about the time when someone stole her skates.However, other than telling us the culprit was never found, we don't really understand what if any anguish this caused.Did she suspect someone?Did it throw off her performance?Was she devastated or did she shake it off?Did things like this happen to her at other times?Did it cause her to lose confidence in the "system?"This one moment could have been interesting but just became another way station on her life's journey and the reader is largely left to guess whether this was a major or minor event in her life.

Finally, I had the impression that she didn't want to "hurt" anyone by saying anything negative about them.In a sense, I applaud that.But great people can have bad moments or moments of weakness and, sometimes, relaying one of them and yet still emphasizing all the good, makes the person more human.She did that with her mother but not with the many others who passed along her way, such as coaches, competitors, etc.

Hamill should have so many unique insights into the skating world -- all the good and bad -- about rising to the top, judging, ice shows, etc.In my view, it all gets glossed over, leaving the reader feeling a bit empty and wishing for what the book could have been.

That said, if you like Hamill and want an update on her life, this is it.It's inspirational and a quick, interesting read.It simply could have been much better.

An Ordinary Person with Extroidinary Results!
I read this book because my sister is friends with her.I also read this book because my sister was a National Figure Skater as well and is currently in this business of manageing Figure Skaters.

I was pleasently suprised to learn so much about Dorothy Hammill and how ordinary she really was in regards to other skaters who trained just like her.I thought this would be too much of a chick book but was very impressed too learn how drive and dedication are applied to the skating world.Although my sister was competitive I never truly understood what she was going through day in day out.Dorothy was able to put into words what every young child experiences who is a competitive skater into a book.

A Worthy Read
Dorothy Hamill reaches beyond the ice and shares with us the hard truths as well as the uplifting joys of her life.Ice skating is woven throughout her story as an integral part of who she is, and I came away with a new respect for the character strength Hamill practiced throughout as well as for the openness with which she addresses her readers.Were I to become a parent, I would like for my children to one day slip this book off our familyroom bookshelf and benefit from the tasteful frankness with which Ms. Hamill tells her story.Well done, Ms. Hamill.

NOT EVEN AMERICA'S SWEETHEART COULD ESCAPE HEARTBREAK
WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT A LITTLE MORE THAN 30 YEARS AGO, THAT SKATING CUTEY DOROTHY HAMILL WOULD ENDURE ALL THIS PAIN IN HER LIFE? DOROTHY WAS AT THE PINACLE OF HER CAREER AS WON THE GOLD MEDAL AT THE 1976 OLYMPICS. FROM THERE HER LIFE WOULD TAKE A STEADY SPIRAL DOWN. FIRST SHE MARRIED HER FIRST HUSBAND DEAN PAUL MARTIN AND THAT ENDED IN DIVORCE. THEN ON THE REBOUND SHE MARRIED AGAIN TO A TOTAL LEECH NAMED KEN FORSYTHE WHO WOULD NOT WORK, SPEND HER MONEY AND CHEAT ON DOROTHY DURING HER PREGNANCY. ALL THIS DRAMA PLUS HER STRANGE RELATIONSHIP WITH HER PARENTS WHO BOTH STRUGGLED WITH DEPRESSION AND DRINKING. DOROTHY ALSO HAS THIS PROBLEM ALONG WITH A BIT OF ARTHRITIS AND A DECOMPRESSED VERTABRAE IN HER NECK. THAT ISN'T ALL EITHER, HER MOTHER SURVIVES BREAST CANCER AND HER FATHER DIES FROM CANCER. DOROTHY ALSO IS AFFLICTED WITH BREAST CANCER BUT THAT OCCURED AFTER THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN. I DID LIKE THIS BOOK AS DOROTHY DOES A NICE JOB DESCRIBING HER FEELINGS AND I REALLY FELT FOR HER. SOME OF THE BOOK IS BLAND AND BORING AT TIMES BUT ALL IN ALL I LIKED IT AND FIND THAT DOROTHY IS VERY HUMAN. I PRAISE HER RESILIENCE, HONESTY AND INNER STRENGTH TO GO ON AND LEAD A HAPPY LIFE. I RECOMMEND THIS AND HOPE DOROTHY THE BEST. ... Read more

Product Description
During World War II in the Netherlands, a ten-year-old boy's dream of skating in a famous race allows him to help two children escape to Belgium by ice skating past German soldiers and other enemies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Not sure if this is based on a true story or not....
And if so, how MUCH of it is true.

This is a heroic story, regardless of how real it is, of how a boy skated his friends to safety from Holland during WWII. The danger is a bit understated, so this book is suitable for more sensitive children.

Wonderful book
This was a beautiful book. Compelling, full of history and emotion. The way the author showed how celebrities and ordinary folk alike have extraordinary strength was masterful. The young boy Piet is inspired to have great courage by stories of Pim Mulier, the famous skater of the Elfstedentocht (Eleven Towns Race). I would compare this to Lois Lowry's Number the Stars, which is for older children certainly, but also about young people being much braver than they thought they could be while caught up in the tragedy of World War II.

What a fantastic, informative book!!!
My 4-year-old son picked this book out at the library (I think he was attracted by the cover picture of children ice skating, a hobby he too enjoys).When I read it to him at home, I was surprised at how engaging it was for me, being that it is a book written for a younger audience.The author certainly researched her subject matter.My son and I both learned a great deal about the Netherlands in the early 1940s, and the history of ice skating.The Elfstedentocht, the speed skating race in the northern province of Friesland, I had never heard of before reading this book.Maybe one day my son will travel to the land of his ancestors and compete in this race!This excellent book could certainly inspire an interest in a venture of that nature.I certainly would recommend this book, both for its content, and the captivating artwork.

Excellent read!
I purchased this for my 2nd grade granddaughter to read from her list of summer reading books.Turned out to be a 4th grade level, but she was definitely up to it!Wonderful book!Excellent adventure from WWII.She was enthralled and I was, too!Recommend this one highly!

Skating just as fast as we can
Parents often find themselves amazed at the sheer number of WWII picture books available to kids today.Why the year 2004 alone was privy to such fabulous tomes as, "The Cats of Krasinski Square", by Karen Hesse and "The Greatest Skating Race", by Louise Borden.Usually such picture books are examinations of the Holocaust and/or Jewish oppression.Borden's book, however, takes an entirely different route.Concentrating on the German occupation in the Netherlands, the book shows how resistance and bravery can flower in children when the need is great enough.Though this book is far too lengthy and involved to seriously interest any child under the age of eight, I'd still recommend it to those tykes that can maintain their interest through a riveting race against time.

Piet (pronounced "pete") has a single burning obsession that has yet to be thoroughly quenched.He loves to skate.This is not particularly peculiar in the Netherlands, of course.After all, he comes from a long line of skate artisans and often he traverses the many canals that run through his town.But Piet's real hope is to someday compete in the difficult Elfstedentocht race held in Friesland when the winters are cold enough.Piet's hero, Pim Mulier, once completed the 200 kilometer (roughly 125 mile) course in just 12 hours and 55 minutes and Piet's raring to do the same.But it's the second winter into WWII and the Netherlands are under German occupation.What's worse, a father of two kids in Piet's school was recently arrested by the Germans for passing on information to the British.This places the man's children in dire peril and their only hope is to somehow escape over the border to Belgium and then into the town of Brugge to safety.But how could two such children be able to find their way?That's where Piet comes in.With his trusty red notebook in hand, Piet and the kids must escape and elude the Germans and make it to their safehouse in the course of a single day over 12 kilometers.If they're strong enough.

Though looking like a picture book, this is an in-depth read more appropriate for kids reading early chapter titles.In the course of the narrative, author Louise Borden spots the text with factual information in the form of maps, pronunciation guides (very useful when you have words like, "Elfstedentocht" to contend with), and info on the great Friesland race as well as a history of skating itself.It's enough to make your head spin.And then, to top it all off, there's the story.Borden cleverly sucks you into the action.It did strike me as a little odd that in this book the adults would place Piet in such danger when a grown-up probably could've have helped the two children instead.Then again, maybe they figured that kids would attract less attention.Whatever the reason, Piet's journey is realistic.He comes up with an ingenious way to keep the seven-year-old from tiring too much and also for keeping the children's spirits up.After reading the book, you may never want to skate yourself but you're happy watching others do it here.

The illustrations by Niki Daly are nicely detailed as watercolors go but the real hero here is the text.Kids who like that classic piece of children's literature, "Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates" by Patricia Lauber will find a similar tale in "The Greatest Skating Race".Purchase only for those advanced readers that won't be turned off by a little historical fiction.A great WWII picture book for a select audience.
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Product Description
Develop explosive acceleration, speed, and agility and dominate the ice! Laura Stamm's Power Skating presents the skating system used by thousands of the sport's top players and teams to move with maximum efficiency on the ice.

From starts and stops to turns and transitions, Laura Stamm's Power Skating covers all of the critical components of explosive skating. Through top-level instruction, practice drills, and coaching tips, you'll learn to these skills:

• Increase on-ice acceleration.
• Improve balance while changing directions on the ice.
• Increase speed and agility to disrupt aggressive defensemen.
• Explode from a stationary position and stop more rapidly.
• Increase puck protection without sacrificing speed.
• Use speed and agility to create more scoring chances for yourself and teammates.

Customer Reviews (4)

Covers the basics of ice skating
Laura Stamm's POWER SKATING tells how to develop speed and agility through a skating system used by thousands of top players expert in ice skating. From starts and stops to turns, this covers the basics of ice skating, from balance and acceleration to increasing speed and using agility to create better hockey scoring chances.

The proof is on the ice!
Take the ideas and techniques and drills explained in this book a few at a time.Bring them with you to the ice again and again.Use the ideas.Learn the techniques.Practice the drills.Practice them some more.Own the style.Watch your game and your confidence develop and transform powerfully.This book is a valuable, well-written guide for achieving superior levels of power, speed, and agility in "skating great hockey!"

Excellent for all skill levels!
Laura Stamm's power skating instruction is incredibly useful for all skill levels.This book is a gold mine of practical tools one can use to improve their own stride or to teach skating more effectively.I highly recommend Laura's work to anyone who wants to learn the fundamentals of skating or to fix bad skating habits they've had for 15 years.An excellent resource!

Informative, instructional, a must read for every skater!
Laura Stamm's Power Skating thouroughly describes power skating techniques with diagrams, photos and written descriptions. This book is beneficial to both new skaters and pros. Whether you are just learning to skate or want to perfect your technique you will benefit from the information in this book. An excellent reference tool for coaches at all levels.
... Read more

Product Description
To be the best on the rink, skaters must spend endless hours strengthening and conditioning their bodies off the ice to build strength for the rigors of their performances. Illustrative and technical, yet user-friendly, Conditioning for Figure Skating provides detailed coverage of the physical preparation necessary for Preliminary through Senior-Elite skaters while concentrating on all disciplines of figure skating, including singles, pairs, and ice dance. More than 300 photos illustrate proper warm-up drills, flexibility stretches, cooldown routines, strength training exercises, jump and plyometric training programs, and endurance conditioning exercises for on-ice injury prevention. A periodization plan also helps skaters maximize their training potential. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Conditioning for Figure Skating
My daughter has trained with Carl Poe and it is great to have his techniques available whenever she needs them.

Conditioning for Figure Skating
This book was so good from the library I wanted my own copy so that I could dog ear the pages and make sure I stay on track to get my skating to the level it can be to be great!

Great for serious figure skaters
This is a well writen book that explains different exercises that will be of benefit to figure skaters and athletes alike. It is more of an adult/young adult read. Overall, very informational.

Great Information
A wealth of information that is hard to find elsewhere.After reading from cover to cover, I handed it over to my daughters coach and together we developed an off ice training regimen that suits her skill level and reflects her goals. Definite improvement in sucessful jumps completed noticed right away.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is serious about ice skating.

Great book for skaters of all levels and age
I highly recommend this book. It details off-ice conditioning programs for singles, pairs, or dance and skaters of all ages and skill levels. Strength training, effective warm-up and cool down, plyometric, and other off-ice conditioning programs are detailed, as well as effectively improving your muscular and cardiovascular conditioning on ice. The only negative to this book is the photos and text explaining some of the moves - they could be a bit more descriptive.
A great book from a very qualified author. These programs will yield great results on the ice if you put the time and effort in to conditioning. ... Read more

Product Description
It's an exciting time in Fairyland.Everyone is getting ready for the Fairy Olympics!But Jack Frost's goblins have stolen the Sports Fairies' magic objects.Now they're threatening to take over the whole competition!

Rachel and Kirsty are excited to go roller skating in the park --- but so are the goblins!The girls are determined to roll away with Zoe's magic shoelace.

Find the enchanted object in each book, and help keep the Fairyland Olympics magical!

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good for sensitive kids
Elementary-school-aged girls love these books.My girls start reading them as soon as they're unwrapped!Not exactly literary masterpieces, but kids find them interesting and funny.The stories are always light - good for sensitive children who aren't yet ready for (and might tend to avoid reading) books that are scary or upsetting.
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Product Description
"The Figure Skating Book" explains the commonly performed jumps, spins and pairs moves. With detailed instructions for each maneuver, and useful line drawings for all the steps involved. The lively text also outlines some of the history of each move, explaining who made it famous and how. For instance, the Axel is named after Axel Paulsen, the Norwegian skater who invented the jump, and Kurt Browning was the first skater to successfully land a quadruple jump in competition.

The first chapter, Getting Started, includes information about buying the proper equipment and clothing. The Basics explains gliding, stopping, backward stroking and cross-cuts. Turns discusses a variety of turns for the beginner skater, while Jumps offers moves such as the waltz jump, Salchow, toe loop, Lutz and Axel. Spins and Field Moves, details pivots and footwork steps, and Dance introduces the reader to pairs moves. The final chapter gives helpful tips on choosing a skating club and coach, as well as fitness preparation and injury prevention.

As Wilkes points out in her introduction, there's just something totally intoxicating about skating. It's magical and lovely, physical yet artistic, fresh and wholesome and with enough speed and power in the mix to make it dangerous. When a skater finally gets control, the sense of accomplishment is enormous. Skaters and fans at all skill and ages will increase their knowledge and understanding by following lessons in this book.

Debbi Wilkes is a broadcaster and teacher who has been immersed in figure skating since childhood. Together with her skating partner, Guy Revell, Wilkes is a past North American champion and received a silver medal at the 1964 Olympic Games in Innsbruck. She has a masters degree in communications from Michigan State University, and appears regularly on television as a color commentator, covering the Olympic Games. She is also the host of television's very popular program on figure skating, "Ice Time." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An awesome instruction book!
This book is fantastic! I am teaching myself moves and I dont even have skates! It is easy to read, and very helpful! It even arrived the 3 days before schedule!

The Figure Skating Book
A wonderful guide to figure skating.It's written in a clear, easy-to-read manner and comes with great illustrations and photographs.An excellent book to read and to teach.I taught myself some moves while standing in my skate guards, and my instructor already noticed an improvement in my skating!It's wonderful.I loved it! ... Read more

Product Description
The finest figure skaters in the world make their sport look so graceful and simple. Those who have tried to learn and coach figure skating know that it is not easy. In The Complete Book of Figure Skating, author Carole Shulman combines her vast experience as a former competitive skater, a Master PSA instructor, a professional figure skating judge, and the current Director of the Professional Skaters Association to cover every aspect of the sport with clarity and expertise.

Shulman describes the proper techniques for more than 100 skills, from stops, stroking skills, and freestyle moves to turns and footwork—including ice-dancing techniques, spins, jumps, and pairs skating techniques. Also included are advice and guidelines on choosing equipment, conditioning your body, and creating competition programs that will score high marks with the judges.

This book is an essential guide to participating and excelling in the sport. Whether you’re a skater looking to develop your technique or an instructor seeking for innovative coaching methods, you’ll find it in The Complete Book of Figure Skating. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Figure Skating
When they say complete they mean it. Having searched the internet for several technical terms I was often frustrated with the limited information. This book not only provides great on ice information but great 360-degree review for the avid skater.

great book of figure skating
It has information to all of the essential movements in figure skating, spins, jumps, footworks. It also has a lot of interesting and related stories to the movements such as Paul Wylie's spread eagle.

A great book for a figure skater.

Figure Skating -
I was disappointed in the book because I wanted it for a new young figure sakter, and I was anticipating more pictures -- this book is very technical and for older skaters.

Not enough detail, some crucial typos
This is a much more visual book than Petkevich's, which has detailed verbal explanations that take a bit of effort to visualize.Unfortunately, some of the pictures in Shulman's book leave large gaps between frames, and it's hard to tell how to get from one position to the next.

There are some editorial or proofing mistakes that really hurt the book.Figure skating spins and jumps are done in one direction (counterclockwise for most, clockwise for some) that the skater chooses early-on in their training.Shulman explains this, and the fact that her directions are for counterclockwise spinners and need to be reversed by clockwise spinners.Unfortunately the picture and directions for the one-footed spin are backwards, and describe a *clockwise* entry and spin when all the other spins are written for counter-clockwise skaters.This will be very confusing for a begining skater who has no coach of their own!

In one or two other places a picture is reversed (mirror image), which again can be very confusing if you're trying to learn on your own and don't know that there's a mistake in the book.

There is a good section on modern off-ice strength training, including periodization.

Overall I'd recommend this book *in conjunction* with Petkevich's book: both have gaps that the other complements.And of course there's no substitute for a real coach!

Excellent book for both parents & skaters
I agree with previous reviews.This is an excellent book for both skaters and their parents.It not only provides detail information and graphics about each move and jump on ice, but also give a good advice on how important it is for off ice training and passion of the sport. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (28)

Good Look at an Important Subject
Frozen in Time: The Enduring Legacy of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team by Nikki Nicholas -- Sports non-fiction
This book tells the story of the members of the U.S. Figure Skating World Team, friends and family who died in a plane crash en route to the Worlds in 1961. Nichols relates the struggles of the top athletes to get to the top spots that would earn them the right to be at the World Championships in Prague. A skater never skates alone and this book is also about the coaches who helped the skaters on their paths to glory and their family members who supported them. Nichols imagines what the skaters were thinking and feeling at crucial moments in their lives. She also interrupts the narrative to discuss other competitors, past, current and future. Nicholas attempts to explain how the legacy of the 1961 team affected all the skaters to come after them, from Peggy Fleming's glorious gold medal in 1968 to skaters in 2001 receiving scholarships from money left in memory of the 1961 team. This book is written from extensive research by a dedicated skater and skating fan and it shows. The stories of the 1961 team members are compelling but the writing isn't stellar. Nicholas interrupts her story to discuss skaters from the past (pre-1961) and present day (post-1961), which was a little jarring in the middle of the story of the 1961 U.S. Team. The imagined scenarios are also a little odd. I also feel that Nicholas rushed the legacy part though her book is subtitled The Enduring Legacy of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team. I enjoyed learning about the lesser known people involved in the crash and learning more about what happened during the flight. The 1961 U.S. World Team is a subject that is infrequently discussed but should be known to all those who are interested in the sport. I would give this book 3 1/2 stars.

A story that needed to be told, history that needed to be remembered.
The U.S. Figure Skating team was at the pinnacle of the sport in 1961 as 18 skaters, their family members and coaches boarded the plane for Prague and the World Championships. They never reached their destination. The plane crashed, and all on board were killed.

This book is a reverential look back by competitive figure skater and journalist Nikki Nichols. The focus is on the top two women skaters, Laurence Owen and her rival, Stephanie Westerfeld. Both faced a tremendous amount of pressure. Owen's mother, Olympic skater Maribel Owen was the most famous woman skater of her day. Maribel worked both her daughters (Laurence's sister Mara was a pairs skater) endlessly in order for them to achieve glory. Far from the Owens' turf in New England, Myra Westerfeld was doing the same thing with her daughters, Sherri and Stephanie, at the Broadmoor in Colorado. Laurence and Stephanie finished first and second in the U.S. Championships and were expected to do great things in the World Championships. Laurence graced the cover of Sports Illustrated on the day she died.

Nichols also goes into the history of the sport. Maribel's nemesis was Sonja Henie, the most famous figure skater in the world, who won many championships and starred in Hollywood movies. My mother fell in love with figure skating watching those movies, and she passed her love of the sport on to me. Nichols' overview of the sport's history was an important part of the book, and I needed the refresher course, not only on the history, but on those dreaded school figures and the partisan judging that seems to have always been a part of who wins and who loses.

Anyone who reads this book looking for juicy scandals will find none. What they will find is history, rivalry, and a national sport that was brought to its knees by a terrible tragedy. That the USFSA was back on top in 1968 when Peggy Fleming won the Olympic gold is an amazing feat.

Any fan who loves the sport of figure skating should enjoy this book.

A must-have for figure skating fans!
This is one of the most poignant books written about figure skating history.I knew the story of the 1961 tragedy, but this book focuses on each skater in ways I've never seen done before.MUCH more here than just a focus on the famous Owen family.Good reading, well worth the price.ORDER IT!

Highly recommend
If you are a fan of figure skating, this book is a definate must read. It opened my eyes to things about skating and competition that I did not know as a former figure skater. It is a wonderful tribute to the skaters of the 1961 U.S. Team.

Still enduring....
In 1961, the greatest tragedy in U.S. figure skating history - and possibly world figure skating history - took place when a Sabena-Belgian Airlines Boeing 707 developed problems trying to land at Brussels airport. The plane nosedived into a farmer's field, killing everyone aboard. Among those on board were 18 members of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating team, who were heading to the World Championships in Prague. This is the story of those skaters.
This book focuses largely on Laurence & Maribel Vinson Owen, as well as Stephanie Westerfield, who were the most well-known members, but also mentions skaters such as Laurie Jean Hickox and Doug Ramsay. It talks in-depth about the training & competitions they went through to become U.S. Figure Skating team members, as well as the terrible accident itself & how it affected U.S. Figure Skating at large - especially the rush to produce new skaters to replace those so tragically lost.
Journalist (and adult competitive figure skater) Nikki Nichols has done an excellent job in telling the very real stories of these people who were the Americans' best hopes for 1964, and never got to perform. Most of today's figure skaters have never heard the sad story of the 1961 US team, and this book is an excellent telling of their story. Highly recommended.

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Product Description

A beautifully illustrated celebration of the best athletes from this wildly popular sport.

Figure Skating's Greatest Stars profiles 60 great skaters, including champions in men's, women's, pairs and ice dancing. Informative essays describe their careers and championship moments, as well as the definitive events that have made figure skating one of the leading spectator sports in North America.

Fans of all ages will delight in reading the stories of these stars who have jumped higher, spun tighter and skated more gracefully as they pushed skating's artistic and technical boundaries.

Some of the 60 athletes featured are:

• Dick Button (late 1940s and early 1950s), United States
• Liudmila and Oleg Protopopov (1960s), Soviet Union
• Brian Boitano (1980s), United States
• Elvis Stojko (1990s), Canada
• Oksana Grishuk and Evgeny Platov (1990s), Russia
• Jamie Sale and David Pelletier (late 1990s and 2000s), Canada
• Brian Joubert (2000s), France
• Qing Pang and Jian Tong (2000s), China
• Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto (2000s), United States
• Michelle Kwan (2000s), United States.

Figure Skating's Greatest Stars is the perfect fanbook for the millions who love this sport.

Customer Reviews (2)

Basic but interesting
This book is broken into the four skating disciplines (Men's, Pairs, Ladies, Ice Dance) and has side sections with some history about the development of figure skating.Many known personalities are covered here (Michelle Kwan, Peggy Fleming, Brian Boitano, to name a few) but there are quite a few skaters that I had not heard of but made a significant mark on the sport.The book is easy to read and never boring and has some historical photographs of interest.It even tries to explain the new scoring system (which I don't think anyone in the ISU or even Dick Button can do adequately).If you are a fan of figure skating or just curious about the sport this book will entertain and enlighten you.

Interesting reading, some biased choices
If you're interested in figure skating, this is a nice book to put on the shelves, to pick up once in a while whenever you feel like knowing more about certain athletes in the sport. Although the author acknowledges that he provides a personal view, he also states that choices were made on the basis of the impact of skaters on the sport in general. So, he can sometimes present skaters who have won no World or Olympic championship at any time but still influenced the direction of the sports in a substantial way. And for the most part, this is correct. However, especially concerning the more recent years he does show a somewhat North American Favouritism which is a pity because the rest of the book (the early years and the intermediate ones) is highly balanced on that score. This can be illustrated with ice-dancing. Olympic and World Champions Marina Anessina and Gwendal Pezzerat do not get a chapter of their own, even though they showed remarkable innovations like the gender changes in the lifts. Others have since than followed on with this practice. That means they did execute a major influence on the direction the discipline has taken. Similar omissions are present (or to be be exact: they are not present as such in the book!) with regard to other disciplines. Having said that, this still is a wonderful book, with beautiful photo's, and interesting descriptions of the (skating) histories and lives of many skaters. Despite the small bias noted and remarked upon, I would still highly recommend it to fans all over the World. ... Read more

Product Description
Hockey is played faster every year. Players are bigger, stronger, faster, and more skilled than ever. Those who can’t maintain the pace have little chance of making it at the higher levels.

Laura Stamm’s Power Skating, Third Edition will help you develop explosive speed with Stamm’s proven techniques that have helped thousands of skaters at all levels of the game become great skaters. It also provides you with practice drills that will help you hone and transfer that speed to game situations.

Laura Stamm has taught the Los Angeles Kings, the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders, the New Jersey Devils, and other teams around the world have employed her Power Skating System as well. Thousands of amateur and pro players—including many NHL stars—learned directly from Stamm how to increase their speed, ability, and efficiency on the ice.

In this updated edition of her popular power skating book, Stamm introduces additional coverage of the topics most important to today’s hockey coaches and players. She explains everything from how to select proper skates and equipment for superior skating to all the critical components of explosive skating:

• Balance for stability and speed
• Explosiveness through greater force application
• Starts for a step advantage on the opposition
• Forward stride for a more aggressive attack
• Backward stride for mobility on defense
• Crossovers for split-second change of direction
• Stops for being able to halt on a dime
• Turns and transitions for multi-directional moves
• Agility for maximum coverage of the ice
• Training for faster and more powerful skating

Nearly 300 drawings and photographs illustrate skating skills from the basic to the complex. And for each maneuver you’ll also find a detailed explanation of how to perform the skill, plus proven drills and exercises to help you practice that maneuver. The exercises progress from the simplest to the most difficult and include special pointers for coaches.

Every great hockey player skates powerfully and is able to get in position to make the key play. Laura Stamm’s Power Skating will give you that explosive edge on the competition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

This book taught me how to skate.
When I first started playing competitive hockey 10 years ago, I didn't know how to skate.I bought this book and learned the physics of skating.After 6 weeks of training on inline skates and at the ice rink my skating was good.During the last game of hockey that year, I remember I chased the other team's best player from his end of the rink to mine and knocked the puck off his stick.I skated to the bench for a line change and one of the guys who hadn't seen me since I started the training said, "Holy! How come you are so fast?". I recommend this to all the guys I play with.I bought the video a few years later, but I think if I had choice of the two, I'd take the book because the book is well written enough that I can visualize what to do.

It's all here, the rest is up to you
I have been using this book and the companion DVD for about 18 months. I bought them together after I made the decision to start playing rec league ice hockey at the tender age of 48!What you get out of them is going to depend a lot on what type of learner you are and your motivation. The DVD will appeal to those inclined to the visual, copycat approach.If you prefer to work through the process analytically with descriptive detail, then the book is better than the DVD.I've found them to be excellent complementary learning tools.

There are many paths to success.I have also attended power skating classes and adult hockey camp.A private lesson with a figure skating instructor identified and corrected a posture problem in my backward crossovers.That could have taken months to work out on my own.

The bottom line is that ice skating is an extremely difficult, non-intuitive activity.To get good at it, you simply have to make the commitment of time, energy, and yes money that's required to get out there and practice, practice, practice.This book and other resources can help, but there are no shortcuts or substitutes for lots of hard work on the ice.If you are willing to do this, you will be richly rewarded with superb skating skills that will make a huge difference in games.I am already playing at the intermediate rec league level and enjoying it a bunch.

My coach recommended it to me
Laura Stamm's Power Skating was recommended to me by my team and personal skating coach.It covers basics ... in detail!Speed, balance, explosiveness, responsiveness - all depend on the basics underlying your forward and backward stride, including weight distribution, leg extension, edge position, angle, and control, hip position and movement, control of shoulder and torso position, and more.

This book covers the basics you would have drilled into you at any good hockey school or clinic.So if you're wondering why you slip edges, are a fast runner but slow skater, can't quite stop yourself from spinning out of position at times, lose your balance, feel like your upper and lower body aren't working together on the ice, etc. - buy this book and start drilling!

One piece of advice on skates, though.If you've never been fitted by a competent hockey pro shop or at a clinic, go and get it done.Hockey skates aren't shoes or boots and shouldn't fit like them.Wear the wrong skate and you will not only waste your time and money trying to learn to skate properly, you will develop habits you will have to rid yourself of later.Trust me - you are NOT going to be fitted properly at the local sporting goods or department store.Get fitted properly and buy the best skates you can afford.Fitting also addresses more than the skate boot fit.You need someone knowledgeable to help with things like blade type, rocker, and other fitting issues too.

The book and techniques are excellent and the price is cheap.Laura Stamm has been used and endorsed by many pros.You can't go wrong!

Crucial resource for developing proper skating technique
At the time of this review, I am 31 years old and preparing for my first season of adult hockey.I had almost zero skating experience (aside from maybe three public skating sessions when I was 12 or so years old) when I decided I wanted to play hockey.Before I started taking skating seriously, I would just go out an mess around on the ice for a half hour at a time.All that did was breed bad habits and frustration.Then, I purchased this book: I can't stress to you just how much the descriptions in this book helped form good skating habits while avoiding/undoing the bad ones.Remember, I am a self-taught skater and by no means perfect, but this book solidifed the fundamentals and spelled out the execution necessary to maximize my power.In just three months of practice patterned after the excercises in this book, I feel like a totally different individual than the unbalanced, directionless clown I was when I started out.Consider this book a must-read if you're looking to get into hockey.

The best book
You must buy it if you found Laura's DVD is the best skating instructional DVD. ... Read more

Product Description
Get Rolling is your guide to the safest, easiest way to start (and stop!) rolling on in-line skates. Author Liz Miller is a nationally-known certified instructor who wrote Get Rolling for nervous novices seeking a comprehensive in-line how-to guide.

With an easy, encouraging format and tons of empathy for your fears, Liz will turn you into a confident, competent skater with dozens of step-by-step lessons, plenty of photos, and her own lively drawings. Then you, too, can benefit from the most fun form of low-impact exercise around!

You will learn:

How to avoid injury and conquer the debilitating fear of falling
Beginning to advanced techniques for stopping, turning and striding
Where to find the true bargains for skates and protective gear
Building blocks for in-line hockey, racing, ski cross training, and more
Where to skate, what to wear, and how to stay fit with "roll-aerobics"
Acclaimed worldwide, Get Rolling is the only in-line skating book you'll need to go safely stride-by-stride from beginner to expert skating! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Clear and concise book
I bought this book a few days ago and I still didn't cover it all, but as far as I read it's a very instructive book. It's very well explained with a concise a clear language and I'm sure it's helping me to improve my skating skills in the last weeks.
I really recommend it to every beginner in-line skater.

Inline Skating Review
Liz Miller's instructional book, though wordy, offers an excellent "abc" approach to getting started.For first-time inline skaters, the book provides a thorough explanation of how to get safely up and moving--and stopping.Many of the basic skills are presented in a straightforward, rather easy-to-understand manner, but of course only their consistent application along with diligent practice will produce results. A more detailed explanation of how to control speed and stop on inclines and slopes would be helpful.She clearly presents the rubber foot brake as the best way to control downhill speed, using the standard posture given in other instructional books and videos, but the keeping a vertical "straight back" with flexed knees presents a good amount of instability for beginners, which invites a calamitous backwards fall. Here more about using a slalom approach, carving half circles, etc., with the body bent forward over the center of gravity, would offer more safety while one's ability and confidence grows. In all, it's to be recommended as one of the better books currently available for beginners.

Excellent for Beginners
This book has very well written instructions to learn in-line skating from the beginning. It has been very useful for me to get some background before heading to a formal skating course. It is nice that the book also contains advice on equipment and related magazines.
I think it should have further figures because many drills are difficult to understand by only a written description.

The BEST Beginner's & Intermediate Guide to In-Line Skating
The most complete guide on, comprehensive step-by-step, In-Line skating lessons.It takes you from beginner to advanced intermediate in the safest way.The fear of falling is gone; you learn how to fall and get up properly. The Yoga poses are very helpful for balance, strength and increased range of motion.Chapter 7 teaches you how to stay fit with "roll-aerobics".Key terms, skate maintenance, safety, etc. are all covered. If a DVD on the skating techniques accompanied the guide on "GET ROLLING" it would obliterate every in-line skating manual.

For the absolute beginner
Just an intro about me, I'm a 40yr old male and having lost weight and seeking a more active lifestyle decided that all the times I'd seen rollerbladers on the beach walk, it was for me.

This book will take you from a never skated numbty to a skater with confidence in about 15hour sessions, I'm now over 20-25hours skating and have progressed through the book. It is quite straight forward and although you will find the need to have the book on hand during practice, it will guide you through what corrections you may need to take to finally master the skills. (Some skills took me more time than others to pick up, when I finally realised I wasn't quite carrying out the practice/tuition right.)

While I still manage to have the odd moment (almost falling) it is nice to be able to skate the local beach walk (3km's) knowing that I can stop turn and steer to avoid 'moments'.

Without this book, I believe I'd still be stumbling along in the carpark, frustrated that I wasted so much money. In my area there is limited tuition and this book was just what I needed.

I encourage beginners to heed the safety advice and also purchase 'crash pants' - I spent 2 weeks waiting for skin and bruising to heal from being over enthusiastic in attempting a hill trail too soon.

Get the book, get some good skates and find a vacant flat lot for your first 10hours - try some trails and go back to the lot to build your skills.

I'm enjoying the sport and hope that I can do so for many more of my 'aging' years.


Good Luck.
... Read more

Product Description
Four-time world champion and professional figure skater Kurt Browning replaces his boots and blades with pen and paper in "A is for Axel: An Ice Skating Alphabet."From holding an edge to laces and hooks, Kurt glides and dances through the alphabet explaining the history, techniques and memorable moments of the sport.Melanie Rose captures the excitement visually with her colorful, playful illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Skating and the Alphabet - Kids Love it
Kids love this series of books.A is for Axel hits home as I have three skaters - two of which are working on learning their alphabets and words.The side bars have been an hit to my older skater who can read.I watched a lot of Kurt Browning competing back in the day - stand up guy.Nice transition to the written world.I recommend highly for a good fun read.

Wonderful
This is another of the aphabet series of books. Being a figure skating fan, and Kurt Browning is one of my favorite skaters, I was captivated by his book. This is written for the fairly young child, but the sidebars of information for the more adult gives good explanations of the different moves of figure skating. Very enjoyable to read!

Interesting Book
I never knew Kurt Browning could write such a book! It is filled with details and some history of the sport. I really enjoyed this book, but I thought it could've had something written about how to do an axel or something like that but it is a very, very good book. ... Read more

Product Description
Lauren wins a scholarship that puts her back on the ice with Coach Perry...and just in time, too! The Regionals are only weeks away, and with Coach Perry's training, Lauren is sure that he will win first place. But suddenly Lauren finds that her feet have become all thumbs! Now she's worried that even the greatest coach in the world won't be able to help her get back on track. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

THE TURNING POINT
This is the first book in the Michelle Kwan Presents Skating Dreams series, and it includes a letter from Michelle addressed to you, in which she tells you a little bit about herself. All the books in the series include a full-color postcard of Michelle, plus her answers to real e-mails from her fans. There is an address where you can write to her, too.

In THE TURNING POINT, you'll meet 10-year-old Lauren Wing, a girl who loves to skate. She's training and practicing for the Regionals competition for novices, and she's looking forward to moving up, to become a junior-level skater, and then a senior-level skater. And maybe someday she can try out for the Olympics. In her dreams! But in her everyday life, Lauren just concentrates on skating her best in the Regionals competition.

Unfortunately, it's hard for Lauren to concentrate on her program when her cat gets lost. Her parents, her brother, her sisters, and all her friends help her look for him. They put up flyers. But they can't find him, and Lauren really misses him. To make things worse, another skater, Erica Claiborn, says nasty things to Lauren just before she has to skate in the competition, trying to make her goof up. The absolute worst thing, though, is when Lauren finds out --- just before she goes onto the ice --- that a world-famous skating coach, Eve Perry, has come to watch the competition. Lauren is scared to death!

She skates very well in her first routine, but in the second one she falls down. Erica wins first place. Lauren tries to be a good sport about it, but falling down was not something she wanted to do in front of Eve Perry! She'll never get to the Olympics that way.

Then something happens. Something that will change Lauren's life forever. If it works out. If she can do it. Will her parents go for it? Do dreams come true? Read this book to see if Lauren can find her cat, and if her skating dreams become a reality.

--- Reviewed by Tamara Penny

Fi learns about astral projection
While Fi, Clu and Jack are in Bardo, Wyoming they come along a girl they meet at a carnival who can leave her body and travel anywhere she wants to. Fi automatically is in awe by this weird happening meanwhile Clu and Jack are in awe, well just in awe of the girl. With the help of Fi Claire will learn a good lesson and gain a new friend in the process. ... Read more