Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer

Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer
Average customer rating:

Inspirational!

A Swimmer's Autobiography

Way more than Swimming tales. Helps The World

eww

Great Book

Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer
Lynne Cox
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Biographies | Sports | Subjects | Books
Swimming | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
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Grayson Grayson

Open Water Swimming

Gold in the Water: The True Story of Ordinary Men and Their Extraordinary Dream of Olympic Glory

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ASIN: 0156031302

Amazon.com

Just about every other person in the world seems like an unfocused dilettante compared to long-distance swimming legend Lynne Cox. Soon At the age of 14, after several years of training hard in pools and the open sea, she was swimming the 26 mile stretch from Catalina Island to the coast of California. A year after that, she surpassed a lifelong goal by not only swimming the English Channel but setting a new men's and women's record in the process. Rather than be satisfied, Cox aimed still higher, conquering the Cook Strait in New Zealand, the Strait of Magellan and, the Cape of Good Hope, none of which had been swum before. Being the first to swim the Bering Sea from Alaska to what was then the Soviet Union is perhaps Cox's most impressive achievement, requiring a phenomenal amount of physical strength and endurance to withstand the chilly waters and diplomatic persistence to gain permission from Gorbachev during the Cold War. Swimming to Antarctica is Cox's remarkably detailed account of her major swims and all that went right and wrong with them. While there are plenty of highs, as one might expect in a memoir by so impressive an athlete, all is not sunshine and roses for Cox. She overcomes extreme physical hardship, predatory sharks, and a swim through a sewage-soaked Nile while suffering from dysentery. There is plenty in Swimming to Antarctica to encourage even non-swimmers to work hard to achieve the seemingly impossible, but Cox, a skilled and highly readable writer, sticks to the swimming, leading the reader by example. For thrills and inspiration, it's hard to find anyone better than Lynne Cox. --John Moe

Book Description

Now in paperback, with photos and maps added especially for this new edition, here is the acclaimed life story of a woman whose drive and determination inspire everyone she touches.

Lynne Cox started swimming almost as soon as she could walk. By age sixteen, she had broken all records for swimming the English Channel. Her daring eventually led her to the Bering Strait, where she swam five miles in thirty-eight-degree water in just a swimsuit, cap, and goggles. In between those accomplishments, she became the first to swim the Strait of Magellan, narrowly escaped a shark attack off the Cape of Good Hope, and was cheered across the twenty-mile Cook Strait of New Zealand by dolphins. She even swam a mile in the Antarctic.

Lynne writes the same way she swims, with indefatigable spirit and joy, and shares the beauty of her time in the water with a poet's eye for detail. She has accomplished yet another feat--writing a new classic of sports memoir.

Customer Reviews:

Inspirational!.......2007-09-09

This is not the type of book that I would normally read, but my book club was reading it. It was incredibly inspirational-- Lynne Cox is really amazing. It is a quick read, very enjoyable.

A Swimmer's Autobiography.......2007-04-12

Celebrate your passion for whatever it is in life you hold most dear. This tale of one woman's quest to swim various natural obstacles will captivate and inspire you.

Way more than Swimming tales. Helps The World.......2007-01-21

I note a couple of negative reviews. Perhaps those should read again. Sure seems like a wonderful woman and wonderful story. I have bought 11 copies so far and given it to close friends. I then saw Lynne Cox on 60 minutes "swimming to Antarctcica" just this Christmas. It and this book and she was the best Christmas present I have ever had. Good Work Lynne, keep it up.

eww.......2006-12-07

This is a story of dangerous swimming and umm more swimming in fact all there is is pretty much swimming.
I found the book sort of interesting but when LYNNE COX has to swim in Egypt, well lets just say its not a good book for squeemish readers. In all, the book's ok. The swimmer has to swim through many obsticles including icebergs. So in all I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

P.S. For readers who do want to buy this book I would suggest that you borrow it from the library.

Great Book.......2006-03-05

Lynne Cox is very brave and her determination to succeed in every aspect of her life was very inspiring. She proves that when you have a passion for something and are willing to work for it, then nothing is out of reach. I really enjoyed this book not just because of that, but also because Lynn proves that she is just as skilled of a writer as she is a swimmer! She captures and holds your attention right to the end, describing in detail her life as a long-distance swimmer. The best way that I can explain it is that it was so good it was almost like reading fiction, if that makes sense.

I loved this book and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. You definitely don't have to love swimming to love this book, that's for sure. But I actually do love swimming and it inspires me to try my best at that when summer rolls around.

My only problem with the book is that I wish she hadn't wrote an autobiography so soon! I'm dying to read more!

Swimming Made Easy: The Total Immersion Way for Any Swimmer to Achieve Fluency, Ease, and Speed in Any Stroke

Average customer rating:

Revolutionary
Good book, but there is a better.
DVD is better
Good resource
The anatomy of a 2 second manuever....

Swimming Made Easy: The Total Immersion Way for Any Swimmer to Achieve Fluency, Ease, and Speed in Any Stroke
Terry Laughlin
Manufacturer: Total Immersion Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Swimming | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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Accessories:

Tanita BC554 Ironman Glass InnerScan Body Composition Monitor Elite Series

ASIN: 1931009015

Book Description

Swimming Made Easy is guaranteed to help you swim better than ever in all four strokes. Refine your form and increase your pleasure with 10 lessons, illustrated with 150 surface and underwater photos. Ten chapters on self-coaching show you how to be your own best coach. A proven way to gain the knowledge to enjoy every stroke you ever take!

Customer Reviews:

Revolutionary.......2006-12-19

I used to hate lap swimming but now I love it, and it's because of this book. Laughlin has reinvented swim instruction. He's made it fun. He's made it easy. And the resulting stroke is heaven.

The exercises do take some effort and dilligence to master. But if you go slow don't move on until you have mastered each exercise, as instructed, you'll open up a whole new world of swimming enjoyment. I often feel like I'm flying in the water. This former water buffalo now swims like a fish.

Note: there's a brand new Total Immersion book being touted on the TI website, which I haven't read. You may want to look into that, instead. Also, some reviews and TI suggest the DVD as the best method, but that wasn't the case for me. In my case, it was the clear, detailed instructions in the book that made it happen.

Good book, but there is a better........2006-11-26

This is a good book for the beginning swimmer, but I would recommend "Total Immersion: The Revolutionary Way To Swim Better, Faster, and Easier" over this book. It is by the same author, Terry Laughlin.

DVD is better.......2006-10-25

This has probably been said earlier but instead of purchasing the book, try out the DVD. Words and static pictures go only so far. I found it hard to visualize what you were supposed to do until I saw the DVD.

Good resource.......2006-07-27

If I had a partner or a teacher and enough time, I think I could get swimming down much better. I am trying to learn too fast and cannot get the breathing down for the freestyle; going from novice swimmer to doing a 400 meter pool swim in four weeks wasn't enough time for me. The book is great, and I also bought the DVDs, which I found helpful. This is something I have learned that I can't cram, but given enough time I think the book could give me what I need to swim well.

The anatomy of a 2 second manuever...........2006-07-27

Common sense stuff really. Break down a 2 second golf swing and see if you can make it better: although it may make perfect sense, translating the logic into a 2-second manuever probably takes years to make it effortless....

Average customer rating:

Wonderful story
More self-absorbed than interesting
Good read aloud
For an afternoon on the sun porch...
A bit of a disappointment

Grayson
Lynne Cox
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0307264548
Release Date: 2006-08-01

Book Description

Grayson is Lynne Cox’s first book since Swimming to Antarctica (“Riveting”—Sports Illustrated; “Pitch-perfect”—Outside). In it she tells the story of a miraculous ocean encounter that happened to her when she was seventeen and in training for a big swim (she had already swum the English Channel, twice, and the Catalina Channel).

It was the dark of early morning; Lynne was in 55-degree water as smooth as black ice, two hundred yards offshore, outside the wave break. She was swimming her last half-mile back to the pier before heading home for breakfast when she became aware that something was swimming with her. The ocean was charged with energy as if a squall was moving in; thousands of baby anchovy darted through the water like lit sparklers, trying to evade something larger. Whatever it was, it felt large enough to be a white shark coursing beneath her body.

It wasn’t a shark. It became clear that it was a baby gray whale—following alongside Lynne for a mile or so. Lynne had been swimming for more than an hour; she needed to get out of the water to rest, but she realized that if she did, the young calf would follow her onto shore and die from collapsed lungs.

The baby whale—eighteen feet long!—was migrating on a three-month trek to its feeding grounds in the Bering Sea, an eight-thousand-mile journey. It would have to be carried on its mother’s back for much of that distance, and was dependent on its mother’s milk for food—baby whales drink up to fifty gallons of milk a day. If Lynne didn’t find the mother whale, the baby would suffer from dehydration and starve to death.

Something so enormous—the mother whale was fifty feet long—suddenly seemed very small in the vast Pacific Ocean. How could Lynne possibly find her?

This is the story—part mystery, part magical tale—of what happened . . .

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful story.......2007-09-28

This is a great story, I love the book and have given it to many friends

More self-absorbed than interesting.......2007-08-30

From the black, inky black, so very black ocean at the start to her misunderstanding of gray whales and sonar at the end, Grayson romps along but never quite gets there. I found myself repeatedly flipping to the author biography on the jacket flap, wondering how on earth Lynne Cox ever got published in The New Yorker...and how she could have apparently spent so much time in the ocean without learning very much about its inhabitants.

From the reviews, I was prepared to read about a singular connection between a human being and a gray whale made one lonely morning...instead I found a self-absorbed "true" story about a young woman's encounter with a young whale that wandered off course for several hours, then met up with its mother again. Despite Lynne's self-proclaimed connection with the ocean, she doesn't even realize the young whale is swimming near her until pointed out by her friend on the pier. And then suddenly she feels she is the one totally responsible for the whale, even swimming insanely out to an oil derrick offshore to stay with Grayson. Although she places herself front and center, this event involved many people, including dockside workers, lifeguard patrols, fishing boats, and even the ship Queen Mary. This comes as a slight shock to the reader, as her emphasis on the singularity of her swim with the whale initially has us believing the book is about her interaction with the whale, rather than a multi-pronged rescue effort. It would have read better as a simple narration of what happened, instead of her projections of what the whales were thinking, complete with dopey imaginings of telepathic whale-human connection.

I think there is a nice little story in here somewhere, but Lynne Cox desperately needs better editing, and would have done better to have written it as "based on a true story", which would have allowed the plethora of animal description and interaction without causing readers familiar with marine fauna to suffer from eyeroll strain.

Good read aloud.......2007-08-20

Because of the music of the prose here and the subject matter, this is a great little book to read aloud to kids. It's a charming little story, with a bit of oceanography thrown in.

For an afternoon on the sun porch..........2007-07-31

Greyson is a tale by Lynne Cox in which she has a close encounter with a large ocean dweller. Having taken place in her teens, this story is her "coming of age" in a few short hours. This book probably won't change your life, but it might just shift your perspective a little - and that is a good thing.

A bit of a disappointment.......2007-05-22

This book was a bit of a disappointment for me. I was hoping for a story about a whale, but got the reminicenses (sp) of a woman remembering...well, herself rather than the whale. She prattles on about her open-minded thinking and brash individualism. Whatever. I wanted to hear about the whale and the ocean. I suppose this could be taken as a motivational speech; but, again, I was hoping the whale would take center stage. I also wish she had written this as a younger woman so that we might have experienced some of her wonder and awe (at the creature -- not herself).

The Fit Swimmer : 120 Workouts & Training Tips

Average customer rating:

Simply Great!
The Fit Swimmer: 120 workouts and Training Tips
A great training guide for anyone
Indispensable for first (and beyond) year swim coaches
Not for beginners

The Fit Swimmer : 120 Workouts & Training Tips
Marianne Brems
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Swimming | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Training | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

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Accessories:

Tanita BC554 Ironman Glass InnerScan Body Composition Monitor Elite Series

ASIN: 0809254549

Book Description

This book puts an end to the drudgery of merely counting laps by showing you how to create your own individual fitness program--and have fun doing it! Learn how to:

Determine your own fitness level
Choose an appropriate training program and build upon that program with a variety of innovative workouts
Use a timing clock and interval training to increase your speed and endurance
Use various training equipment, such as kick boards, hand paddles, and swimming fins to strengthen stroke technique
Improve your cardiovascular fitness, muscle tone, and flexibility

Included for quick reference are tips for streamlining strokes, checklists for proper stroke execution, and a helpful glossary of training terms as well as a section on the joys and challenges of open water swimming. "I am constantly looking for new approaches which will do at least one of the following, and possibly all three:

give me a change from normal routine
make me a faster swimmer
challenge me to work harder

The Fit Swimmer addresses all these in an informative and entertaining way, making this book a valuable resource for all swimmers." -- James E. Counsilman Swimming Coach Indiana University Marianne Brems is a Masters swimmer, coach of the San Mateo Master Marlins, author of Swim for Fitness and 101 Favorite Workouts, and a regular columnist for Swim Swim magazine.

Customer Reviews:

Simply Great!.......2007-08-28

This book is just about everything you will need if you are looking for swimming workouts. It takes you right from the very basics to advanced workouts. It also helps you correct swimming positions. I've already decreased my free style lap time just by making little adjustments. Simply Great!

The Fit Swimmer: 120 workouts and Training Tips.......2006-03-20

This book has really helped me improve and vary my workouts and make the masters swim class I teach more interesting.

A great training guide for anyone.......2002-11-25

Like many triathletes I had a bit of swimming in my background when I started racing, but certainly not enough to be competitive. I occasionally swam with organized groups but my consultant travel schedule made sure that was infrequent. I got a copy of The Fit Swimmer, read it cover to cover and made up about a dozen workouts from the suggested routines. The section on open water racing was particularly valuable. While training diligence was definitely part of it, this book was the #1 resource for me in competitively placing in events ranging from local races to National and Ironman distances. Ms. Brems meets 2 imperatives: she explains things simply and she gives you the tools you need to progress from a relative novice to a competitive swimmer. Like a craftsman and apprentice, she leaves it up to the reader to figure out how to best use the extensive toolset in the book. I found that creating about a dozen workouts on 3x5 cards from her suggested routines and rotating them did the trick (store them in a ziploc bag for use poolside). You can experiment with different routines to test how your body responds. I now coach people on an occasional basis, and strongly encourage each of them to read the book before we start.

Indispensable for first (and beyond) year swim coaches.......2002-01-05

Swimming is one of those curious beasts of the American athetic sports scene: vast multitudes participate (recreational, summer, competitive, etc.), but very few really know how to improve. As in other sports, many parents wind up coaching as their children get involved in swimming as there are too few coaches available. There is much to learn! Stroke technique, using the clock, training the aerobic and non-aerobic energy systems, how to author and conduct a productive and interesting workout, etc.

To those who might feel intimidated by all this, this book brings help in the form of workout structure. The workouts range from basic beginner to advanced workouts for accomplished swimmers. I have used Marianne's book to keep my workouts (as an age-group coach and Master's swimmer) interesting and my swimmers are always eager to swim.

I highly recommend this book for coaches and swimmers who are self-coached.

Not for beginners.......2001-06-15

A good book for intermediate swimmers but offers little technique or help for people just starting out in the sport.

Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay

Average customer rating:

A LIFE CHANGING READ
Attention to Detail
Beautiful Swimmers
Entertaining and Educational
It Takes You There....

Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay
William W. Warner , John Barth , and Author
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

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Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0316923354

Customer Reviews:

A LIFE CHANGING READ.......2007-05-29

Growing up in Northern Virginia I always had a vague sense of the crab's popularity, both for dining and as a sort of a local mascot for people who live near the Bay. However, I had only eaten them at my aunt's house in Benedict, MD. and thought them to be strange and hard to eat. They made me feel inferior some how not knowing the technique and how exactly my aunt was able to come up with these bushels during the warm summer months. I dedicated last summer to learning all about the Bay and the blue crab and the wonderful people who make a living off them. I was transformed with the knowledge from the book that explains so many details about the life of the crab, the watermen and their families. The author is so creative with the insights he reveals. After reading this book, I am equipped to speak intelligently about the geographical areas, crab industry and most importantly-how to get and eat these beautiful swimmers!

Attention to Detail.......2006-06-03

Whereas I found this book to be quite informative, the author's attention to detail about every aspect and apparatus of a waterman's life on the Cheasapeake Bay to be a bit much. I found it difficult to find interest in how many eel baits were used on a trotline and how close together they were spaced. Not being well versed on the parts of various fishing vessels, I found myself lost as to what the author was writing about not to mention the numerous detailed descriptions of every piece of fishing apparatus employed by watermen.

Beautiful Swimmers.......2005-08-18

Beautiful Swimmers was given to me by a relative mixed in with a number of Bay-related books(including Tom Horton's Island Out of Time and several others).
Often, environmental writers stand the risk of in a way reducing the Bay to merely some sort of ecological experiment. Some I have read do not take into account that every little change in the Bay, whether the fault of Mother Nature or ourselves, drastically affects the people whose entire livelihood is fished out of these waters. Fortunately, the author(s) of Beautiful Swimmers does not fall into that trap.
The Watermen have a unique love affair with the Blue Crab. As evidenced by my own home town's "Hard Crab Derby" celebration ever year. This book, I think, gives a very fair and honest portrayal of these seemingly simple people with seemingly simple lives. Its handling of carcinological matters is anything but boring, including an in-detail description of how the crabs make love.
I would highly suggest this work not only for its informative value but for its treatment of the inherant poetry and beauty of the Bay. Even at the time of its publishing, the downward trend in the Bay's health was growing more evident. Today the situation is even more precarious, and requires a very delicate balance between the health of the Bay that supports so many and the people themselves, whose lives have been spent gleaning from these once bountiful waters an income, and who keep alive the traditions of Watermen from over four centuries ago.
Let us protect the Bay, this precious resource of ours, but we must not forget about the people.

Once again, an exceptional book, and one that I recommend for anyone interested in the Conservation of the Chesapeake Bay and the people that depend upon it.

Entertaining and Educational.......2005-01-03

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I spent summers as a kid catching crabs and seeing commercial crabbers outside my grandparents' home but there was a lot about the industry and the bay that I didn't know. I felt like an eavesdropper on an unfamiliar yet familiar world as I read this book, and found my curiousity awakened. The writers clear appreciation for his subject shines through, and it is a delight to discover even many years after it was written.

It Takes You There...........2004-11-16

Beautiful Swimmers will make you feel like you are a part of growing up in the Chesapeake Bay region. If you already did so, it will bring you back home.

Beautiful Swimmers serves as excellent literature for a multitude of readers: naturalists, historians, travellers, and folks who enjoy reading a good novel. It also provides a good blend of natural and cultural resource history.

I moved to the Chesapeake Bay area (Deale, MD) several years ago and was referred to Beautiful Swimmers by several members of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Prior to reading Beautiful Swimmers, I grew extremely fond of living on the bay. Since reading the book, I have that much more appreciation for the culture of the bay.

So Others May Live: Coast Guard's Rescue Swimmers: Saving Lives, Defying Death

Average customer rating:

Good story, author lacking
My son's favorite book
Muddy's Coffeehouse in Eliz. City
A history of the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer
Absolutely incredible reality-driven writing!

So Others May Live: Coast Guard's Rescue Swimmers: Saving Lives, Defying Death
Martha J LaGuardia-Kotite
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Disaster Relief | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Law Enforcement | Criminal Law | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Emergency Medicine | Specialties | Medicine | Subjects | Books

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The Coast Guard in World War I: An Untold Story

ASIN: 1592289312

Book Description

So Others May Live is the untold story of the U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer. In startlingly clear and exceptional writing, it tells twelve heroic stories of the greatest maritime rescues attempted since the program was started in 1985. These feats, told through the eyes of the hero, reveal an understanding of how and why the rescuer, with flight crew assistance, risks his or her own life to reach out to save a stranger. The book covers diverse environments: oceans, hurricanes, oil rigs, caves, sinking vessels, floods, and even Niagara Falls. It is truly a can't-put-it-down collection.

Customer Reviews:

Good story, author lacking.......2007-04-28

While I found the stories interesting, the author's style was lacking. The first two chapters dealt with why the Coast Guard has a rescue swimmer program and what led up to it. However, it gets a bit tedious at times. The author lists every person who ever had anything to do with the ups and downs of the program. Needless to say, the two chapters could have been combined into one smaller chapter. The minutia gets a bit heavy.

As for the stories, once again minutia gets in the way of the heart of the story. I don't think it's necessary to list the aircraft numbers in each story. Unless you are CG and have flown in or worked around these aircraft, it is not necessary for the story. I wold have preferred also that the author list crew positions more than once in each chapter. The constant referring to the crews by name without occasionally referring to them with crew position and name requires you at times to reread the beginning to keep up with who's who.

I applaud the heroism and dedication of the crews involved, however it seems their story gets lost in the author's quest to write a long book by filling it with unnecessary words. At times it was like the student who was told to write a 1,000 word essay and ends up with a 500 word essay and 500 words of filler.

My son's favorite book.......2007-03-11

I've read the entire book a few times to my son. He loves it. The writing style is arguably not the greatest, but the stories are wonderful and the author's pride, admiration, and sincerity shines through.

I think this could be turned into a wonderful book for boys ages 8-12. I do want to point out the risk of encouraging a career as a rescue swimmer. As a father I'd prefer something a bit less heroic.

Muddy's Coffeehouse in Eliz. City.......2006-11-23

Incredible! I am a frequent patron of Muddy Water's Coffeehouse in E. City, N.C. and I have no connection to the Coast Guard. I frequently run into these guys, mostly the kids in the swimmer training program, on Saturdays when they come in to get coffee and study their training material, or e-mail their wives and girlfriends. They are perennially polite and completely pumped up about the program. I have always had lots of interest in learning about what they do. Then came The Guardian. After seeing that, I had more respect for these swimmers than I have for any of the other "Special Forces." (I realize they are not classified as such, but perhaps they should be.) I bought the book to learn more and learn I did. It is unfathomable to me that these young men and women will take the risks they do to save others' lives, particularly when, in many of these cases, people made stupid mistakes to be out on the seas in the first place. I read the book thinking, Yeah, So Others May Live to make some more stupid mistakes another day.

As a writer myself, I thought the book was incredibly well-done. The characterization of these guys as capable, yet humble, rang so true. The story-driven chapters were gripping. I read far too late into the night too many nights in a row. Martha, you owe me some sleep. And, Swimmers, the rest of us owe you and your "teammates" nothing but the utmost respect.

A P.S. to Ms. LaGuardia-Kotite: Your epilogue on "rescuing the rescuers"
answered the burning question I had - what do these guys do with the horrors they have seen and they stress they have borne?

A history of the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer.......2006-08-17

SO OTHERS MAY LIVE: SAVINGS LIVES, DEFYING DEATH WITH THE COAST GUARD'S RESCUE SWIMMERS provides a history of the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer, pairing this history with twelve stories which chronicle maritime rescues. Swimmers tell these stories of perilous rescue and while SO OTHERS MAY LIVE would also qualify to be featured in our 'True Adventure' section, it's featured here for additional value as a history of Coast Guard efforts overall.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Absolutely incredible reality-driven writing!.......2006-07-24

Her description of the harrowing rescues on rooftops in New Orleans took my breath away. I've been in SAR situations where a person had to be forced to leave a sinking boat, and on law-enforcement sorties where the bad guys had guns, but, in each of those occasions, you knew exactly what to expect - things were straightforward. The deteriorating conditions in New Orleans after Katrina, gave the crew, especially the swimmers, such extraordinary unknowns. The need to adapt to such changing and challenging situations so quickly - and the sheer number of them! - was obviously devastating to both body and psyche. And, the fact that among Coast Guard personnel there were no deaths, no collisions, no serious injury, is just astounding. I'm not sure that this country really appreciates the length to which our little service went in those days following the hurricane.

Her book made it all so clear. I felt like I was hovering alongside the aircraft, totally immersed in the emotion of the moment; `didn't matter if it was over the water, or next to a cliff or in a cave. Her words took you there.

The book, and the story it tells, is nothing short of exceptional. They say you write best when you "write about what you know." Well, with the help of those amazing rescue swimmers, she obviously knew what she was writing about and took it to a level of intensity found in very few books.

Golden Girl: How Natalie Coughlin Fought Back, Challenged Conventional Wisdom, and Became America's Olympic Champion

Average customer rating:

Piqued my interest in alternative training techniques
The Negative Book about Swimming
For swimmers of ALL ages!
A motivational read about Natalie
A unique insite into ultra-competitive swimming

Golden Girl: How Natalie Coughlin Fought Back, Challenged Conventional Wisdom, and Became America's Olympic Champion
Michael Silver , and Natalie Coughlin
Manufacturer: Rodale Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Olympic Games | Miscellaneous | Sports | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1594862540
Release Date: 2006-04-18

Book Description

Five years ago, Natalie Coughlins promising swimming career was all but extinguished when a devastating shoulder injury ended her dreams for the 2000 Olympics. After becoming, at age 15, the first person ever to qualify for all 14 womens events at the U.S. Nationals, she seemed destined to follow the path of so many other young swimming starsdevoured by an oppressive training schedule. In Golden Girl, Sports Illustrateds Michael Silvercoauthor of many bestselling sports memoirsincluding Dennis Rodmans, Kurt Warners, and Jerry Ricestells the story of Natalies remarkable journey back from the brink. With complete access to her family, friends, coaches, teammates, and adversaries, Silver details how she made the crucial choice to train with University of California coach Teri McKeever. Together the two, star and coach, have defied long-standing training methods, forcing the swimming community to rethink the ways in which it treats its talent. An inspirational story of a complex and courageous young athlete, Golden Girl is also a fascinating portrait of the fractious world of competitive swimming.

Customer Reviews:

Piqued my interest in alternative training techniques.......2007-02-01

Based on the other comments, I thought this book would be a litany of complaints by Natalie. I assumed she would really bash her old coach. Instead, he is mentioned mostly in the context of the difference between his training philosophy and that of Teri McKeever. Ray Mitchell occupies part of a chapter. This leads me to believe that those who are outraged must not have taken the time to read the book.

That being said, I thought the book was more about the Cal swim season with a focus on Natalie and McKeever. It was a fascinating look at a different approach to swimming - focus on technique, workout variety and team building. As one of the many burned out former age groupers who swam lot of 10K+ workouts, I think the whole swimming world should celebrate that coaches such as McKeever and Salo are willing to try something new. Natalie and the Cal swim program are proof that there is more to swim training than piling up yardage. This is really inspiring. I used to worry about whether I was doing the right thing by introducing my children to this sport. This book has helped to re-ignite my love for competitive swimming.

The Negative Book about Swimming.......2006-12-08

I have read the book and I am shocked of the way
she talks about her coaches and some of her teammates. Negative, selfish!
It is sad how a champion of her caliber can write a book like this one.

I do not recommend this book to children or any person who might want
to get a view of swimming.

Do not waste your money on this book. Find other books who will
give you a positive inside of the sport of swimming like the Michael
Phelps' book or Summer Sanders' book.

I would like to give O starts to this book.

For swimmers of ALL ages!.......2006-11-10

What a great book! A great read for 12+ swimmers and a MUST READ for all swim parents! This book really helped me gain perspective on my children's swimming and my own!

A motivational read about Natalie.......2006-09-01

I found this book to be a great read about a swimmer who overcame issues to win 5 Olympic medals. As the mom of two swimmers on a less serious, more recreational, swim team, I can still understand all the pressures she felt.

It appears the negative reviews are from Terrapin families, because I did not find Natalie to be self-absorbed, whiny, or any of the other negative attributes given to her by the one star reviewers.

Natalie took time out of her busy schedule three years ago to spend an afternoon at our swim club to motivate our swimmers before their biggest meet. I plan to have my 14 year old and 11 year old read "Golden Girl" to learn how she became an Olympic star.

A unique insite into ultra-competitive swimming.......2006-07-20

As a former collegiate All-American swimmer, I found Silver's book to be illuminating in many ways. While the writing style is a bit forced at times (for drama's sake), it is overall an interesting read and an honest look into the inner workings of competitive swimming.

I found the willingness to criticize established swimming tenets (and people) refreshingly honest, and to the Silver's and Coughlin's credit, they never try to pass of any of the asseratations as fact but always as opinion. Certainly, this has irked many online reviewers who are naturally protective of their coach and/or training style, but this is one of the few books which actually say publically what many of us in the sport have felt for decades -- we are overtraining and burning out our swimmers, particularly our sprinters.

Will this be an interesting book to a non-swimmer? Probably so, and mostly for the controversy mentioned above.

In particular, I find the Natalie-bashers' strategy confusing. If you disagree with her opinions, fine. If you feel it's so off-based, then why worry about it?

Is He The One?: 101 Questions That Will Lead You to the Truth, Whatever That Is

Average customer rating:

Your Romance Coach Recommends... "Are You the One?"
great for thinking about what is important
Buy it for yourself and then buy another for a friend.

Is He The One?: 101 Questions That Will Lead You to the Truth, Whatever That Is
Susan Swimmer
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Interpersonal Relations | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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How Can You Tell If You're Really in Love?
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How to Avoid Marrying a Jerk

ASIN: 0740741942

Book Description

So, you think you've found him. The One. But before you decide for sure, you must ask certain questions of yourself-101, to be exact. But this is not a weighty tome outlining a hundred conversations with your partner. In fact, don't even invite him to participate. No, this is the heart-to-heart you must have with yourself.á Is he affectionate' A tender touch, a warm kiss, a gentle rub. These are things you should receive every single day. And you shouldn't have to ask. How does he treat people who wait on him in restaurants' Hopefully with the utmost respect, because anything but that is unacceptable. And a generous tipper never hurts.Written in a girlfriend-to-girlfriend style by a magazine professional with her finger on the pulse of women's lifestyles, Is He the One' is a significant tool that's serious fun.

Customer Reviews:

Your Romance Coach Recommends... "Are You the One?".......2004-10-07

I'm a Romance Coach, so every time I go to a bookstore, I cruise
the "Relationships" section to see what's new and interesting. I look for something "meaty" usually, thick, weighty, and serious, hopefully saying something new that I can add to my toolbox. On my last trip, I impulsively added an unusual choice -- the small, thin, and light-weight looking "Is He the One?" by Susan Swimmer. 6 by 6 inches, only 120 pages, and covered in pastels with a swoony looking cartoon woman asking the question ("Is He the One?" in a balloon over her head), it just didn't grab me, and I read all the books I bought first before even opening it.

Well, was I surprised. Yes, it's simple, and yes, it's a light-
weight and easy read. But Susan Swimmer has come up with some
heavy-weight questions to ask yourself about a prospective mate.
"How will I know if he's the one?" is a question I get asked
regularly, and Swimmer gives us some concrete mini-tests as a way of finding out.

Here are some of my favorites (and ones my Sweetheart would have
passed with flying colors): When he has a piece of news, does he call you first? Will he share his desert at a restaurant? Do you know how much money he has? And the last one, a real
cruncher: Would you marry him even if there were no reception,
not party, no nothing? Which is of course about you and not
him.

So if you wonder how you will KNOW, this might be a good book for you to add to your romance library.

Kathryn Lord, Your Romance Coach
www.Find-a-Sweetheart.com

great for thinking about what is important.......2004-06-28

i'm 30 and this book is really good...me and my girlfriends discussed the questions and they are dead on...not pie in the sky stuff but real things to help you think about whether you've got a keep or one you need to throw back. the stats, myths, and other factoids make this a nice book and worth the money. give it as a gift to a friend who's trying to figure it all out!!

Buy it for yourself and then buy another for a friend........2004-06-11

Whether you're in your early twenties and trying to figure this out for the first time, or you're looking back on a marriage of more than 20 years and trying to figure out what works and what doesn't and why, this insightful little book can h elp you get through to the heart of the matter. If he's the one, Susan Swimmer helps to confirm it. If he's not, she helps you see that for real.

The Waterproof Coach: The Waterproof Workout Book for Fitness Swimmers and Triathletes

Average customer rating:

Great swimming workouts
Perfect for Amateur Swimmers
Easy to use and keeps you motivated
Author Comment
A Waste of Money

The Waterproof Coach: The Waterproof Workout Book for Fitness Swimmers and Triathletes
Thomas A. Denes
Manufacturer: Ancient Mariner Aquatics Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

General | Training | Sports | Subjects | Books

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Accessories:

Tanita BC554 Ironman Glass InnerScan Body Composition Monitor Elite Series

ASIN: 0965623009

Book Description

The Waterproof Coach is a unique, self-paced workout book for swimmers and triathletes. This book is completely waterproof. Swimmers can take the book pool-side and plan their workout as they swim. Each page of workouts is cut into three segments--the first segment contains a warm up, the second a main set, and the third a cool down. The book can easily be configured into over 6,700 different workouts by combining any warm up with any main set and any cool down. In other words, if the book is used three days a week, it would take over 40 years before the same workout is repeated! The book presents three levels of workouts, from beginner to intermediate. The three segments allow swimmers to mix and match their workouts by combining any of the levels together. Swimmers can vary their routine simply by flipping the segments.

Customer Reviews:

Great swimming workouts.......2007-06-07

This is a wonderful book to help plan your swimming workouts. I used to go to the pool and just start swimming laps... I would end up going all out in the beginning and then I would get too worn out to complete a good workout. With this book, I can flip through and select a warm-up, main set & cool-down. There are beginner, intermediate & advanced levels for each part of the workout. Now I create a total swimming workout based on how I feel and the amount of time I have at the gym. I know what is ahead of me so I pace myself during the warm-up, push myself during the main set & and I always look forward to the cool-down! I also love that this book is waterproof. I bring it to the pool with me & leave it on the edge of the pool... it can get wet and it will not be ruined!

Perfect for Amateur Swimmers.......2007-04-10

This swimming guide is great for the swimmer trying to get back into shape. The pages are printed on waterproof paper so you can take it to the pool with you.

Easy to use and keeps you motivated.......2007-01-12

This is a very useful tool when trying to get back in shape. It keeps your workouts interesting and efficient. It is truly waterproof and can take the abuse of pool deck use and storage in pool bog between workouts. I recommend it to the amateur swimmer who uses swimming to stay in shape. I borrowed a friend's and then bought my own and use it every time I swim.

Author Comment.......2005-11-14

Mr. Zohar is correct that The Waterproof Coach is more helpful to the beginning swimmer or triathlete than to the competitive swimmer. The workouts are mostly freestyle because most fitness swimmers are not proficient in the other strokes. The book is a bit pricey at $29.95 but that is because it is printed on completely waterproof paper. The paper costs three times as much as regular paper. In addition, the workout pages are cut into thirds so that the swimmer can mix and match workouts. This is an expensive part of the manufacturing process. Most of the fitness swimmers and triathletes who have purchased the book since 1997 have been happy with it.

A Waste of Money.......2005-10-15

In all fairness, I must begin by stating that I am not a triathlete. I am a swimmer.There's a difference. Maybe that's the reason I expected a book that would supply me with some new training ideas. Nada! This book offers the most basic sessions imaginable. Any swimmer can think up better sessions. In fact, you can freely download better training sessions from various internet sites. No drills to speak of in the book. Also, it is assumed that the reader is only swimming freestyle, so there is no stroke training. Lastly, the price is high - $30!
All these points caused me to return the book, inspite of incurring a refund loss.
Save your money.

Inside Out: Straight Talk from a Gay Jock

Average customer rating:

Amazing Transformation
Plain-spoken but involving memoir of a gay athlete
Good Book but why not do one on someone that came out before they were big
new low for the Olympics, Gay Games & OutGames
Straight Up and Out Talk

Inside Out: Straight Talk from a Gay Jock
Mark Tewksbury
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0470837357

Book Description

Mark Tewksbury is best known as a gold-medal-winning Olympic swimmer. His remarkable sixteen-year athletic career included three Olympic medals, numerous world records, and inductions into three major halls of fame: the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, and the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Although retired as an athlete, Tewksbury remains a highly respected public figure. He delivered prized swimming analysis for the CBC from the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, hosts the Discovery Channel’s popular How It’s Made show, and is Co-President of the first World Outgames, Montreal 2006.

Tewksbury has spoken to millions as part of his eighteen-year speaking career and remains much in demand as an inspirational speaker to companies and organizations around the world. For his active humanitarianism, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Western Ontario in 2001, and in 2005 Tewksbury was awarded the International Person of the Year Award at São Paulo Pride in Brazil. He currently lives in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

For more on Mark Tewksbury, please visit www.MarkTewksbury.com

"To reach the pinnacle of Olympic Swimming takes incredible dedication, resilience and courage that few possess. To reach your true self takes these attributes and a great deal more courage so, therefore, even fewer arrive at this point in their lives. Mark Tewksbury is one of these courageous people who achieve so much and through pain, suffering, daring, and pure fight, become who they truly are, inside and out."
— Duncan Armstrong O.A.M., Australian Olympic Swimming Legend

Customer Reviews:

Amazing Transformation.......2007-06-09

The cover photos on Mark Tewksbury's autobiographical Inside Out: Straight Talk From a Gay Jock are incredibly masculine. The handsome face on the front, the sexy, virile body on the back, the flexed arm holding a fistful of Olympic medals. So it's quite a shock to discover that as a boy, Tewksbury loved to dress up in his grandmother's clothes, and that, like so many of us, he was teased and taunted as a fag in high schoo.

How does a man make such a transformation? Tewksbury eloquently sums up his ability to win Olympic gold in the 1992 Olympics this way: "I gazed around the room slowly. The best swimmers from Russia, Cuba, the United States, Spain, Germany and France were in front of me. And I was different. I was the fag. And in that moment I owned my truth completely. I thought, `If these guys knew how hard it was for me to get here, they wouldn't believe it. They have no bloody clue what I have been through. Or how strong I am.'"

Those sentiments enabled him to succeed. "I went out and swam, dropping more than 1.2 seconds from my personal best... to win the first gold medal for Canada in Barcelona."

The book is an interesting mix of evasiveness and the titular "straight talk." Tewksbury is open about his long-term relationship with a gay couple, as well as his pursuit of a paid escort. There's a lot that remains unsaid, though he's frank about the depression that struck after his Olympic win, closely tied to his own internalized homophobia.

The biggest accomplishment of this book is its ability to present Mark Tewksbury as a real person--not just a sexy hunk or an Olympic idol. Though he's not yet forty, he (and his country) have come a long way since he won that gold medal.

Neil Plakcy, author of Mahu Surfer: A Hawaiian Mystery (An Alyson Mystery)

Plain-spoken but involving memoir of a gay athlete.......2007-01-03

Decades after Dave Kopay's ground-breaking autobiography, there still are very few elite athletes who have been willing to come out of the closet. Therefore, Mark Tewksbury's memoir gains an automatic interest. Tewksbury, a 1992 Olympic gold medalist in the backstroke (he upset favored American Jeff Rouse), does not focus a great deal in "Inside Out" on this triumph, at least in part because he has already penned a book on that topic, but mostly because he wants to focus on what he views as more essential subjects. He talks of his family and his generally unhappy childhood, his early same-sex crushes, his fear of exposure both before and especially after his rise to the highest rank of his sport, all to frequently moving effect. His accounts of his foray within the international Olympic movement, and later involvement with the nascent Gay Games, offer fascinating glimpses into the politics and intrigue of big-time sports.

All this may seem like a lot to stuff into a relatively short book, and in fact, it is. Tewksbury, who on the evidence is a decent writer, spends so much time recounting events that there is not much time for atmosphere or reflection, though one might take this as an accurate conveyance of what frequently seems to be a frantic, fast-paced life. When he does pause to talk about his emotions his plain style is genuinely touching, as in his account of his father's death from cancer. Though one may wonder just how hard a skilled athlete with a strapping physique and dazzling smile (evident in many of the photos, though the beefcake element is kept low-key), not to mention a gift for public speaking, could possibly have it, Tewksbury's willingness to reveal his inner anguish and vulnerability cannot fail to touch the reader. Until such time as the world of sport comes to terms with the sexual orientation of some of its greatest representatives books such as "Inside Out" will be necessary.

Good Book but why not do one on someone that came out before they were big.......2006-08-21

This was a really good book. I really enjoyed the part about Mark's experience with being on the various committees and his speaking career. It was interesting to read something about an athlete who talked about other things he did besides just performing the sport itself.

I wish an athlete would write a book that came out before or during his participation in the sport instead of after. While I still have a lot of respect for people like Mark who come out, they have already won the medals and made their cash, so they really aren't risking their careers any longer.

new low for the Olympics, Gay Games & OutGames.......2006-06-16

Mark did a fairly good job in destroying any respect I had for the people responsible for putting together the Olympics, GayGames and the newly formed OutGames. His story was quite interesting and for the most part well written. I don't know if it was his intention but I agonized over all the frustrating in-fighting at Olympics/Gay Games/OutGames that was depicted in graphic detail. I was saddened that our gay brothers and sisters could not come together and cause one games series for us. Mark did a great job making me feel the pain we all go through with the anti-gay bigotry. I also enjoyed the way he showed the upward progression of acceptance from the time he was a teen to his 30s. I applaud Mark for this contribution and recommend the book.

Straight Up and Out Talk.......2006-05-30

Mark Tewksbury is an inspiring person and a well-admired athlete of the Olympics. I'll be honest and say I was approaching this book from a shallow viewpoint. Though he was a swimmer, not a diver, it seemed like his "coming out" story would just be a pale comparison to that of Greg Louganis.

This is not the case, however, as Mark's story is told with an elegance and difference that makes it stand alone. Do not expect high dramatics or shocking revelations, but there are well-learned lessons here and simply an amazing personal journey. It reminds us that each gay person's evolution is a unique story. What I most appreciated was that he dared to come forth with his relationship as part of a three-way couple, a theme that's unusual even in gay autobiographies.

We've had the stories of Louganis, Billy Bean, and others, and this one joins the chorus in helping us recognize the special challenges that face the gay athlete in the coming-to-realize and coming-out processes.

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