In a candid and ultimately uplifting memoir, international swimming star Amanda Beard reveals the truth about coming of age in the Olympic spotlight, the demons she battled along the way, and the newfound happiness that has proved to be her greatest victory.At the tender age of fourteen, Amanda Beard walked onto the pool deck at the Atlanta Olympics carrying her teddy bear, Harold. She left with two silvers and a gold medal. She competed in three more Olympic games, winning a total of seven medals and enjoying a lucrative modeling career on the side. At one point, she was the most downloaded female athlete on the Internet.Yet beneath her astonishing career and sex-symbol status, Beard felt unworthy of all her success. Unaware that she was suffering from clinical depression, she hid the pain beneath a mega-watt smile. She secretly struggled with depression, anorexia, bulimia, and cutting, and she abused drugs and alcohol. No one, not even her own parents and friends, knew about her self-destructive behavior. Only when she met her future husband, who caught her cutting herself, did Amanda realize she needed help. Through her renewed faith in herself, the love of her family, and finally the birth of her baby boy, Blaise, Amanda has transformed her life. Sports fans, young women, readers looking for inspiration will all be rewarded by this raw, compelling story of a woman who gained the strength to live as bravely out of the water as she did in it.

In Mile Markers, Runner’s World contributing editor Kristin Armstrong captures the ineffable and timeless beauty of running, the importance of nurturing relationships with those we love, and the significance of reflecting on our experiences. This collection considers the most important reasons women run, celebrating the inspiring passion runners have for their sport and illustrating how running fosters a vitally powerful community. With unique wit, refreshing candor, and disarming vulnerability, Armstrong shares her conviction that running is the perfect parallel for marking the milestones of life. From describing running a hardfought race with her tightly-knit group of sweat sisters, to watching her children participate in the sport for the very first time, Armstrong infuses her experiences with a perspective of hope that every moment is a chance to become a stronger, wiser, more peaceful woman. Running threads these touching stories together, and through each of them we are shown the universal undercurrents of inspiration, growth, grace, family, empowerment, and endurance. 

More women than ever are discovering the unique benefits of running -- for stress relief, weight management, endurance, and self-esteem. Women's bodies are not the same as men's, and though we can train just as hard and with the same passion for excellence, we have certain special concerns. Finally, there is a comprehensive guide exclusively for women who experience the pure joy of running, or want to. It's the simplest, fastest, most accessible way to fitness and good health known to woman. You don't need a partner, equipment, or even much time. Now, Claire Kowalchik, former managing editor of Runner's World magazine, answers every question about the overwhelmingly popular activity that builds endurance, melts fat, and even prevents illness. In this total running book for women, you'll learn: How to get started and stay motivated What to eat for optimal nutrition How to run during pregnancy and after menopause Why running is the most effective form of exercise How to prevent and treat injury What to wear -- from sports bras to running shoes How to prepare for everything from a 5K to a marathon Authoritative and friendly, The Complete Book of Running for Women is a sourcebook for both beginners and long-time runners. Along with wisdom drawn from the author's personal experience, you'll find advice from the experts: coaches, exercise physiologists, nutritionists, doctors, and other women runners. Including question-and-answer sections and a complete list of resources, The Complete Book of Running for Women tells you everything you need to know to be off and running toward better health and richer living.

Throughout her teaching career, Kellie Stenzel has been continually asked to recommend a beginning golf instruction book for her female students to read. She researched the market and found nothing suitable—most books are too technical for the beginner and assume that the reader already has some familiarity with the game. This became the inspiration for The Women’s Guide to Golf, a well-crafted and easy-to-understand golf instructional for women who are new to the game.Each section of the book provides a complete explanation of the skills needed to play golf. Ideas are presented in a clear and simple manner—golf lingo is translated into every-day English whenever possible so the reader can easily understand. Since students must have an idea of what they are trying to accomplish before they can learn, Kellie Stenzel starts at the very beginning and gives detailed explanations of basic concepts. For example, she explains what a putter looks like, what a putting green looks like, and what the goal of putting is, before teaching the reader how to putt. In addition, since women’s learning style is very different from men’s, this book also addresses specific women’s issues, such as posture and lack of distance.This book includes- a thorough explanation of the game- easy-to-understand instructions- suggestions on how to avoid embarrassment as a beginner- simple ways to remember what you’ve read- great anecdotes from the author’s experiences as a golfer and a teacher- over 75 black-and-white photosThe Women’s Guide to Golf is one of the most accessible and comprehensive golf instructionals ever written for women—it is the perfect book for any woman who wants to learn the game.

With information on strengthening and toning the legs, buttocks, abs, and back, Women's Strength Training Anatomy provides full-color, detailed anatomical illustrations of exercises for these hard-to-shape areas. What makes this book unique is that readers can see the muscles at work during each exercise, like an X ray of the body in motion.Are there definite anatomical differences in the way men and women should build their bodies? According to the best-selling author and illustrator of Strength Training Anatomy, the answer is an overwhelming yes! Exercise variations based on a woman's unique anatomical features are also covered, helping to isolate muscles and make each exercise more effective.Make your workouts work harder for you! If you work out to strengthen and shape your body or if you help women get stronger and more defined, this is one book you need for understanding the female form and getting the most from your exercises.

This is the extraordinary story of a nearly forgotten American superstar athlete. Texas girl Babe Didrikson never tried a sport too tough and never met a hurdle too high. Despite attempts to keep women from competing, Babe achieved All-American status in basketball and won gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Olympics.Then Babe attempted to conquer golf. One of the founders of the LPGA, Babe won more consecutive tournaments than any golfer in history. At the height of her fame, she was diagnosed with cancer. Babe would then take her most daring step of all: go public and try to win again with the hope of inspiring the world.A rollicking saga, stretching across the first half of the 20th century, WONDER GIRL is as fresh, heartfelt, and graceful as Babe herself.

Run Like A Girl is about the impact that participating in sports has on women—how the confidence and strength that it helps to build spills over into all of our experiences, making us stronger and better prepared for life’s many challenges. In this inspiring book, Mina Samuels uses the varied personal stories of women and girls of all ages and backgrounds—as well as her own—to take a broad look at the power that sports have to help us face, and to overcome, obstacles in all arenas of life.Myriad voices fill the pages of Run Like A Girl: a US-ranked amateur triathlete who’s raising an autistic son; a thirteen-year-old girl who discovers and falls in love with cross-country running; a woman who runs her first marathon at age sixty; an investment banker who quit her job to become a yoga teacher and adopt a daughter on her own; a young mother with scoliosis who cycled her way back to health and became a jewelry designer along the way; and countless other women—including Kathrine Switzer, Rebecca Rusch, and Molly Barker—who have been changed by their experience with sports. Run Like A Girl makes the important argument that physical strength lends itself to psychological strength, that lessons learned on the field (or track, or slopes) can help us face challenges in other areas—and that for many women, participating in sports translates into leading a happier, more fulfilling life.

"It wasn't a team.  It was a tent revival."So says Pat Summitt, the legendary coach whose Tennessee Lady Vols entered the 1997-98 season aiming for an almost unprecedented "three-peat" of NCAA championships.  Raise the Roof takes you right inside the locker room of her amazing team, whose inspired mixture of gifted freshmen and seasoned stars produced a standard of play that would change the game of women's basketball forever.The 1997-98 season started innocently enough.  One Saturday in August, four young freshmen--Semeka Randall, Tamika Catchings, Ace Clement and Teresa Geter--arrived on the Tennessee campus to begin their college careers.  Welcoming them were a number of players from the previous year, including Chamique Holdsclaw and Kellie Jolly.  But that night, in a sign of things to come, a simple pickup game turned into an amazing display of basketball brilliance--freshmen against established players, and with barely a shot missed by either side.  Suddenly Pat Summitt glimpsed the future: fast, aggressive and hugely talented.  This might be the team she'd worked her whole career to coach.As the season got under way, other dramas unfolded.  After one emotional team meeting, Summitt realized that many on the team were playing for something more than just the glory of the game: all four freshmen, for example, came from single-parent homes, and the tough circumstances of the majority of the other players seemed to add an extra edge to their desire to win it all.  Further, Chamique Holdsclaw, widely regarded as the greatest female player ever, was being dogged by questions about turning pro--and she seemed reluctant to rule it out.  Meanwhile, another member of the team began to notice the unwelcome attentions of a fan, who soon turned out to be a full-fledged stalker.All this was behind the scenes; out on the court, the win column was swelling with every game: 8-0, 15-0, 21-0.  As 1997 turned into 1998, Pat Summitt began privately to admit that this team had changed her: these kids were so lovable, funny and eager to please that she simply had to let them into her heart.  Along the way, the Lady Vols were redefining what women were capable of, trading in old definitions of femininity for new ones--in short, they were keeping score.  And by the time they entered the NCAA Final Four tournament in Kansas City, Summitt found herself believing the impossible: despite all the distractions, the 1997-98 Lady Vols could go undefeated, and, in doing so, raise the roof off the sport of women's basketball.Packed with the excitement of a season on the brink of perfection and filled with the comedy and tragedy of one year in the life of a basketball team, Raise the Roof will have readers cheering from the bench for a team of all-conquering players and their astonishing coach.From the Hardcover edition.

Now available in paperback, the urgent argument for “saving the futures of female athletes” (USA TODAY). • Controversial and compelling: The Warrior Girls excerpts in The New York Times Magazine and The Washington Post received an overwhelming response. Warrior Girls has spurred a relevant debate that continues on websites devoted to sports, parenting, and women’s health. • The ignored injury epidemic: Well over one million girls play high school soccer, basketball, lacrosse, and volleyball. But women’s collegiate soccer players suffer concussions at the same rate as college football players. most alarming are the high rates of knee injuries involving the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, which girls tear eight times more often than boys. • A crucial look at a culture in denial: Advocates of women’s sports worry that acknowledging the injury epidemic will threaten our daughters’ hard-won opportunities on the field. Warrior Girls examines these shocking truths and offers hopeful solutions for encouraging female athletes to play well—and safely.

The 1950s phenomenon of Roller Derby is back in full force, and it's definitely not your grandma's game anymore. With leagues in more than one hundred cities across the country, a national tournament, and major sponsors, the new wave of the sport has gone mainstream. No one is better qualified to tell the story of Flat Track Derby's astronomic rise than Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan. As a founding member of the Texas Rollergirls -- the league that launched the sport and the reigning national champions -- she has helped redefine what it means to be stylish, sporty, and sexy. With her mouthy, tough-as-nails style, Melicious recounts her best tales from the track: her fierce rivalries with The Wrench and Ivanna S. Pankin, the scene at the annual national tournament, the thrill of a bout, and the infractions that so often bring her to the penalty box. From the minute she first laced up her skates and wrapped herself in her alter ego, Roller Derby has given her a confidence boost, and she shares the positive impact the sport has also had on girls -- young and not-so-young -- who tack posters of her on their bedroom walls and lace up their own skates. Complete with photos and suggestions on how to develop a Rollergirl name and persona, this unprecedented tell-all comes from the woman who's watched the sport evolve from an underground Friday-night event to a bona fide national phenomenon.