Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Another swimmer bio--a 2004 Olympic champ

I actually do read other kinds of books!! I even read about other sports! But lately I've been on this swimming-book binge. (See entries for June 13 2006, June 29, 2006, and July 18, 2006.)

Michael Silver's Golden girl : how Natalie Coughlin fought back, challenged conventional wisdom, and became America's olympic champion ([Emmaus, Pa.]: Rodale, 2006) came out this summer, and I snatched it up right away. For the most part, it didn't disappoint.

Natalie Coughlin competed in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

First, the bad: While Coughlin did overcome some hardships and rough spots, sometimes the author writes like Coughlin came up from abject poverty, or suffered a debilitating injury that made daily life tasks difficult, at least. The difficulties and pressure she faced came from pursuing an activity she chose--swimming--not from circumstances beyond her control. There are others in the book who've had it rougher--not the least of whom is her coach. Her story is quite an interesting one, and fortunately does make up a good deal of the book. Not to completely dismiss Coughlin's obstacles, but I don't think they're as huge as Silver makes them sound.

The author fawns a little too much over Coughlin on occasion. And it's hard to keep track of all the swimmers and coaches (especially if you put the book down for a few weeks, like I did).

Okay, the good stuff: the coach, Terri McKeever, does have an interesting story. Just being a female coach of a Division I college team is still somewhat of an anomoly. She struggles with self-esteem. She has a good track record of getting the best out of swimmers who aren't heavily recruited. She has an interesting coaching style, which leads to another strong point about the book...

...its critique of standard swimming training. After reading even a couple of books about swimming, you learn that most coaches emphasize distance training, in a huge way. McKeever does not; she takes a much more varied approach. She concentrates on the mechanics of swimming, and the swimmers having fun. That's where the "challenging conventional wisdom" part of the title comes in. McKeever definitely does, and Coughlin deserves credit for trying them out, sticking with them, and defending them.

Good point 3: insight into a collegiate-level swimming program. I liked the descriptions of building a team, recruiting, practices, and meets. When college teams are subjects of books, they're usually football or basketball teams. It's so nice to see another sport featured, especially for an individual sport like swimming.

Good point 4: the portraits of other swimmers and coaches. Hailey Cope is an especially interesting person.

Good point 5: Coughlin is an interesting person too. The book covers a critical year in her life, as she moves from college to pro ranks.

Upon reflection, I'd rate this as one of my one of my favorite swimming books. And I've read quite a few!

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