Michelle Kwan

Michelle Kwan

Author: Rachel A. Koestler-Grack

Publisher: Infobase Publishing

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 129

ISBN-13: 143810037X

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From the day she laced up her first pair of skates, Michelle Kwan knew she belonged on the ice. When she was 7 years old, she vowed that she would one day be an Olympic skater, and went straight to work on making her dream come true. By the time she was 12, she was already competing with top skaters from around the world. At age 15, Kwan won her first national and world titles. And in 1998, she made skating history at the U.S. Championships when she received 15 perfect scores for presentation in her long and short programs, the most perfect scores ever for a female skater. Michelle Kwan is the story of a gifted young athlete whose determination and focus have enabled her to become the most decorated skater in U.S. history. Though the only medal ever to elude her was the Olympic gold, Kwan remains a true champion, and she has shown just as much grace in her setbacks as she has on the ice. Her positive attitude has earned her the reputation of sports' ultimate class act, and it is sure to inspire readers of this engaging new volume.


Welcome to My World

Welcome to My World

Author: Johnny Weir

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2011-01-11

Total Pages: 275

ISBN-13: 1451611374

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In a memoir as candid and unconventional as Johnny Weir himself, the three-time U.S. National Champion figure skater who electrified the 2010 Winter Olympics shares his glamorous, gritty, heartbreaking, hopeful, and just plain fabulous life story. How does a boy from rural Pennsylvania become an all-American original style icon on the ice and off, adored by fans around the world, and hailed as “The Lady Gaga of skating” (Salon.com)? The answers are here, in his invigorating and thoroughly entertaining chronicle of the emergence of his natural talents for skating and horseback riding; the physically and emotionally grinding path to becoming a champion; a family who sacrificed everything to support his passions; an ability to rise again after the most devastating defeats and never look back; an appreciation of style (from his mom) and self-discipline (that would be from his dad); and a fearless confidence to say whatever’s on his mind. Because when you’re Johnny Weir, you don’t worry about what other people think. You let everyone else worry about that for you. Welcome to his world.


A Skating Life

A Skating Life

Author: Dorothy Hamill

Publisher: Hachette Books

Published: 2007-10-02

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 1401389783

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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.


All the Sundays Yet to Come

All the Sundays Yet to Come

Author: Kathryn Bertine

Publisher: Little Brown

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13: 9780316099011

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- Now a professional elite triathlete, Bertine is young, energetic, and funny and has already been featured in ESPN: The Magazine, Triathlete, and Wildcat Online.- In the tradition of Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential and Jim Bouton's classic Ball Four, Bertine humorously and honestly dishes the dirt about the little-known dark side of a seemingly glamorous world.


Fire on Ice

Fire on Ice

Author: Abby Haight

Publisher: Crown

Published: 2017-12-05

Total Pages: 150

ISBN-13: 0525575316

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Perfect for fans of I, Tonya starring Margot Robbie and Allison Janney, this first full scale biography of Tonya Harding explores one of the most provocative figures in figure skating at the height of the controversy—centered on the 1994 attack on Nancy Kerrigan—that made Harding a household name. Championship figure skating, despite its surface appearance of pristine elegance, is a ferociously competitive sport, full of bitter rivalry and personal antagonism. Olympic glory means everything: fame, money, and the admiration of millions. Every skater who goes for the gold has drive and tremendous competitive spirit, but few more than Tonya Harding. In Fire on Ice, you will learn about Harding’s hardscrabble childhood—a childhood racked by abuse, money problems, and unceasing pressure and belittlement by her mother. And you will learn how Tonya Harding made herself into one of America’s best skaters. Here is a young woman whose fierce ambition was, in the end, her downfall. Her story is a tale of sacrifice and overcoming obstacles, of the strength of competition and the blindness of ambition. In the thin ice over which Tonya Harding always glided, we could not help but see an American story, and all of America was watching.


Beautiful on the Outside

Beautiful on the Outside

Author: Adam Rippon

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Published: 2019-10-15

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1538732394

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Former Olympic figure skater and self-professed America's Sweetheart Adam Rippon shares his underdog journey from beautiful mess to outrageous success in this hilarious, big-hearted memoir. Your mom probably told you it's what on the inside that counts. Well, then she was never a competitive figure skater. Olympic medalist Adam Rippon has been making it pretty for the judges even when, just below the surface, everything was an absolute mess. From traveling to practices on the Greyhound bus next to ex convicts to being so poor he could only afford to eat the free apples at his gym, Rippon got through the toughest times with a smile on his face, a glint in his eye, and quip ready for anyone listening. Beautiful on the Outside looks at his journey from a homeschooled kid in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to a self-professed American sweetheart on the world stage and all the disasters and self-delusions it took to get him there. Yeah, it may be what's on the inside that counts, but life is so much better when it's beautiful on the outside.


Tessa and Scott

Tessa and Scott

Author: Tessa Virtue

Publisher: House of Anansi

Published: 2018-10-02

Total Pages: 404

ISBN-13: 1487006276

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Tessa and Scott share their incredible and inspiring story — now updated and expanded with a new introduction, over 100 dazzling new photographs, and three all-new chapters covering the pair’s stunning performances at the Sochi and PyeongChang Olympic Games and beyond. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are the most decorated figure skaters in the history of the sport, and are widely celebrated by peers and fans alike for their superior athleticism, one-of-a-kind partnership, and generosity of spirit. In these pages, they share their incredible story with the world. Tessa and Scott: Our Journey from Childhood Dream to Gold offers an intimate and revealing behind-the-scenes look at the iconic duo. Veteran sports columnist Steve Milton draws from hours of conversations with Tessa and Scott as they take us from their first meeting in 1995 to their impressive debut and rapid rise on the international scene; from the highs and lows of competitive skating to the profound impact of Tessa’s injury and subsequent recovery; and from their unprecedented Olympic achievements in Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014, through to their exhilarating triumph in Pyeongchang in 2018, when their performance capture hearts the world over and catapulted them into unparalleled international acclaim. Lavishly illustrated with over 100 new photos, this updated and expanded edition is filled with personal stories and recollections from Tessa, Scott, and those close to them — including family members, friends, and coaches past and present. Tessa and Scott is as much a spectacular visual history as it is a celebration of two of the world’s premier athletes.


We Have Always Lived in the Castle

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Author: Shirley Jackson

Publisher:

Published: 1962

Total Pages: 188

ISBN-13:

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We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate.