Overview
From the Olympics to national and minor leaguer teams, here are the stories of some of the many Native athletes who have excelled in the filed of sports. These stories highlight the lives and achievements of 13 outstanding athletes, both men and women, who followed their hearts and through hard work became champions.- Naomi Lang (Karuk) - US Olympian and ice dance champion
- Ross Anderson (Cheyenne/Arapaho, Mescalero Apache) - Downhill speed skier and US record holder
- Jordin Tootoo (Inuit) - National Hockey League player
- Stephanie Murata (Osage) - US National Wrestling champion
- Beau Kemp (Choctaw and Chickasaw) - Professional baseball pitcher
- Alwyn Morris (Mohawk) - Olympic gold and bronze medalist in kayaking
- Cory Witherill (Navajo) - Professional Indy car racing
- Richard Dionne (Sioux) - CBA basketball champion
- Cheri Becerra-Madsen (Omaha) - Wheelchair racing Olympian, world record holder
- Shelly Hruska (Metis) - Ringette Team Canada
- Mike Edwards (Cherokee) - Professional bowler and PBA champion
- Delby Powless (Mohawk) - Lacrosse champion
- Jim Thorpe (Sauk and Fox) - Olympian and professional football and baseball player
The Native Trailblazer Series shines a spotlight on the contributions of Native Americans and First Nation Canadians who provide inspirational role models for young readers.
High interest text and easy to read format is ideal for teen and adult literacy programs.
Editorials
Janey Solomon
"Athletes in Action has great readability and appealed to our students Our Native youth were able to identify with real people who experienced many of the same challenges they do."KLIATT -
This carefully focused little book is intended, according to its author, to "illustrate how to make a dream come true, and still stay connected to the family and heritage that are part of your inner strength." Each of the 13 award-winning athletes spotlighted is a registered member of a North American tribal nation. While Jim Thorpe gets his due, most of the other athletes are less well known and younger. Even their sports are sometimes new to the American reader. Kelly Hruska, for example, plays ringette, a Canadian game for women similar to ice hockey but without any physical contact allowed. The moral lessons incorporated into each vignette are quite clear: set your goals, practice hard no matter the obstacles, and remember who you are. Then, whether you are playing basketball in the CBA, kayaking in the Olympics, competing as a professional bowler, playing Lacrosse or even a female wrestler looking for a coach who will train a woman, you can win as these athletes did. The text is smoothly written and enriched with b/w photography and sidebars that give additional information about the sport or the athlete's tribe. Reviewer: Patricia MooreSchool Library Journal
Gr 4-8
This casually written collective biography summarizes the lives of 13 athletes from the United States and Canada. With the exception of Jim Thorpe, the people included are mostly young, modern, and unknown outside the arena of their sport. The mix of sports is eclectic, ranging from traditional baseball and basketball to wheelchair racing, kayaking, and ringette, a popular Canadian sport for women, virtually unheard of in most of the United States. Schilling briefly describes the lives of the athletes and the personal hardships or discrimination they had to overcome. He stresses in an almost redundant way that all of them have strived to stay away from the evils of alcoholism and drug use. Black-and-white photographs are included. Personal quotations from author interviews and major accomplishments appear in bold text throughout, often reading like clichéd inspirational advice. "Believe in your dreams," "Don't be a quitter," "Listen to your coaches." Despite this overly folksy element, Schilling's message is clear. This is a hopeful book that fills a much-needed void in books about modern Native Americans. However, its audience is limited. Recommended for libraries with Native heritage in their area and larger libraries with extensive sports biography collections.
—Madeline J. BryantCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.