Using Math To Conquer Extreme Sports

Children's Literature

This title has a lot of facts and exciting color photographs about the extreme sports of inline skating, skateboarding, and snowboarding. Snowboarding started when a man screwed two skis together. It has been an Olympic competition since 1998. There are even indoor snowboard facilities. Snowboards come in different sizes for a variety of prices and are used to ride down the slopes or perform tricks on a snow-covered halfpipe. "Big air" competitors try for the greatest height they can get coming out of the halfpipe as they do tricks. Skateboarders have fun and competition on ramps, over objects, and around objects. Tony Hawk is pictured as he "pulls a 'gymnast plant.'" Inline skaters also combine speed and tricks. They skate on tracks, streets, even in snow. The fastest woman on skates, Debbi Rice, hit a speed of 61 miles per hour. Two men actually skated up and down Mount Kilimanjaro in 1998. Vocabulary words unique to these extreme sports are listed in the back of the book. This book would be an excellent enrichment or group activity. It should stimulate interest in these extreme sports and highlight the use of math in another real world activity. It is part of the "Mathworks!" series. 2005 (orig. 2004), Gareth Stevens Publishing/A World Almanac Education Group Company, Ages 8 to 12.
—Sally Niezgoda

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8-The idea of these books is terrific, but the execution is flawed. The full-spread, full-color photographs are cluttered with boxes containing specific facts and numerous math problems based on details and records, but this material is not related to the photos. Only Crime seems to ask readers to re-create the thinking of a detective. The other volumes propose math problems based on information about the race-car circuit or the numbers of attempted board tricks rather than determining the needed speed, distance, and other details to accomplish a feat. At first sight, students will grab these books but will quickly label them "lame" as interest dissipates. Additionally, only Extreme Sports posts a warning about students trying these tricks. This advice should have certainly been included in the stunt volume as well. Unfortunately, the effort to interest young people in reading and math fails.-Erlene Bishop Killeen, Fox Prairie Elementary School, Stoughton, WI Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.