rowing

"The moving true story of a group of young men growing up on Chicago's West side who form the first all-black high school rowing team in the nation, and in doing so not only transform a sport, but their lives"--Provided by publisher.

"Growing up on Chicago's Westside in the 90's, Arshay Cooper knows the harder side of life. The street corners are full of gangs, the hallways of his apartment complex are haunted by junkies he calls 'zombies' with strung out arms, clutching at him as he passes by. His mother is a recovering addict, and his three siblings all sleep in a one room apartment, a small infantry against the war zone on the street below. Arshay keeps to himself, preferring to write poetry about the girl he has a crush on, and spends his school days in the home-ec kitchen dreaming of becoming a chef. And then one day as he's walking out of school he notices a boat in the school lunchroom, and a poster that reads 'Join the Crew Team.' Having no idea what the sport of crew is, Arshay decides to take a chance. This decision to join is one that will forever change his life, and those of his fellow teammates. As Arshay and his teammates begin to come together to learn how to row--many never having been in water before--the sport takes them from the mean streets of Chicago, to the hallowed halls of the Ivy League. But Arshay and his teammates face adversity at every turn, from racist competitors, gang violence, and sport that has never seen anyone like them before. A Most Beautiful Thing is the inspiring true story about the most unlikely band of brothers that form a family, and forever change a sport and their lives for the better"--Provided by the publisher.

The Olympic finals of the eight-oared rowing race. Germany, Italy, USA. The American boat touches the finish line first, beating all odds and sending Hitler away in a silent rage. In the midst of the Great Depression, the nine rowers showed the world what true grit really meant. They were western, working-class boys who never expected to beat the elite teams of the East Coast and Great Britain, yet they did. At the center of the tale is Joe Rantz, whose personal struggle-and ultimate triumph-captures the spirit of his generation, the one that would prove in the coming years that the Nazis could not prevail over American determination and optimism.

Tori McClure details her failed attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean, alone and in a wooden boat, during the summer of 1998, and describes how, after she was forced to concede to the weather and return to her home in Kentucky, Tori was inspired by a conversation with Muhammad Ali to make a second attempt.

"Out of the depths of the Great Depression comes the astonishing tale of nine working-class boys from the American West who at the 1936 Olympics showed the world what true grit really meant. With rowers who were the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington's eight-oar crew was never expected to defeat the elite East Coast teams, yet they did, going on to shock the world by challenging the German boat rowing for Adolf Hitler"--Amazon.com.

Chronicles the experiences of twenty-five-year-old Maud Fontenoy who became the first woman to row across the North Atlantic, and describes the dangers she encountered as she battled the elements.

Explores the history of the American eight-man rowing team that went to the Berlin Olympics in 1936--a group of west coast boys with little to no experience in rowing--discussing the great odds they faced in becoming chosen to represent their country over east coast teams, and the personal challenges each one of them faced during the Great Depression.

This book tells the story of the University of Washington's 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. It traces the story of the team that defeated elite rivals at Hitler's 1936 Berlin Olympics, sharing the experiences of their enigmatic coach, a visionary boat builder, and a homeless teen rower.