Interview with Dawn Green, author of IN THE SWISH

If you missed my Tuesday post and review of my favorite sporty read in over a year, click here. 

Today, Dawn was kind enough to join me on Sporty Girl Books for an interview. She's just that awesome;)

Dawn with best friend Kim at the 2015 Women's World Cup in Vancouver. She still quite the sporty girl today.

1. Could you share which sports you’ve played growing up and which ones you play today?

If it had a ball I played it. I grew up playing volley, fastball, soccer, swimming, basketball (of course), golf, and tennis. Today it is much tougher to find the time to play but I do get time to coach basketball at various levels and with different groups, and I also try to get out and do other active things like running, kayaking, and hiking – I am hoping to try climbing soon. One of the great things that sport gave me was the active mindset, which has stayed with me into adulthood.   

2. It sounds like you do a lot. I hope you get on the rock soon. I am addicted to sport rock climbing. Could you share a memorable moment from your own HS basketball career?

I have two very memorable moments but they both happen off the court and in unique ways. The first was when I was 16 and a few members from my junior team went to watch a Canada vs. US women’s basketball exhibition before the 96’ Olympics. A couple of us had been following the US team in the media – it was such a good time for women’s sports – and I was a pretty big fan of the game… anyway, after the game we snuck into the back of the arena and got autographs from Sheryl Swoopes, Rebecca Lobo, and Jennifer Azzi. I’ll never forget the moment when the entire team (from Dawn Staley to coach Tara VanDerveer) walked down the corridor. I don’t get star struck very often, but I was then.   

The second moment comes from my coaching career. A few years ago I was co-coaching a senior girls’ basketball team. It was a team made up of “athletes” (mostly soccer players) but not really any true basketball players. We had no business finishing in the top ten of our province but we did, purely on how well we played as a team. During the final game – a consolation game for 5^thor 6^th – the clock was winding down, we were down by more than 10, and it was clear that our team was going to lose, but the girls on the bench asked if it was okay if they rushed the court when the buzzer went. I’ve never heard or seen a team rush the court for a loss but it was one of the most amazing acts of sportsmanship I have ever seen. They lost the game but rushing the court was about celebrating the season they had, it was about the team not the game, and it was beautiful.  

  

3. What memorable experiences. I can totally envision your team rushing the court. And, I like that your first memory gets a cameo in IN THE SWISH! As a coach, what would be your advice to sporty girls trying out for a new season?

TRY! Even if you think you might not make it and other sporty girls intimidate you, try anyway. You never know what sport you might like, or what sport might like you for that matter. You also can never know what you bring to a team. You might not be the fastest or best shooter, but maybe you can out-rebound everyone or you work harder than anyone else. Coaches all want hard workers over those who are talented but lazy or have a bad attitude. Work hard, be the one who runs all the way across the line, dives on the floor for every lose ball, and cheers for her teammates. 

4. Great advice. Do you have a favorite “coach” saying that you share to inspire your team?

One of my personal favorites comes from my grandfather, “The offense can only play as well as the defense lets them.” It’s simple but profoundly true. 

Something else I tell my players is to never focus on the last play, always focus on the next play. It’s too easy to dwell on the missed shot instead of thinking of taking your next shot.

AND of course, DEFENSE isn’t just something, it’s everything.

5. Oh, you coaches always talking about Defense (j/k, mostly). It really is important:) When did you know you wanted to be a writer and how did you get started?

I never knew I wanted to be a writer but I did always know that I wanted to be a storyteller, I just didn’t know how that would manifest itself. I started thinking that I wanted to be a screenwriter and working in film. Screenwriting taught me a lot about character development and how to arc a story (in fact In the Swish started as a screenplay) but I realized that the film world wasn’t really for me. When I got a bit older I had more patience for writing full novels, and now, here we are.

6. Ooh...I'm seeing IN THE SWISH on the big screen. I read a lot of screenwriting books (SAVE THE CAT, anyone? That's a great background for writing novels. Is this your first book? 

In The Swish is my second novel. My first is another YA with a very different subject matter. When Kacey Left came out last year (2015) and is about a girl who is left dealing with her best friends suicide through journal writing. It’s definitely not as uplifting or fun as In the Swish but it does deal with some important themes surrounding teenage life.

7. I can't wait to read that one! What are you working on right now? I’m hoping for a soccer story!

Ha… well, interestingly enough the main character of my next novel does play soccer but it isn’t really a sporty girl book. I would classify it more as New Age or older YA. I’m not willing to share the title yet, but I will say that it’s a story about a pre-dystopian world (not unlike our own) and the events that unfold in order for society to let those dystopian type worlds come into being. Also, what it takes for an average everyday soccer-playing girl to become a revolutionary. 

If In the Swish does well there might be a sequel in my head, and there may just be a soccer story in there too ;)   

8. Okay, not exactly soccer, but it sounds amazing. pre-dystopian, soccer player to revolutionary. I'm in. What’s your favorite sporty read?

I mentioned this at the back of my book but In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle by Madeleine Blais, was a favorite of mine as a teen.  Venus to the Hoop by Sarah Corbett (about the 96’ Olympic team), I kept next to my bedside for a long time before passing it on to another sporty girl. And most recently I really got into Pat Summitt’s latest Sum It Up – because, well, Pat Summitt.

9. Do you have an all-time-favorite book?

I can’t say, the others might find out and then they’d be jealous.

Great answer! I struggle with this one too. I don't want my books smothering me while I sleep;) Thank you for being on Sporty Girl Books!

Dawn let us know a Goodreads Giveaway for 10 US copies is underway, so in addition to the one we're giving away, you have 10 more chances. I've linked to both below.

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https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/176039-in-the-swish

Book Review and Giveaway: IN THE SWISH by Dawn Green

Let me start out by saying this is the best sporty girl book I've read in over a year--and basketball isn't even in my top three favorite sports:)
Thank you to author Dawn Green for providing us with a signed copy to review and give away. I haven't yet read her first book, WHEN KASEY LEFT, but I've not only put it on my TBR pile, I've moved it dangerously close to the top. (It's another YA, but not of the sporty variety.)
IN THE SWISH, published by Red Deer Press, released in Canada January 16th, but except one lucky winner from our raffle, the rest of America has to wait until May 15th. 

From the back of the book:
Bennet Ryan is a superb young basketball player who propelled her team to a regional championship. But in the senior year she discovers there's a lot she doesn't know. She has to switch schools, for one thing, and learn to find in wit the team she helped defeat the previous year. What's more she confronts a far more complex world than she's been used to--a new friend who is on the autism spectrum, as well as teammates from a diversity of cultures. Finally she has to face her old team--and some old assumptions--in a dreamt playoff game. In the Swish is a coming of age story about friendships made and friendships tested set against the fast-paced world of competitive girls' basketball. 

Dawn Green teaches high school and coaches basketball. Both of these facts are readily apparent in reading IN THE SWISH. She knows basketball, athletes, and high school. I felt for our main character Bennett from the very first page. I tried to imagine having to move to my rival team in high school to compete against the girls and the team I loved like family, and I couldn't imagine it. Bennett not only had to do this her extremely important senior year, but also do it with a mom as the new school principal. And yes, she does get sent to the principal's office:) The mother/daughter tension is palpable. They love each other, but can a mother who doesn't understand basketball truly understand Bennett?
I cared about Bennett, about the flack she was getting from her new school, about the distance growing between her and her old teammates, about her need to be in the gym with a ball, and about her only friend Matti. Bennett is tough and serious on the court, but she has a heart. She cares about people. 

IN THE SWISH isn't only a basketball story, it's a sister story, a story of autism, and a story of learning about diversity and culture. Above all, it's a kick a** sporty girl book. I read the entire thing in less that 24 hours. It's fast and real (both to the characters and to the sport). The characters and situations walk off the page. I appreciated that it wasn't one main character and a bunch of supporting similar characters, but that each teammate had their own life and needs and issues. Coach K was one strong woman who knew what the team needed and how to make it happen. She punished Bennett and another player who couldn't figure out how to play together in brilliant Parent Trap-esqe stuck-together fashion that I absolutely loved.

One of the characters that touched me the most and made Bennett's story what it is, is her father. I wish all girls could have a dad like that. Boy, girl, young, old, we can do things. The only thing/person stopping us is ourselves.

I won't ruin the ending, but will note that I whole-heartedly approved. I look forward to many more intense sporty reads (maybe a soccer one, since she mentioned loving that sport as well) in the future.

Just a note that there is some language in this book, so I would keep to that 14-18 recommended range. 

****Dawn Green was kind enough to let me interview her. Come back Thursday to learn some of her favorite sporty moments, her advice to girls trying out for a team, her favorite sporty reads, and more***

Dawn Green graduated from the University of Victoria with degrees in languages and education. She is a high school Spanish and English teacher, basketball coach, and Special Olympics BC volunteer. When Kacey Left was her first young adult novel.

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Lady Warriors Design and Don More Modest Uniforms

Here at Sporty Girl Books we try to bring the newest info on books, sports and fashion... Wait. Fashion?

This story from NPR/WBUR's ONLY A GAME is about The Lady Warriors, a girl's basketball team in Minnesota, whose heritage as Somali and Muslim caused some uniform issues. As you can imagine, the modesty required by their religion made playing very difficult. Hijabs had to be refastened in the middle of the game and long sleeves and skirts were both hot and hard to play with.

Enter the Minnesota based Girls Initiative in Recreation and Leisurely Sports (GIRLS). GIRLS is an all-female, culturally appropriate physical activity program located in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The organization was founded by Fatimah Hussein as a way to provide culturally appropriate physical activity for Muslim/East African girls in the Cedar-Riverside community.

Hussein and Chelsey Thul, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Minnesota worked with The Tucker Center, and the players to design new uniforms from breathable, fun fabrics. The final design includes leggings and long sleeves as well as a tunic and velcroed break-away hijab for safety.  

Photo credit: JIM MONE/AP

A similar article from Newsweek.
Video from Star Tribune.

I was surprised and saddened by the comments after the ONLY A GAME article that focus on difference and distortion instead of unification and facts about Islam. I applaud the girls who helped design a solution to the problem they faced. I find that a lot of clothing manufactured for girls (in and out of the sports realm) are revealing and overly-mature. These are my opinions and not especially the opinions of my Sporty Girl Books co-contributors.

What do you think about current sports uniforms and modesty as it relates to feminism? 

I invite your civil comments below.

THE CROSSOVER

Growing up as a sporty girl, I read many books about strong female athletes and their struggles and successes on and off the playing field. But I also read many incredible books about male athletes. So, when I heard about THE CROSSOVER, before its Newberry fame, I considered picking it up, but just couldn't imagine a book in verse from the POV of a basketball playing African American middle schooler. I imagined it would be like a poorly written rap song. (Sorry Kwame Alexander!)

But then, it won the Newberry and I had to give it another look. I don't like to be judged by my cover or by the little that someone might know about me before I get on the playing field, and I regret misjudging this book in the same way.

THE CROSSOVER is deep, it's powerful, and it made me cry more than I've cried in a rather long time while reading a book. One part in particular includes a letter to his brother that can be read as two separate poems or together as one. I pulled at my heart and made me ache in a way I didn't know was possible. This book is sports, it is family, it is about hardship and loss, and it is real, written in verse and all. I hope that our sporty girl readers will give it a try, too.

From Goodreads:
"With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I'm delivering," announces dread-locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he's got mad beats, too, that tell his family's story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood.

 Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story's heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family.

Athlete Spotlight: Sadie Johns, Basketball Player

Sadie Johns, 14, is another of athlete from my church youth program. Thanks so much for being on the blog today!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I live in Cary, North Carolina. I'm in ninth grade, I play basketball and sometimes do horseback riding. I have two brothers, I love to read and write,  and I play trumpet in my school band.

Sounds like you're pretty busy and involved in a lot of different activities. How long have you played basketball? What position do you typically play? And how tall are you, anyhow?
I've played Cary recreation basketball for two years and I've played school ball for two. I normally play the 5 or center as I'm six feet tall.

Wow, six feet tall. Sounds perfect for basketball. Can you tell us some of the highlights from your last season?
Some highlights are when I scored six points, had seven rebounds and two assists in one game. My team was really proud of me.

I bet that did feel wonderful. Basketball is definitely a team sport. Can you share your experiences learning to work with and trust your teammates?

#32 in the huddle

My teammates have to trust me to know when and where to be and to catch the ball, and I have to trust them to do the same. One excersise that really needed us to trust each other is when we took a weighted ball and our partner layed down on the floor with their arms by their side. We held the heavy ball over their face and dropped it. They where not allowed to move their arms until the ball was dropped. They had to trust us not to drop the ball on their face or to drop it too early.

Yikes! That is a really good trust exercise. What are some of your favorite recent reads?
I am reading a book called REBEL ANGELS. It is the second book in a trilogy about a girl named Gemma Doyle who is trying to restore the "saftety value" on magic that's been released in to different realms.

Speed round:
Pizza or sushi? Pizza
Bike or run? Bike
Ebook or paper copy? Paper copy
Dance to loud music or talk with friends? Talk with friends
If you could be any animal what would it be? An eagle. I've always wanted to be able to fly, and eagles have a sense of power with them. The way the watch the water and know exactly where to sink their talons in to grab a unsuspecting fish from the water is amazing. Plus, they're beautiful!

I love eagles, as well. Thanks so much for being on the blog. I look forward to hearing about your many successes in future seasons!