2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games: What Books do these 12 Olympians Like to Read?

What books did these Olympians pack in their suitcase, plus a few book-related tidbits about those we will be cheering for in the next two weeks!

By Brenda Barrera

Summer reading. What images does this conjure: curling up on a chair overlooking a tranquil lake, checking off the titles on the list your teacher handed out in May, or slipping a paperback best-seller into your carry-on bag as you travel across the country? Your answers are likely shared by some of the women representing Team USA at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.  I enjoy reading get-to-know-this-athlete-better profiles. I believe it helps to build a fan base when we discover what inspires an athlete or motivates them to muscle through tough competition. It’s also nice to learn about a shared passion like the joy of reading a good book.

Archery – Mackenzie Brown

The recent popularity of this sport can be credited to the books and film, The Hunger Games. Here’s what Brown had to say about the popular series: “I was a fan of THE HUNGER GAMES because I read the books. It’s cool for people to see my name as the girl on fire and also get an interest in archery, even if it is from 'The Hunger Games.' Any interest in archery is good for our sport.”

Source: http://www.teamusa.org

Cycling – Sarah Hammer (track)

Hammer is a two-time Olympic silver medalist and World Champion in track cycling. In 2003, she quit the sport but returned a year later with renewed purpose and what a mark she has made since then. Her bio says she is an avid reader as does her profile in Classroom Champions. 

Favorite things to do off the bike:

1. Take my German Shepherd Dolça for walks

2. Read a good book

3. Go out to nice dinners with my husband

4. Travel

5. Drink coffee

Source: http://teamtwenty16.com

Source: www.classroomchampions.org

Diving – Kassidy Cook

According to her TeamUSA profile, Cook “enjoys cooking and reading.” She must know the Harry Potter books inside and out because she claims she can recite any of the Harry Potter spells. Hmmm, which ones do you think she would use in Rio . . . rictusempra, orchideous, riddikulus?

Source: www.teamusa.org

Gymnastics – Laurie Hernandez

Get ready for a lot of TV coverage on this 16-year-old gymnastics phenom who still manages to make time for fun by learning dances from YouTube and she also likes to read. THE MAZE RUNNER is her favorite book and she also likes to write poetry.

Source: www.nbcolympics.com

Judo – Kayla Harrison

Kayla was the first U.S. athlete to win a gold medal in judo at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Can she repeat? In addition to her inspirational accomplishments on the judo mat, Harrison is a survivor of sexual abuse and is writing not one, but two books: a memoir and one with her foundation, Fearless Foundation.

Source: http://parade.com

Rowing – Megan Kalmoe (Quadruple Sculls)

Kalmoe is a now a three-time Olympic rower and 2012 bronze medalist who also enjoys reading and writing. Her blog is well-known in the rowing community, and she recently wrote an entry, “Stop Trying to Ruin theOlympics For Us” which has generated quite a few comments. Kalmoe states she wants to travel and begin to write a book when her profession as a rower ends.

Source: www.nbcchicago.com

Shooting – Kim Rhode (skeet)

Rhode was ten years old when she discovered the sport of skeet shooting and was a world champion at age 13! According to a profile in US Magazine she collects first edition children’s books, and her bookshelves must be pretty darn full – she has about 2,000 books!

Source: www.usmagazine.com

Soccer – Carli Lloyd

According to her website, Lloyd’s best soccer moment was winning the 2015 World Cup and scoring a hat trick in the final. I have a feeling her best writing moment will be coming up shortly. Lloyd will be joining other soccer superstars like Michelle Akers, Mia Hamm, Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, and Abby Wambach who have written memoirs. Her forthcoming memoir, WHEN NOBODY WAS WATCHING, is due this fall.

Source: www.carlilloyd.com/book

Swimming – Missy Franklin

Curious about Franklin’s reading habits? Well here’s the scoop on her Rio reading list per Travel and Leisure Magazine. “I’m a huge reader,” says Franklin. “A few days before a trip, I have a great time researching what everyone is reading and picking the books for my flight.” Her books include: AFTER YOU by JoJo Moyes, COURT OF MIST AND FURY by Sarah J. Maas, ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by Anthony Doerr, and KISSES FROM KATIE by Katie Davis.

Source: www.travelandleisure.com

Tennis – Serena Williams

Williams is now a four-time Olympian who has won gold in both singles (2012) and doubles (2000, 2008, 2012). Reading is listed among her hobbies and her favorite author is Maya Angelou.  I found this fun YouTube video, “73 Questions with Serena Williams | Vogue” and one question was: “What’s one book that made a lasting impression on you?” Her answer: LEAN IN by Sheryl Sandberg.  Also, according to USA Today, she arrived in Rio and had a Harry Potter book with her for the flight.

Source: www.youtube.com

Source: www.usatoday.com

Track & Field – Brianna Rollins (100m hurdles)

In her family, Rollins is the oldest with six younger brothers, so it’s hard to imagine how anyone would have been able to find a quiet corner to read while growing up. Rollins, a three-time NCAA Champion, will be making her Olympic debut in Rio says she stays focused by reading self-help books — they keep her positive.

Source: http://news.nike.com

Track & Field – Abbey D’Agostino (5000m)

D’Agostino, who ran for Dartmouth, is one of the most decorated athletes in Ivy League history. FloTrack did a great interview question asking her who she would have dinner with (living or dead) and why? One of her picks included: “Don Miller (the author of my favorite book, BLUE LIKE JAZZ) because his story touched the core of me during a challenging time in my life. It’s raw, honest, and incredibly profound…”

Source: www.flotrack.org

Of course, the book you know they would all like to read is an Olympic record book with their name and outstanding 2016 Olympic performance recorded. Cheers to all competing this summer in Rio!

Sporty Girl Video of the Week: Jordyn Wieber: Four Years Later

In this video about Olympic gold medal gymnast Jordyn Wieber we get an inside look at the regulations determining pro v. amateur/college competition. The conversation about fairness from sport to sport is extremely interesting and shows the difference between sports where the peak window is limited and sports where players can make money for an extended period of time.  Who are you following on the Road to Rio?

Sporty Girl Book Review: The Flip Side by Shawn Johnson

Thanks to NetGalley for the eGalley of THE FLIP SIDE.

Shop Indie Bookstores

In THE FLIP SIDE by Shawn Johnson, main character Charlie Ryland's Olympic gymnastic dreams are clear but Charlotte Ryland, Charlie's public school persona isn't quite as sure. After all, public school comes with grades, student government, boys, and prom--all of which are distractions as Charlie approaches her Olympic qualifying competition.

And there's that other small issue--no one at school has figured out that Charlotte and Charlie are the same person. It's this secret that builds tension through the novel and keeps the reader wondering. What will happen when her best friend Zoe, and the other students finds out about Charlotte's secret double life?

Shawn Johnson, with A.L. Sonnichsen, give us a wonderful inside view of how athletes struggle to separate the public and private parts of their life. If you look at Shawn Johnson's YouTube channel or other social media, it seems that there is little divide. However, this books reminds us that we never really know the people we see on TV. Celebrity necessitates dual personalities in order to stay sane, or in order to "embrace the crazy," as Charlie says in the book. It is during these inside peeks at the challenges elite athletics face that the reader hears Charlie's most authentic voice. We get to witness how many sacrifices young athletes make to compete at the Olympic level and how when things get difficult, it's fellow athletes they turn to for support. "If you can't fall apart with us," Gwen (her gymnastics best friend) says, "where can you fall apart?" (p. 252)

There were a few times when I was pulled from the story by a voice that felt too adult for Charlie. During those lapses, I could make a case that she had to grow up quickly and had media training, but I didn't think that the formal construction of some of her speech with friends or with other adults was authentic. 

I also wondered how it was that her school best friend, Zoe, never ever went to her house and saw the walls of medals and gymnastics pictures. Even the authors riff that her dual identity disguise, glasses and a different hair style, was lame in a Clark Kent/Superman way.

Still, the depiction of a close-knit family that supports Charlie's lofty goals and makes sacrifices right along with her seemed spot on.

While I had a few craft concerns, the book kept me turning pages. Like an NBC Olympics human interest story, THE FLIP SIDE has the athlete-overcoming-adversity plot line that a reader can count on.

For other great gymnastics titles, see yesterday's post Happy Book Birthday's: June is Coming Up Gymnastics.

For an interview with Shawn Johnson with Justine Magazine click here.

Read an excerpt here. 

Happy Book Birthdays! June is coming up Gymnastics.

There's a weird sort of hive mind in the world of publishing and today's post is evidence. Three great books about gymnastics are having their book birthdays today. So if you are a reader who dreams about round-off back handsprings or if you regularly land on a balance beam that is four inches wide today is your day too. 

Happy #bookbirthday to Karlin Gray author of NADIA: THE GIRL WHO COULDN'T SIT STILL (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).

From Goodreads:

Nadia Comaneci was a feisty and fearless little girl who went from climbing trees in the forests of Romania to swinging into history at the 1976 Olympic Games, where she received an unprecedented seven perfect scores in gymnastics. But as readers will see in this first-ever illustrated picture book about Nadia’s journey to Olympic gold, the road from small-town girl to world-class athlete was full of many imperfect moments. Expert illustrations that capture the energy and fluidity of Nadia's exuberant gymnastic routines and referential back matter round out this inspirational story of determination and overcoming adversity. A perfect 10.

Happy #bookbirthday to Caela Carter author of TUMBLING (Viking Books for Young Readers).

From Goodreads:

Grace lives and breathes gymnastics—but no matter how hard she pushes herself, she can never be perfect enough.

Leigh, Grace’s best friend, has it all: a gymnastics career, a normal high-school life…and a secret that could ruin everything.
Camille wants to please her mom, wants to please her boyfriend, and most of all, wants to walk away.
Wilhelmina was denied her Olympic dream four years ago, and she won’t let anything stop her again. No matter what.
Monica is terrified. Nobody believes in her—and why should they?
By the end of the two days of the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials, some of these girls will be stars. Some will be going home with nothing. And all will have their lives changed forever.

Happy #bookbirthday to Shawn Johnson and A.L. Sonnichsen authors of THE FLIP SIDE (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers).

From Goodreads:

From gold medalist and reality TV star Shawn Johnson comes a debut YA novel inspired by her own experiences as an elite teenage gymnast—just in time for the Summer 2016 Olympic games.

Charlie Ryland has a secret.
She may seem like your average high school sophomore—but she’s just really good at pretending.
Because outside of school Charlie spends all her waking hours training to become one of the best gymnasts in the world. And it’s not easy flying under the radar when you’re aiming for Olympic gold…especially when an irresistible guy comes along and threatens to throw your whole world off balance.
Inspired by her own experiences as a fifteen-year-old Olympic gymnast, gold medalist Shawn Johnson writes a delightfully entertaining novel about chasing big dreams and falling in love, all while trying to keep it real.

A longer review will follow this week!

As we journey on the Road to Rio this year, I predict that you'll see a lot more books with female athletes. Let's hope that publishers go beyond the well-known sports of soccer, swimming, and gymnastics. I'd love to see a rowing book (ahem, wish it were mine), fencing, or canoeing (see other little known Olympic sports here.)

Sporty Girl Books Out This Summer

Picture Books
Gymnastics:
Nadia, the Girl Who Couldn't Sit Still by Karlin Grey and C. Davener (June 7th)
*I wanted to be Nadia Comanichi when I was younger, so I can't wait for this book. I won't embarrass myself by admitted how many times I watched the made-for-tv movie of her life;)

Middle Grade
Baseball:
The Distance to Home by Jenn Bishop (June 28th)
*The cover on this one tugs at my heart. I can't wait to read it.

Young Adult
Cross-Country:
Ask Me How I Got Here by Christine Heppermann (Today, May 3rd!)
*As a HS cross-country runner, I want to get my hands on this book.

Swimming:
Gold Fish ny Nat Lurrtsema (June 7th)
*Goodreads reviews all said absolutely hilarious. I can't resist a FUNNY sporty read.

Soccer:
Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally (July 5th)
*Miranda Kenneally, need I say more?

The Season by Jonal Lisa Dyer and Stephen Dyer (July 12th)
*This one sounds hilarious. Sporty girl stuck in Debutant Land. Ouch

Gymnastics: 
Tumbling by Cada Carter (June 7th)
*Five points of view, and from reviews, done well.

Lessons In Falling by Diana Gallagher (June 16th)
*The cover drew me to this one. I hope the story feels just like it.

Sporty Girl March Roundup

It is officially spring, and I've been told that there are some people who actually have warm temps and flowers. Here in Maine, I'm looking out on ever-present mounds of snow and listening to Siri telling me how it "feels like" ten degrees. Nope. Not jealous at all. With spring comes spring sports, and spring training and amazing photos of people getting out and about. So let's get right to it!

March is Women's History Month and this year was the 35th anniversary of the celebration with the theme "Weaving the Stories of Women's Lives." You can read more about the women honored by the National Women's History Project here. 

In the world of sports there are many storytellers. The talking heads who grace our TV screens, give us the play by play, and profile athletes are often men but there are some wonderful standout female reporters on the beat. Mary Carillo is one of my favorites. 

A correspondent for NBC Olympics and a tennis analyst since the 1980's, Ms. Carillo was a was champion doubles star herself garnering wins at the French Open, the US Open and the US Clay Court Championships. 

From her NBC bio:

"Carillo has received two coveted Peabody Awards, one of television’s highest honors, one for work on the HBO documentary Billie Jean King, Portrait of a Pioneer and the other for co-writing with Frank DeFord the HBO documentary Dare to Compete: The Struggle of Women in Sport. Carillo was named “Best Commentator” by Tennis Magazine (1988-91), “Best Commentator” by World Tennis Magazine (1986) and “Broadcaster of the Year” by the WTA (1981 and 1985). She has co-written two books—Tennis My Way with Martina Navratilova and Rick Elstein’s Tennis Kinetics."

We at Sporty Girl Books seek to honor the stories of women and girls in sports and March has been an exciting month for that.

March 8th was International Women's Day and World Rowing put out the following challenge for photos on Twitter. If you'd like to see more, search for #womeninrowing on your twitter feed!

World Rowing Celebrates #womeninmotion for International Women's Day - tweet your photos using #womeninrowing pic.twitter.com/HlidXfCJCz
— World Rowing (@WorldRowing) February 24, 2015

From NPR's "Only A Game" broadcast comes this article about JV baseball player, Sydney Dore. Sydney Dore is a 14 year old at McKeel Academy of Technology, a charter middle and high school in Lakeland, FL who showed up at Red Sox spring training to thank her inspiration Dustin Pedroia. My fave quote is from coach, Lorne Wheatcraft. "She tried out and there was no way I could say, 'You are not good enough to be on this team.' There was just no possible way to do that." Of course this is just another in a wonderful long line of girls who are being allowed to play baseball. We happily covered Mo'ne Davis and her wonderful showing at the Little League World Series.

I want to note here that we at Sporty Girl Books are also are huge fans of softball. Coaching softball since 1985 is Carol Hutchins, from Michigan. This article about her 1,400th career win comes from the NCAA website. "Michigan head coach Carol Hutchins earned her 1,400th career victory in memorable fashion as the No. 4-ranked Wolverines cruised to a 20-0, five-inning rout over rival Ohio State on Sunday. Hutchins is just the third coach to reach 1,400 wins in NCAA softball history; she is the second winningest active coach." 20-0? Congratulations to Coach Hutchins and the team!

And finally (also from NPR's, Only A Game) is a story about a women's sports team that regularly outdraws many Division I male basketball teams. Utah Gymnastics is the only program that has reached the national championships every year of that event's existence (39). With a pep band, in-between-routine videos and spectator games it has averaged over 10,000 fans for the last 20 years and according to the article had already sold 7,500 season tickets.

In fact, because of scheduling conflicts in Arizona, the 2015 PAC-12 Women's Gymnastics Championship took place last Saturday at the University of Utah where they were the first team to earn back-to-back championships. I'm sure they had plenty of psyched fans! Sadly, one of their leaders and captains, Tory Wilson, suffered an injury and could not finish with the team. Click here for more on that story and enjoy this video of the highlights!

Post by Utah Gymnastics.