World Class: The Making of the U.S. Women's Cross-Country Ski Team

by Peggy Shinn

Overview

What makes a great team? Sports journalist Peggy Shinn answers this question in her enthralling account of the dramatic rise of the U.S. women’s cross-country ski team, winners of eight medals at three world championships over the past five years. Shinn’s story—based on dozens of interviews with athletes, coaches, parents, spouses, and friends—paints a vivid picture of the obstacles that America’s female athletes must overcome not just to ski with the world’s best, but to beat them. In a sport where U.S. women have toiled for decades, mostly in the middle or the back of the pack, the development of a world-class team attests to the heady combination of a transformational leader, a coach who connects with his athletes, the super-fast individual skiers who are also conscientious teammates—and a bit of good luck. This is the story of Kikkan Randall, Liz Stephen, Holly Brooks, Jessie Diggins, Ida Sargent, Sadie Bjornsen, Sophie Caldwell, Rosie Brennan, and coach Matt Whitcomb—and how they created the perfect team.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781512601817
Publisher:	University Press of New England
Publication date:	02/06/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	248
File size:	32 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

PEGGY SHINN is a senior contributor to the U.S. Olympic Committee’s website, TeamUSA.org, and a former contributing editor to Ski Racing magazine. She is the author of Deluge: Tropical Storm Irene, Vermont’s Flash Floods, and How One Small State Saved Itself.

Table of Contents

Preface • Introduction: The Relay • PART I: EARLY CHALLENGES • Women in Cross-Country Skiing, the Early Years • Olympic Struggles • Torino • PART II: THE TEAM’S BEGINNING • Team Leader • The Coach • The Development Team and Growing Pains • PART III: BUILD

What People are Saying About This

Peter Graves

“With remarkable insight into how the women of the U.S. Ski Team have become one of the most powerful teams in the world, Shinn’s writing is filled with intimate glimpses of all the key players. A compelling read.”

Nathaniel Vinton

“Teamwork, resilience, creativity: these are some of the virtues that powered the U.S. women’s cross-country team to a breakthrough in a sport long dominated by other nations. Shinn’s reporting legwork and storytelling instincts immortalize the tale of these tough and innovative athletes.”

Bill Koch

“A well-deserved tribute to an amazing team. Belief and perseverance coupled with an ‘athlete’s coach’ and teamwork are the key ingredients that make the magic happen.”

Chad Salmela

“An inspiring example of the strength of collective human will, positive thinking, and teamwork. For everyone, a lesson in positivity, perseverance, and being creative in turning a tide roiling against you.”

Editorial Reviews

“A comprehensive account of the ski team that serves as a reminder that it’s the journey, not the destination, that matters most.”—Library Journal


“Coaches, competitors, female athletes in general, and parents of competitors will find this a good read as will anyone interested in learning more about what it takes to get to the Olympics, or why colorful socks matter.”—SnoCountry


“[An] enthralling account. . . . This is a timely book, not only because the members of US cross country ski women’s team have been reaching the podium more regularly in the last few years, but because of  the prominence of women’s issues and current events in today’s world.”—XC Ski Resorts.com


"World Class: The Making of the U.S. Women’s Cross-Country Ski Team. . . is a marvel, and I now have a bunch of new heroes – or, mostly, heroines. . . . [The book] is authoritative, fun, perceptive, well-researched and very well-written – drawing you in by telling stories and painting pictures of people and their times. . . . World Class doesn’t simply give you rare insight into how the Team works – it’s like being adopted into a particularly close-knit family."
—SkiTrax.com


“While a book about cross-country skiing might appeal to a narrow audience, Shinn transcends niche by taking a broader look at the issues female athletes face throughout American sports.”—Seven Days


“Who knows, maybe the smiling and self encouragement is the secret sauce. Or perhaps, as Shinn posits, it’s the teamwork thing.”—Outside


“Shinn’s expounding of results and milestones is well-presented, explaining significant achievements over the last half-century without drowning readers in statistics. Finish times are included tactfully, only to provide context. . . . The knowledge that it all paid off for these women in the form of a victory in Pyeongchang makes Peggy Shinn’s World Class: The Making of the U.S. Women’s Cross-Country Ski Team an even more enjoyable read.”—Valley News

From the Publisher