Chalked Up: My Life in Elite Gymnastics
I am about a third of the way through this book - it is taking a little bit of time for no other reason than my work and home commits have kept me away from it's pages. It is an easy straightforward read - nothing to complex or arduous. Something you can enjoy even after a long day or when it is late at night.
As I do with most books, I read some reviews before I bury myself in it's pages. The most interesting review from this book was by former Olympic Gymnast Dominique Moceanu:
'"As a gymnast who loves her sport, and now as a parent, I am grateful to Jennifer Sey for sharing such an honest account of her experiences as an elite gymnast. She has eloquently and fairly exposed a dark side to our sport that parents have long needed to be made aware of. It was often with a heavy heart that I read Sey's descriptions of the worst side effects of elite competition among women so young. On the other hand, it was refreshing to see just how well she has survived her trials and tribulations-enabling her to blossom into a strong and successful businesswoman. Sey may have had a tumultuous journey in gymnastics, but her strength to tell her story with such accurate detail is inspiring and ultimately uplifting. I hope this excellent book encourages others to open up and share their stories as well."
The reason this review stands out to me is we in the early part of the book we have yet to see the 'dark side' - albeit currently where I am at in the book Jennifer is still at the age of 8 but to me all we are seeing is this young child's uncanny determination for perfection. I remember when I was her age, I honestly didn't know what perfection was and by no means thought of holding myself to it as a standard. I loved winning but really didn't give loosing too much thought either. Jennifer after just making the gymnastics team, had already figured out who the one to beat in her age bracket was, and which of the senior girls did she want to emulate. In her first competition even though she did better than everyone, she was disappointed the stage was not the grandiose arena she had envisioned nor did she get a 10 like the current Olympic champion Nadia Comaneci. There is nothing I can say negative about Jennifer, at this point in the book I am rooting for her and smiling quietly knowing that she will get to the top level, where she is only currently dreaming of - I just fear for this dark side that we hear of as from the character I am learning about it seems she will succeed come hell or high water.
New Book: Titanic
While watching the movie Titanic yesterday with my wife, I thought there must be a good book from a survivor and this morning I went to amazon and found that the most acclaimed one was by novelist Colonel Archibald Gracie. As you can imagine I ordered it immediately and am eager to get reading. This book will be certainly jumping up a few on the coming soon list, there is something about old writing and such a historic event that really enthralls me.
So expect this book soon!
Let’s Get Started
Firstly I would like to welcome you to my blog. As an avid reader of non-fiction I wanted to share the enjoyment I get from reading other people's stories - I hope it inspires you to read more non-fiction too.
Book Number 1:
Title: Chalked Up: My Life in Elite Gymnastics
Author: Jennifer Sey
Every 4 years America sits in front of the TV in owe as a group of young women run, tumble and throw themselves at Olympic gold. Woman's gymnastics is one of the most watched events of any Olympics, the US team has made the 'Wheaties' box, in 1994 were dubbed the 'Magnificent Seven' and most recently Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson have become celebrities just from their Olympic appearance.
It is no secret that any one of these girls story's has the possibility of being a best seller - we see the determination and will as they compete and we know it comes from disciplines lifestyle often shrouded in secrecy- all key ingredients in a good book. In 2008 I contacted every member of the US team wanting to write their story, I received exactly 1 response - from a girl denying she was a gymnast, which is funny as I got her email address off her facebook page which clearly showed her on the beam. I later learned USA Gymnastics keep a tight grip on these girls, or as it was tactfully put to me 'protects' these girls.
Jennifer Sey a former elite gymnast obviously has a story to share and she decided to break this unwritten rule or shun the protection - I am excited to see what she has to say and learn what it takes to be an elite gymnast.