Golden Girl by Michael Silver with Natalie Coughlin

About.com Rating 5 Star Rating

Be the first to write a review

From Mat Luebbers, former About.com Guide

Golden Girl by Michael Silver with Natalie Coughlin

See More About

The Bottom Line

Very enjoyable read, great introduction that sets the tone for the rest of the tale of Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin's up and down career in the swimming pool, a career that led to Olympic swimming gold at the 2004 Athen's Olympic Games. Read it - and Swim On!

Pros

Behind the scenes look at Natalie's Coughlin's swimming career
I don't think any punches were pulled in this book, it says it as it is.
Swimmers will learn what it takes to earn a chance to go for the gold
The story is also about Coughlin's coach, Teri McKeever

Cons

Wish it had more than 8 photos

Description

Chapter by chapter, you learn about the high and lows in this swimmer's career leading up to the 2004 Olympic Games.
Younger swimmers will gain an understanding of what it takes to reach the highest level of swimming.
Outstanding look at swimming from a woman's point of view (note - this is a man saying this).
A fun and exciting read even if you know the outcome. The author tells the story the right way.

Guide Review - Golden Girl by Michael Silver with Natalie Coughlin

The subtitle of this book is "How Natalie Coughlin Fought Back, Challenged Conventional Wisdom, And Became America's Swimming Champion" - and that is what the book is all about, but it has much, much more. It includes most of the important people in Coughlin's swimming life, and that detail alone makes it a great read. It divulges fascintating background details about Natalie's life and swimming career that most of us do not know about.

From the publisher:
Natalie Coughlin's promising swimming career was all but extinguished when a devastating shoulder injury ended her dreams for the 2000 Olympics. After becoming, at age 15, the first person ever to qualify for all 14 women's events at the U.S. Nationals, she seemed destined to follow the path of so many other young swimming stars--devoured by an oppressive training schedule.

In Golden Girl, Sports Illustrated's Michael Silver tells the story of Natalie's remarkable journey back from the brink. With complete access to her family, friends, coaches, teammates, and adversaries, Silver details how she made the crucial choice to train with University of California coach Teri McKeever.

Together the two, star and coach, have defied long-standing training methods, forcing the swimming community to rethink the ways in which it treats its talent. An inspirational story of a complex and courageous young athlete, Golden Girl is also a fascinating portrait of the fractious world of competitive swimming.