Tiger Skates For The Gold

TIGER SKATES FOR THE GOLD Written and Illustrated by WANDA LLAMAS This is a story about cats who Ice Skate and compete in the World Figure Skating Championships. Can cats really ice skate? Of course they can. And they can do all of the other human things that we can do. Such as walk and talk and work in a vineyard. And of course, fall in love. They can do all of this because we love them. And therefore, we believe that they can do anything. The cats immortalized in this story are our three cats. Noche, Dia and Tiger They were part of our family for seventeen years. The waterfront vineyard on Stretch Island mentioned in the story was where we all lived and loved and toiled for all those years. Cats and Ice Skating have been my passion for many years. In this story I have just combined two of my favorite things. The World Figure Skating Championship was held In Vancouver, Canada in March of 2001 This is the setting of the story. We were there. END: Wanda Llamas

What happens when a major league pro sports team leaves a city? The Hartford Whalers left on April 13, 1997leaving behind devastated fans. The players left, tooexcept one who stayed and suffered like the fans. Tiger Burns is an unlikely heroeven for a hobbit-sized, smash-faced, hockey goon with 600 fights. Standing 53, with one-eye, cauliflower ears, and a full-rigged ship tattoo on his chest, his most unusual feature is this: he loves Hartford and its team, the Whalers. In a league where players date super models, ice princesses and Miss Americas, he is a misfit. But in a league of Los Angeles, New York and Boston so is Hartford. Brass Bonanza Plays Again tells the riches-to-rags story of Mark Twains hometown, once the nations richest, now the butt of jokes. It relates the true saga of a small citys beloved team moved away, like Brooklyns Dodgers. And it weaves the tragicomic tale of the muscle-bound gnome who blows the jump-the-shark game against arch-rival Boston on April 11, 1990, lives homeless under a bridge, only to rise up and lead a dead team, out of the stands onto the ice. Tiger rallies not only a dead hockey team, but awakens the ghosts of Hartfords past. He brings to life a ragtag band of 19th century legends and is saved by a guardian angel Rube Waddell, one of sports goats from the 1905 World Series. Can a one-eyed, homeless underdog make a faded city believe and rescue a star-crossed spirit? In Brass Bonanza Plays Again, we have Rocky (on Skates!) meets Field of Dreams. Rocky came out of a Philly row house, Rudy out of an Indiana steel mill, and now Tiger Burns comes out from under a Hartford bridge to bring a dead team to life. A book of provincial aspirations and condescension, Brass Bonanza Plays Again tells the story of this small city, midway between New York and Boston, long considered just a urine-stop or ass-wipe between Wall Street and Cape Cod. The New York Times recently printed an essay In Search of the Great American Hockey Novel lamenting that hockey, unlike other sports, has yet to be celebrated in a notable work. Where is the Chekhov of the Chicago Blackhawks? the Times asks. Who is the Stendahl of the stick to the groin? To that, we humbly say: read on.

A beautiful, moving story of family, friendship and self-discovery. Super rich. Super shy. Super lonely. Lucas is all alone. Since his mum died, Lucas and his dad don't seem to understand each other at all - it's almost as if they're speaking different languages. With a long, hot summer facing him, Lucas is dreading the drama club that his dad has signed him up for - he doesn't know how to be around new people and he can't stand performing. But the people Lucas meets at the club force him to open up and start talking, and when disaster strikes, Lucas is forced to step in and help. Can his new-found friends teach Lucas how to be himself? Filled with empathy and insight, and sensitively touching on issues including grief, anxiety, loneliness with great understanding and an incredible lightness of touch, How to be Me is a kind, heartwarming, and uplifting story, from the author of the high-acclaimed novels Ella on the Outside and Not My Fault - perfect for fans of Jacqueline Wilson and Lisa Thompson.

This is the true inside story of the "Miracle on Ice," in which a ragtag team of collegiate and amateur athletes united in the shadow of the Cold War to defeat the seemingly invincible Soviet ice hockey team at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Sixty-two action photographs complement this triumphant tale.

Ever wonder where the figure skating terms axel, salchow, and lutz came from? Or why a curling tournament is called a "brier"? And how about a "haymaker" in boxing or a "high five" in any sport? Well, Doug Lennox, the world champion of trivia, is back to score touchdowns, hit homers, and knock in holes-in-one every time with a colossal compendium of Q&A athletics that has all anyone could possibly want to know from archery and cycling to skiing and wrestling and everything in between. What's more, Doug goes for gold with a wealth of Winter and Summer Olympics lore and legend that will amaze and captivate armchair fans and fervent competitors alike. What do the five Olympic rings and their colours represent? Why does the winner of the Indianapolis 500 drink milk in victory lane? Who was the first player ever to perform a slam dunk in a basketball game? Why are golfers' shortened pants called "plus-fours"? When was the Stanley Cup not awarded? Why does the letter k signify a strikeout on a baseball score sheet? Where is the world's oldest tennis court?

In Gold Medal Diary, Hayley Wickenheiser, three-time Olympic gold medal winner and captain of the Canadian Women's Olympic Hockey Team, reveals her day-to-day experiences of the 2010 Games, including the six-month lead-up of intensive training and pre-Olympic tournaments. She shares the life of an Olympian — the behind-the-scenes stories, the highs and lows, physical and emotional challenges, struggles and triumphs of an elite athlete in a hyper-intense environment, including details of the public ceremonies and private moments, friendships and rivalries, community and isolation, media presence and security. For the first time ever, readers travel inside the storied Athletes’ Village and understand what it’s like to live through the most high-pressure, high-profile sporting event in the world.

U-S-A , U-S-A is a familiar refrain heard in every Olympics, but truly it could be Wis-con-sin! Since pioneering hurdler Alvin Kraenzlein got his start here in the 1890s, the Badger State has nurtured, trained, or schooled more than 400 Olympic athletes in a vast array of sports. Wisconsin’s varied landscape and climate accommodate serious athletes whether they compete on ice, on snow, in the water, or on terra firma. We tend to bring a Midwestern work ethic to our endeavors, and our Olympians have often been hailed in the press and in public as being among the most humble and down-to-earth people around. Our state boasts a thriving youth sports culture where many homegrown athletes get their start; others are drawn here by our world-class universities, athletic facilities, and coaching talent. No matter how an athlete comes to Wisconsin, the state becomes part of his or her Olympic story. In Going for Wisconsin Gold, author Jessie Garcia provides insights into the lives of athletes who grew up or spent time in Wisconsin on their journey to the Olympic Games. She shares some of our competitors most captivating tales—from those that have become legend, like Dan Jansen’s heartbreaking falls and subsequent magical gold, to unlikely brushes with glory (do you know which Green Bay Packer was almost an Olympic high jumper?). Featuring the athletes’ personal stories, many of them told here in detail for the first time, plus pictures from their private collections, Going for Wisconsin Gold provides a new and deeper understanding of the sacrifices, joy, pain, heartbreak, and complete dedication it takes to reach the world’s grandest sporting competition.