Tracks Books

In this book, Callie must come to terms with her stalker. Carole is finally back at Pine Hollow, and wants Max to take on two new horses. Lisa's mother refuses to believe her when she says she's seeing Scott, and Lisa must also deal with feelings of jealousy when Scott lets his attention be monopolized when they are out on dates. Lisa must also find some way to persuade her mother to stay in Virginia, at least until she graduates.

Its really good. I really like it. I hope Coral and ben get to gether. To the people reading this. Its a really really good book. with out a dout i give this book 5 stars. if you dont belive me read it your self ore read the other thorts of other people, Sorry about the spelling, I have a problem with it but i sti liked this book. I hope Alex and Lisa get back togehter. I also hope that therre will be more boooks than 17. Bye for now. (...)

I loved this book and all the others in the series so far! i think this book was really good because 1) George i knew was a stalker and im glad he finally got cought 4 it 2) i new cam was a fake and that carole should really be wit ben, even if he is annoying sometimes u can tell he really cares about her and 3) stevie really needed something new to keep that mind of hers occupied! i started reading the saddle club in like 4th grade and read up to #89 twice. i started the pine hallow series when it first came out but i was too young and there were only 4 books at the time. now i started the series again since im older and i just can't stop reading them! too bad there aren't as many of these books as there are of the saddle club! i hope ms. bryant keeps writing more of the saddle club books tho so that it will catch up to the begining of the pine hallow series. these books are great for older horse lovin girls! don't get discouraged by the first few books because horses become more involved as you go on! i hope u enjoy them as much as i did!

I have all 17 Pine Hollow series books, and I have to say that this book (#16) is my absolute favorite. I really revolves around Callie and her problems with George. Most of the other Pine Hollow series is about horses, or shows, or boyfriends - but I found this one the most enjoyable to read because it really brings a new light to Callie's character. Makes her seem real in how George is haunting her. It still has plenty of horse things in there (about Stevie training for eventing - instead of her longtime favorite, Dressage) and Lisa and Scotts relationship - even a little bit of Ben and Carole. The only downfall is this is the second to last book in the series - but it's the best one of them all!

Track Record was a very well written book with a lot of differant areas to keep the reader interested.
Although the novel was mostly written around Callie and her problems with George, you got to read about how Stevie has decided to improve her dressage and compete in cross country and how Lisa and Scott might get together.
Although the novel was well written the conclusion left the reader in suspence, wondering what was going to happen to George and what Scott did to have bandaged knuckles when he walked out from the stable after finding Callie.
But all in all this was a fantastic novel and I can't wait until the next book comes to Australia so I can see what happens next.

This is the manual for a successful "Functional Trainer" that want to know how to structure or to present natural exercises for there athletes. Gary Cool has really made it happen. The terminology is well said and understanding and easy to read. You just can't loose. Go out and pick it up. Thank you and have a great day.

This book allows you to see flaws in basic movement patterns and shows you how to correct them. It might not seem important but it could be the difference in being injuried or not.

Funny how a book needs a DVD to help demonstrate. So get the DVD too. Not much to say other than a good reference, the value is in the whole book.

This book changed the way I look at fitness and is appropriate for the weekend warrior or professional athlete. The author's expertise is expressed in such a manner that comprehension and practical application is easily reached.

This is an OUTSTANDING complement to the DVD. I hoped that the DVD and book would not merely be redundant...and they aren't! The overlap to some extent so that you can get results with only one or the other, but I am VERY glad to have both. They fill in some gaps that each has.

Rafer Johnson, to me, exemplifies the perfect American athlete. Besides winning the 1960 Rome Olympics Decathlon in record points, he also won gols at the 1955 Pan American Games and took silver medal at Melbourne, AUS Olympic Decathlon! Rafer was known for promoting special olympics, and won numerous awards for sportsmanship over the years! Mr Johnson was one of those few in every million or so that truly set and still sets the standard of what being a true American, athlete and humanitarian is all about!!!!!!!!!! Rafer excelled in high school in football, averaging 17 yards a carry, batted .400 in baseball, averaged 17 points a game in basketball and averaged over 9 yards a carry in football while in high school. But Rafer's specialty was track and field. Going to UCLA, Rafer was offered a scholarship to play football but his real love was track and field. His high school coach took him to a decathlon meet near where 2 time decathlon winner Bob Mathias lived in Tulare, CA. Rafer told his coach:"gee coach, I could have beaten most of those guys there"! Rafer took on and beat such greats in the 50's as Russian decathlon whiz Vasily Kuznyetsov and fellow UCLA teammate and later his arch rival in '60 Rome Olympics CK Yang. Mr Johnson was flag bearer for USA Team in '60 games and also lit the torch at '84 Olympics in Los Angeles Games. Mr Johnson also acted and has done much in his lifetime promoting great charatible events and things for America's youth and good sportsmanship!!! Rafer Johnson is about the best example, to me, of an American, a true American and sportsman. A real leader, sportsman and humanitarian now and always!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has always and will continue to always inspire my life and millions of others the world over now and forevermore!

I was so glad to learn that you've finally come out with a book, Rafer! I have always been fascinated with your decathalon vs CK YANG, and wish that there could be more films and pictures (book) just on the 1960 Decathalon, alone! I remember old tv ads with you in them years past and your roles in TARZAN movies. I knew from watching you that you would always be my life's role model! The "new" generation we live in today has so much technology and modern tech toys; but something "REAL BIG" is lacking! True greatness and love of (SPORT) for the love of it, from your heart, and not big money! Men were real men then, and athletes were real athletes! I have always dreamed of meeting you in person oneday! You and Ethiopia's ABBEE BIKILA were, are and always be two of my all-time favorite role models and athletes, forever! Sure wish that more could be done and written(pictures and films) of 1960 Olympics, especially the decathalon and marathon! You're truly a "great" man, and a "fine" american athlete of our time and the 20th century! write more books soon!

I grew up hearing and reading about Rafer Johnson all of my life. Track was never a sport I paid much attention to before Johnson. He made it bigger than life for me, as Tiger Woods does for golf. A few years ago I was introduced to Rafer and was stunned to find him remarkably shy and guarded, very much unlike the dynamic man I saw as an athlete. I could tell that he was warm, but very, very careful. It wasn't until I read THE BEST THAT I CAN BE that I understood the man, that I understood how much one's background can flavor an entire lifetime. This book not only gave me his remarkable story, it left me with an insight that I carry with me everyday.

I was expecting much more from this book

It was nice to learn about what has happened to Rafer Johnson over the years. The Best That I Can Be was a wonderful reminder of a marvelous athlete and competitor from years past plus an added bonus of hearing Rafer's incessant optimism and enthusiam. Gold Medalists come and go but few do so with the class and human decency that Johnson has displayed over a long period of time. If ever one is looking for a role model who demonstrated overcoming adversity with a smile on his face, it was Rafer Johnson. I only wished I had read this sooner.

Bought this book for my entire girls U8 team.
Although they were excited this turned out to be difficult for them to read.
The youngest reading level would probably be 3rd grade unless your child is a particularly good reader.
Nonetheless, this book is very good.
Lots of games and pictures and easy to explain concepts.
Definitely what I was looking for, but something my girls weren't quite able to read.

I enjoyed this book as it provided the information I needed to refresh my memory as I committed to coach a girl's soccer team, 8 & 9 year olds.

It provides a great breakdown of information for someone beginning their coaching career or as a refresher for someone who has coached in the past.

My daughter has learned a lot from this read, it is informative and talks about rules of the game as well as moves.

I bought this for my 8 year old and even looked over it myself. It has alot of info but she didn't seem too interested. Maybe she just doesn't like to read - but she did it one day and hasn't touched it in a year. I never wrote my reviews - it's been a year and the book looks like brand new . . . should have saved my money - but is a good source of learning for kids who actually LIKE to read! LOL

I coach a team of 8 through 10 year old girls, and I bought the book hoping to find an explanation for offside that kids that age could understand.

While that element was only so-so, I found that the book is a great resource for kids in many areas of the game. Truth is, I personally learned some things (like the "Argentina" free kick play) from this book as well.

Some things I liked:
- Most of the book is written in simple terms (there are a couple areas that might confuse kids)
- Puzzles and games and such to keep kids' attention
- Many areas of the game covered from rules to technique

Some things I didn't like:
- While it is for kids, it is not clearly geared to any particular age group, so there are parts that are too complicated for younger kids and still other parts that would seem too "childish" to older kids (overall, I felt it would be most useful to the 8 and 9 year olds on my team).
- The puzzles and games don't do anything to reinforce the information learned in the book. They are just for entertainment.

Overall a very good book, and for 8 bucks, it's definitely worth a buy if soccer is your kid's thing.

This book complete's any running book collection. It goes in depth into the biomechanics of running, specific weight training exersizes for breakthrough running, and specific stretching for runners. This book covers the information that most other books only breifly skim over. The knowledge that Michael Yessis shares in this book could be eaisily added to any running program, to make you a faster, and more efficient runner. I would reccommend this book to anyone who is serious about running and looking to add more specifity to their running program. If you want to run faster, and farther without getting injured this is a book for you.

This book is everything the title says it is . . .explosive. I noticed benefits in terms of my speed and endurance from the start of training. I was also gratified to read the authors endorsement of barefoot running! If you are a serious runner seeking to improve your speed, endurance and running economy. This is the book for you.

Tim
Anacortes, Washington

Almost. Yessis and Yessis (two authors) focus on the biomechanics of running, which is unusual and perhaps distinctive among publications - we've got the way to train, mostly from Jack D., and now this is an almost good book for telling us how to run. The descriptions of proper running style, and the exercises to achieve proper running style, are in the book.

But you really have to dig. What makes this book 'almost good' is that there is no structure or system to its presentation. Y & Y say what they have to say. Once. Twice, a different way. Third, a different way. And so on.

The redundancy is really not the bad point - the bad point is that there's so much laid out, it's hard to tell what you should do first. Doing it all, well, that would take eight hours a set.

Another bad point. There are far, far more 'non-examples' of runners displaying INcorrect running style than examples of runners displaying correct running style. For the typical reader (I presume I am among them), I want to see someone running right . . . not endless pictures of people who are running and are doing two, three, or four things wrong.

It seems like Y & Y have one favorite sprinter in the book who does it all right. Everyone else, be they your average marathon runner or the state high school 1,500 meeter champ or a nationally ranked 5,000 meter competitor, displays a running style per Y & Y that is "almost, but not quite, right."

The pictures are a great, great idea - but next version show us how to run, biomechanically, the right way. Give us pictures of people who either naturally or with training, are doing it ALL right. (A value-added add-on of course would be a DVD with video clips of runners running the right way.)

The explanations are helpful - but somehow, some way, please structure the presentation. Provide exercises per running element, or simple to easy, or beginner to advanced, SOME sort of organization that makes sense so that as readers we can figure out fairly easily what it is we each should incorporate into our workout schedule.

This book would be great for anyone who is serious about running and desires to find ways to increase performance. The sections that break down the actual mechanics of running are complicated, but I found them to be interesting. The sections on stretching and weightlifting exercises specifically for running are outstanding. The chapter on the effects shoes have on feet and the case for spending more time barefoot is also a highlight.

If you are a casual runner who is happy and not interested in making running a top priority in your life, then I would personally skip this book. If you are "into" running and seeking a deeper understanding of what the mechanics of the run are and how to improve your run, then I cannot see how this book would not help you.

I bought this book wondering if it would show me any tips to improve my running technique. The book does serve as a good introduction to running technique and I would suggest the book to a person who knows nothing on the topic. However, the book left me more convinced than ever before that one cannot improve technique from lessons in a book. Coaches exist for a reason and this is one of them. Runners who have great body and muscle awareness are not going to have major problems and thus are not going to need this book. On the other hand, runners who have poor body awareness are going to need a knowledgable person (a coach) to watch them run and identify the problem. So they don't need the book either and are better of spending their money on a coaching session. This book might be useful for a student taking a college course in coaching running but that is about it.

Beside this general complaint the book itself leaves a lot to be desired. The photographs in the book are rather poor. They are simply clips from a video and suffer from all the problems that causes. It was really mind boggling to me that the publisher was so cheap as to not pay for a still camera to take photos. The poor quality images make it difficult at times to really understand what the author is refering to in the picture. It is most unfortunate that the authors obvious knoweledge is hindered by this problem. Further, there isn't a modern fad (running barefoot, neuromuscler training) that the author doesn't fall for. It used to be "muscle memory" was all the rage. The book would have been stronger if these issues were left out as the author comes across as pandering.

All in all I think this is a book that might serve some useful purpose for a person who knows little about proper running technique. But for a person with difficulties it is not a substitute for a some sessions with a good coach.

As an outdoor fitness instructor, I have been able to use several of the exercises. Great suggestion from my Chiropractor!

This book is not written that well. It could be organized better. It reminds me of a term paper thrown together from bits and pieces of other reports.

I find the exercise drawings hard to follow. Photo sequences would have been better.

Make sure you examine this one at the bookstore before you order it.

This book explains, with easy to understand illustrations, various exercises for power, speed and agility (to enhance athletic performance). All exercises have little pictures of all sports which especially benefit from these exercises, like baseball, basketball or power lifting...even more `exotic' sports such as fencing, skiing or horseback riding.
The exercises suggested in this book can be used for specific athletic training or to add some fun and variety to your own workouts :-)

This book does an excellent job introducing the topic of plyometrics to the reader. It discusses the different types and categories of jumps as well as the varying intensities. It even gives sport specific plyos as well as sample programs. However, this is not the definitive book on plyometrics. I think of it as more as a good reference tool. I would really recommend "High-Powered Plyometrics" for even more in depth info on this wonderful method of training.

this book is a top recommended reading from all leading authors in strength and conditioning. However, you should also buy the companion dvd in order to help facilitate the exercises in the book.

What an amazing read! I was glued to the pages of this book like a mystery reader. Growing up in the late 60's and early 70's Disneyland Records was a pivotal part of almost any person's childhood. This book is one of the most thorough comprehensive journeys in the creation, growth, and current children's/adult contemporary recording company. The reader is plummeted into the world of; Disney, Camarata,Annette Funicello, Louis Prima, Haley Mills, Phil Harris; and well loved voice talents such as Thurl Ravenscroft, Paul Frees, Pete Renaday, Cliff Edwards (a.k.a. Jiminy Cricket, Sterling Halloway (Winnie-the-Pooh) and more. In this day and age of DVD, Compact Disc and High Definition there's still a charm and warmth about plopping the needle down on a 40 year old vinyl album and being treated to some now heard rarities. I've been recently transferring many vinyls to my IPOD and this book has been a great reference. Readers also may want to look into The Golden Age of Walt Disney Records 1933 - 1988 by Murray, R. Michael.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. One of my hobbies is collecting Disney records, so this was perfect.

This book tells the story of Walt Disney Records, formerly known as Disneyland Records and Buena Vista Records. The record company is one aspect of the Disney empire that hasn't been extensively covered before, so there is a lot of information here that you probably haven't read before. The book does a very good job of telling the record company's story, giving credit to some talented people who deserve to be remembered. Disney fans should read this book.

This book definetly brings back childhood memories for me.
I used to have a collection of Disneyland book and records.Plus I always wondered what Robie Lester and Lois Lane actually looked like.(And why they each had their own version of Tinker Bell's little bells.)

A must for any nostalgia buff!

The recording end of Walt Disney Productions hasn't really been given the short shrift--in 1997, R. Michael Murray put together a wonderful pricing guide for Disneyland and Buena Vista's musical output that fills in a lot of gaps left behind here. Still, authors Tim Hollis and Greg Ehrbar do a fine job at bringing forth the personalities and histories of many Disney singers who weren't usually credited on record labels, and these talents are worth re-discovering. Some of the basic information regarding certain albums is treated too blithely (and often, a description or detail seems wrong, as when they say Annette's first solo album was on the Disneyland label...it was if you count "Songs from Annette & The Walt Disney Serials", which wasn't an Annette album per se). And too often the authors write off an album's success by saying "million of copies were sold". How many millions? Did the record chart in Billboard? Did it spawn any singles? Apparently, 45rpm singles were the bane of the early recording industry, and the authors pretty much dismiss their importance; however, that doesn't excuse the omittance of chart information, even on some of the more popular titles. Did any of Annette's albums chart, and, if not, what kept the Disney brass interested in her as an albums artist? There is wonderful background information on unsung heroes such as Bob Grabeau, Teri York, Robie Lester and Ginny Tyler, but the writers couldn't come up with ANYthing substantial on the Sylte Sisters or the Vonnair Sisters? The early Disney recordings via the Hansen label, 78rpm artists like William Lava, the 'Zorro' records and 'The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh', are almost completely forgotten, which makes this NOT the definitive book on the subject. It's a nice beginning, how about a second volume?

I've used this journal for 10+ years now. I like it's layout and functionality.

I have just started to use this training diary, my 4th week, and it is wonderful.

The feature I enjoy the most of all in the weekly entries is the amount of space available to write on each day's workout and performance! Plus, the daily weight recording area is big enough to include your body fat percentage too. The summary space is perfect for any comments that you have for that week's runs.

This is my first bought training journal, and I look forward to filling it up!

I guess I'm being picky. Okay I know Sunday is really the first day of the week but for those of us tracking miles by week (especially important for building your bases so you don't over do it) you usually can't break the weekend apart. Sometimes due to your time schedule you can train long on Saturday and sometimes you have to do it on Sunday. Let's say your building for a marathon. You do 5 - five milers during the week and a 15 mile run on Sunday. Next week you do the same but have to do the 15 on Saturday. According to the book you did 25 miles one week and 55 miles the next. How's that for tracking weekly miles? The better training log's leave the days of the week blank so you can fill it in. And yes I know you could always cross out the days of the week in this log and rewrite it but why should you have to?

The training diary is solid because the format has not drastically changed over the years. The log has ample space to chronicle your feelings/outlooks/goals and you fill in the dates, so a person does not have to "start" on January 1 to use the entire book in a year.

Also, those who don't run, but need a book for swimming, cycling, etc., will find it a practical investment compared with other available sport-specific diaries. This is a great investment to chronicle the road traveled...and the miles ahead.

One of the main reasons I like this diary so much is that it is spiral bound. You can't tell from the Amazon photo. So I keep it open to the week I'm running in to make entries quick.
I have been keeping track of my runs for 5 years with these diaries - they have enough room in them for one year of dates and comments. The comments area for each day gives you enough room for a few sentences.
For me, a casual runner/10K'er who does about 500 miles a year, I feel that keeping a diary has kept me going. It is alarming to see that I already can't go as fast as I used to, but I've run a total of more miles each year. The used/resold versions are only a few bucks.

If Lydiard is "outdated" as you sugest, then how do you explain this:

Mark Wetmore(Colorado @ Boulder - Buffaloes) uses a slightly modified version of Ludiard's training (so that his athletes are able to peak three times a year). They obviously have had much success.

To those who say his theories are outdated, show me the results where Americans pounding the intervals or following a Daniels type plan are beating those like the Kenyans and the Japanese marathoners and Paula Radcliffe who train much more like Lydiard suggests. It's not a coincidence that Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi became the first two Americans to win Olympic marathon medals in 20 years. They are also two of the few Americans who follow a Lydiard-based training philosophy. The Kenyans do not train at LT pace all the time. Anyone who knows how they train knows that they train much like Lydiard suggests.

Yes, his writings are hard to read. He has a great mind when it comes to running technique but not quite so great when it comes to writing style. However, the wealth of wisdom in his writings is worth working yourself through the less than spectacular writing style if you are interested in racing performance.

Criticism of Lydiard based on the idea that he recommended "long slow running" indicates that the reviewer didn't actually try paying attention to what Lydiard wrote. If a three-hour marathoner running his Monday ten-miler at 6:30 pace and his Friday 10-miler at 6:15 pace - not even in base phase, this is in conditioning BEFORE you get to base phase - it that is your idea of "slow" distance, then your idea varies greatly from mine. Go back and read what he says comprises "half-effort" - for a 5:00 miler, Lydiard's version of half-effort is 5:16. If you're going to criticize an author, please read the source document.

He's trained 18 olympians, has taken years of physiology, and has been perfecting his programs since the 60's. This is definitely the book to get. I was one of the people who didn't know what the training did, so I got fired up and hammered it every day. Thankfully, I was able to learn about Lydiard and find a real way to train. He explains all of the physiology behind running so you have a revamped knowledge and know what to do instead of training blindly. Definitely a must have.

My first thoughts were - "This is a book?" This is the most unprofessional job I have ever seen. The forward is one the most laughable English translations I have ever seen printed. As for the body of the text, it is clearly a compilation of various things Lydiard wrote over the years. The editors took all this different stuff, threw it together, and called it a book. The end has some charts sitting around with absolutely no explanation. The book repeats itself a lot, and there is a long section written exclusively about rugby. Apparently Lydiard once adapted his training ideas to rugby, and the resulting article was thrown into the book as a "bonus" or something.

That aside, it is fun to read some old Lydiard stuff. This book takes me way back to the glory days of the running boom, to Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers running in their heydays, which is funny since I was born in 1984. Always nice to hear that the reason "the negroid" is beating me is that he can lift his knees while leaning forward. Thousands of people have been trying for years to find out why the East Africans are so dominant, and here Lydiard had it all figured out years ago!

Joking aside, this is a decent book about training. Lydiard is not a proponent of Long Slow Distance. He supports Long Steady Distance. His focus on high mileage and basic speed is key. Many well-informed people believe that if Americans would spend more time developing their aerobic bases and less time on the track doing hard intervals, they would run much faster. I have found this to be true in my own running.

One thing I would have liked is a better description of the hill-bounding exercises. Lydiard mentions that you should do bounding exercises up a hill, but he doesn't go into the detail of exactly what this bounding should look like. That's my only true complaint.

A lot of methods and ideas from previous books I've read. Not really impressed.

Thanks, PSL King

I have read the first edition of this title over and over and the latest version is only an improvement on a fine work. I agree that a lot of the information provided in the chapters in not in great depth, but it's difficult to take a 200 page book and condense it into a few pages. Quinn has done a great job of doing just that. And since the author provides information on the various sources, it gives the reader the opportunity to reach out to those sources if they have interest in the topic. This is definitely a great addition to any handicapper's library. I have had the opportunity to meet Quinn and he is just as wonderful a person as he is an author.

The beauty of James Quinn's updated anthology is not any one revelation that he brings to the table, but that he's synthesized so many voices and give you so many more angles to consider. Those of you who play regularly know how easy it is to identify the obvious chalk-- and how hard it is to get past the two or three "best on paper" types to get to live, mid-priced overlays. You know, the horses that are the difference between a minus day and a wildly profitable day.

In addition, the fact that he has brought so many voices together on money management-- the topic I see the least amount of literature on-- alone makes this worthwhile.

This isn't the type of book I'd toss to a novice, but it will make the intermediate player much more flexible and creative.

This book is outstanding, well written, insightful, and pulls together so many different angles on handicapping. The only problem is trying to digest all that is here. Excellent work.

Drawing from so many experts in the field and publishing their original material makes for a great work. Of the dozen or so handicapping volumes I have, this is the one I refer to most often because every each aspect from handicapping factors to money management and tote watching is covered by a true expert in that field. What I discovered after reading this is that I started looking for volumes by the writers herein that contributed chapters of interest. It has introduced me to a lot of guys I would never have found without this book.