Winter Sports Books

Corduroy books are my daughter's (15 mo) favorites and this one is no exception. She still wants me to read it to her everyday even though the "snow days" are over for the year. The size is great for a toddler and the story is just the right length.

I am mainly familiar with the routes near Portland. The author describes routes on logging roads, marked blue diamond routes thru the woods (often a hiking trail in summer), or unmarked cross country routes in some places, and places to try your Telly turn in others. There are "maps" of the area, which do not replace topo maps. There also some black & white photos. It does not cover major mountain climbing with ski descent, except to warn about the difficulty in doing St Helens. He mentions those few areas with higher avalanche danger, other areas avalanches are rarer, particularly when the general avalanche danger is low.

There maybe some problem keeping this statewide book update.

Warren Hansen's 1999 book, Curling: The History, The Players, The Game, is probably the best general book on the sport of curling. The biggest problem with it is that it's out of print and hard to find. (I borrowed a copy from the Edmonton Public Library.)
Hansen, director of event management and media relations for the Canadian Curling Association, is a former Brier winner and founder of national curling schools. He is uniquely well placed to write this book.
Warren Hansen begins the book with the story of his own love of curling and his curling career. The story is well told and there is no hint of self-indulgence in his telling it.
He then provides a relatively brief history of curling - again, interesting and well told - before moving on to a discussion of the growth of competitive curling in Canada.
Hansen then gives brief biographies of 19 top men's and women's skips. Making such a list is, of course, a minefield. Some may quibble that all 17 Canadians chosen for this list - from Ken Watson to Sandra Schmirler -- hail from Ontario or, mainly, the Prairies. But it's hard to dispute Hansen's list and one has to give him credit for treating fairly those such as Ed Werenich with whom he crossed swords in his job with the CCA. All in all, he does an admirable job of recapping the careers of these skips and no doubt had to dig through some archives to provide such full accounts.
Hansen goes on to provide a thorough analysis of how to develop a good delivery - his description of that alone is well worth the price of this book. He analyzes curling strategy in light of the development of the free guard zone in the 1990s. The book concludes with 2 1/2 pages that examine the future of curling. This little conclusion has the qualities that permeate the book. It is honest, objective, fair and interesting.
This book is also well and thoughtfully illustrated. My only complaint is that the section on physical conditioning for curling is far too brief and contains the bizarre advice that "the recreational player needs to spend only about five minutes" a day on aerobic conditioning.
Nevertheless, a lot of planning, hard work, research and quality editing went into this book. It is a true classic. One can only hope that an updated version will soon find its way into print.

roy macgregor is at his best here! i have read all of the screech owl books, but this one is one of my favorite. AMAZING!

Daredevils is a good book. Although I don't like reading much, I enjoyed this book. First of all, I like hockey; and this book's about a girl who plays hockey on a boys' team. I play on a girls' team, so I'm not exactly like Lizzie, the main character in Daredevils. But I can understand her problems with boys. The boys in Daredevils are big pains, and that's what they're like in my school too.
I also liked the adventure in the book. Alex falls into the Niagara Gorge. I've been to Niagara Falls and it is really scary. When Lizzie tries to save Alex, I almost had a heart attack!
Read this book. The kids sound like real kids. You'll like them. (And you'll hate some of them too, especially Trevor.)

The photographs are fantastic to show what all is being described in this book. I found the material to be factual and presented in an interesting manner for an elementary student who wishes to write a report on sled dogs or sledogging as a sport. It would also be a good book to learn about sled dogs and their sport. I live in Alaska and follow sled dog activity. I have also written a children's book about a sled dog. The photographs set this book apart from all the others I am familiar with.

Aloha All,

I hope all you Canadian skaters out there enjoy this book. I know I do! Why, you ask? Cause I am in it! No joke. That's right, my name is Eric Franks (AKA The Disabled Skater). I still skate 7 years after the photo, and interview. It was by far, one of the best days of my life... The picture of me holding my REAL Keith Hufanegal Deck, standing in my walker (four-wheeled type contraption) was taken at Yuba City Skatepark, in Yuba City, California (U.S.A.), in April, of 98. I was there with my mom, (Lynne) and my two good friends: Jason and Gerald Lifur.

As it happened, I was just cruising around, and, Sonny Mayiugba (aka SM) noticed me, and came up to me asking, "do you mind if I take some pictures of you skating, and do an interview..." of course, I said yes! But, he also had to ask my mom. (cause I was under age at the time) Anyway, he actually took a pic of me skating up the side of a pyramid (at the park). The pic of me on the ramp was not published in the DOI? (For whatever reason). The pic of me actually skating is found in the magazine though. I think you can still get a copy of the issue via www.heckler.com or possibly EBAY, if they don't send you one? (for whatever reason)
Anyway, after about 20 minutes, he said, " look for yourself in next month's issue." Which was the actual magazine of Heckler. It was May 1998's issue (AKA The Simple Issue) Issue # 26 . I was so stoked, when later in May, I went to a skate shop called Zumiez, and found a copy.

Then, about a year ago, one of my friends, who owns a skateshop in California, called Unity, told me I was in this book! Then he went and showed me. Since then I have autographed a half dozen copies! I don't know how easy it is to get a copy in Canada? But in the U.S. you have to usually order it. I had to. Heckler never sent me any copy of the mag, or book. Lastly, all the other skaters, snowboarders, bands, many of whom I looked up to (and still do) are awsomely profiled in this book, such as Metallica, Ian Mackaye of Minor Threat (R.I.P.) and the still together, Fugazi, also appearances by: Green Day, Public Enemy, Tony Hawk, Tony Alva, Jay Adams, Duane Peters (of the band: U.S. Bombs) Steve Caballero, Christian Hasoi, and tons more! As always, keep on doing what you love, and do it the best you can.

Live to skate

Until next time, eh!

Yours truly in everything skating, love, unity, and Canadian,

Eric N. Franks

(The Disabled Skater)

AKA: The Canarican (Canadian American) (I Will be someday)

Ever considered a trip to Bermuda? Take one look at this book and you will. Bermuda is world-famous for some excellent historic shipwrecks and, speaking as someone who writes about shipwrecks for a living, I was very keen to see what original information was available to me. The answer was "Quite a lot."

"Diving Bermuda" measures 10" x 7" and is another diving guide in the well-established medium size format from Aqua Quest Publishing of New York. As I have said before, these particular publishers, set high standards and demand all contributing authors/photographers maintain those standards at all times. Little wonder Aqua Quest are a leading name in the USA for books such as this.

Not only is this book well-presented from beginning to end, but, as a Guide for Divers considering a visit to this country it achieves all the requirements for such a guide. Chapter One is an overall introduction containing details of Bermuda's Maritime Legacy - from the past to the present. This is followed by all the vital and relevant information a visitor needs to know when planning a trip including sections on Accommodations (to suit all budgets.), Shopping and Dining.

Having, therefore, set the scene as far as the country is concerned, the book then concentrates on the dive sites with three chapters providing all the relevant information - both terrestrial and submarine. This includes no fewer than 20 shipwrecks but, for those who prefer not to visit man-made objects underwater, an additional chapter is dedicated to the country's stunning reefs and marine life.

If all that is not enough, the Authors have also given thought to those who limit their underwater activities to Snorkelling with a further chapter detailing several good sites. With a final chapter on the all-important subject of Safety, the book is then rounded off with Appendices on local Scuba Diving facilities and Bermuda Tourist Board Offices in the USA. Time to grab that phone and make some enquiries I think.

With almost every page decorated with high quality colour images and maps, this has to be rated as a first class book which achieves exactly what a Diving Guide should achieve and I congratulate the Authors and Publishers on an excellent product.

NM

Once again we have an excellent combination of Author and Publisher who have collaborated to provide an invaluable guide book for any diver contemplating a trip to Hawaii. "Diving Hawaii" is another Scuba Diving guide book in the medium size format favoured by Aqua Quest. These publishers have a reputation for high standards - in terms of quality of information and standard of photography, and it is easy to see why.

"Diving Hawaii" is clearly laid out with chapters on; An introduction to the Hawaiian Islands, Diving in general, the specific dive sites of Oahu, Maui, Hawaii and Kauai and local Marine Life. The book concludes with some very useful Appendixes containing; Emergency information, details of local Scuba Diving centres, miscellaneous useful numbers for visitors and some brief notes on another 20 dive sites.

Chapter One begins with an all-important historical précis of Hawaii. This gives the visitor a brief insight into the country's first Polynesian settlers, the way in which the country was then ruled by it's own system of chiefs for something like 1,000 years, the islands' discovery by Captain Cook, the importance of sugar plantations, the time when Hawaii became a US territory and, eventually (in 1959) the 50th State. All of which is followed by equally important notes on present day Hawaii and all the essential information the visitor needs to know.

Chapter 2 is an overview of Diving in general with notes on; boat, shore and night diving as well as conservation. There is also a very important and well written description of the unusual underwater lava tubes and cave formations created by the flow of volcanic lava into the sea. These are probably very different from any other form of Cave Diving found anywhere else in the world and Page 21 is rightly devoted to a full-page warning of the dangers involved here.

We now come to those Chapters individually dedicated to each of the four main islands in the Hawaiian group and these take in any smaller adjacent islands as well. Once again, we are treated to an introduction to the island itself before getting down to diving specifics. This commences with a map of the island(s) showing the primary dive sites as numbers - each of which is then described in more than adequate detail and headed by the relevant depth, experience level required and access.

Altogether a well-rounded book containing all the information required by anyone considering a diving trip to Hawaii.

According to the Author's biography on the back page, Steve Rosenberg specialises in underwater photography. As a fellow professional "Underwater Photographer & Author," I congratulate him on some truly outstanding pictures.

NM

The word "California" conjures up all manner of images from sun-drenched beaches to Hollywood - rarely making one think of the offshore islands that have so very much to offer the visiting Scuba Diver.

"Diving Offshore California" measures 10" x 7" and is another guide in the medium size format favoured by Aqua Quest. These particular publishers set high standards and demand all contributing authors/photographers maintain those standards at all times. This is, therefore, another worthy addition to the series.

The book is well laid out thus ensuring every page has the right mix of written information and visually informative colour photographs or maps. Commencing with an overview of the past and the present, the book then goes on to include all that useful information required by any potential visitor - weather, access boat diving, preservation, visibility, photography, currents and much more besides. We are then treated to a map of California showing the location of the offshore islands roughly situated between Santa Barbara and San Diego. The next 13 chapters are then dedicated to each of the featured islands - and one of them even includes diving around oil-rig platforms. A total of over 90 individual dive sites are included and each of these contains all the information the potential visitor will wish to know.

With a final chapter devoted to Marine Life, the book then concludes with a number of Appendices containing that all-important emergency information and useful numbers such as Charter Boats and Dive Centres.

Altogether, this book contains all the information the potential visitor will require for contemplating such a trip. My only criticism is reserved for a couple of the photographs which are not quite sharp enough and might be replaced at the next re-printing stage.

NM