In Motivational Moments in Women's Track and Field, read inspirational stories of female athletes who overcame adversity to achieve success. Sixty female track and field athletes from all over the world and multiple generations are featured in this book. Stories are of well-known athletes like Wilma Rudolph, who overcame polio as a child to become an Olympic champion, or unknown athletes who never made it to the Olympics, such as Gretel Bergmann, who faced discrimination because she was Jewish, or Doris Brown Heritage, who faced gender discrimination when women were not allowed to run distance events. Some, such as Alice Coachmen, faced racial discrimination, but overcame the adversity to become successful. Many won multiple medals at the greatest athletic stage in the world. However, some had their dreams crushed when they were not allowed to compete in the Olympic Games due to war, boycotts, or injuries. Motivational Moments in Women's Track and Field is written for those who are currently competing, coaching, have participated in track and field or are simply a track and field or sports fan. The stories convey the history of track and field and are designed to inspire, encourage, motivate, and teach valuable life lessons. Each story is accompanied by questions designed to invoke thought as to how one can apply the lessons learned to athletics and to the bigger game of life. The stories are rich in history and are designed to be read in a few minutes. The stories pay honor to all the young women who compete, and make the attempt and pursue excellence. These stories of great athletes teach us how to think positive, to focus our attention on what is important, and how to overcome obstacles to reach our goals.
About the Author: Dr. Mark Stanbrough is a professor in the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at Emporia State University in Kansas. He teaches graduate and undergraduate exercise physiology and sports psychology classes and is the director of Coaching Education. The Coaching Education program at Emporia State is currently one of only ten universities in the United State to be accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Coaching Education. He was a co-founder of the online physical education graduate program, the first in United States to go completely online. He received his Ph.D. in exercise physiology from the University of Oregon, and undergraduate and master's degrees from Emporia State in physical education. He has served as department chair and has served on the National Association for Sport and Physical Education National Sport Steering Committee and is a past member of the board of directors for the National Council for the Accreditation of Coaching Education. Mark has over thirty years of coaching experience at the collegiate, high school, middle school and club level. Coach Stanbrough served eight years as the head men's and women's cross country/track and field coach at Emporia State (1984-1992) with the 1986 women's cross country team finishing second at the NAIA national meet. He has also coached at Emporia High School and Glasco High School in Kansas. Mark has served as the USATF Missouri Valley Association President and as the head referee at numerous national meets. He is a member of the Emporia State University Athletic Hall of Honor and the Health, Physical Education, Recreation Hall of Honor and has won numerous coach-of-the-year awards at the high school and collegiate levels.