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Four Days to Glory

Wrestling with the Soul of the American Heartland

ebook
3 of 3 copies available
3 of 3 copies available

Somewhere beyond the circle of money, glitz, drugs, and controversy that characterizes professional sports in America, remnants of an ideal exist. In Iowa, that ideal survives in the form of high school wrestling.

Each a three-time state champion, Jay Borschel and Dan LeClere have a chance in their senior year to join the sport's most elite group: the "four-timers," wrestlers who win four consecutive state titles. For Jay, a ferocious competitor who feeds off criticism and doubt, a victory would mean vindication over the great mass of skeptics waiting for him to fail. For Dan, who carries on his back the burdens of his tiny farming community, the dreams of his hard-driving coach and father, and his own personal demons, another title is the only acceptable outcome.

Four Days to Glory is the story of America as told through its small towns and their connection to sport the way it was once routinely perceived: as a means of mattering to the folks next door.

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  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      December 11, 2006
      Sportswriter Kreidler, a columnist for the
      \t\t Sacramento Bee
      , immerses himself in "the largest event of its kind
      \t\t in the United States," the Iowa State High School Wrestling Tournament, and the
      \t\t result is a deeply insightful look into how young athletes and their families
      \t\t prepare for and participate in a yearly, four-day event where "Fathers and
      \t\t sons, coaches and wrestlers locked in screaming matches are as commonplace as
      \t\t injury timeouts." But this is no exposé: Kreidler paints a highly
      \t\t sympathetic portrait of the struggles of two smalltown seniors to become the
      \t\t 15th and 16th four-time state champions in Iowa's history. One is motivated by
      \t\t the doubts raised about his abilities by Iowa wrestling fans, while the other
      \t\t struggles with a family history of depression. In Kreidler's final stunning
      \t\t account of how both teens deal with the "recurring emotional whiplash" of the
      \t\t tournament itself, he more than proves his contention: "The really great ones,
      \t\t deep down, just don't give a damn" about doubts and struggles external to the
      \t\t sport itself.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
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  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:7.9
  • Lexile® Measure:1180
  • Interest Level:9-12(UG)
  • Text Difficulty:6

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