Sports for Her: A Reference Guide for Teenage Girls

(Hardback)

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Description

Today, one in every three high school girls plays sports, and the number of sports offered to these young women has increased dramatically in the past decade. This unique resource explores these sports from a girl's perspective, while examining sports issues as they pertain to young women. Individual chapters cover the most popular sports offered at the high school level, such as basketball, field hockey, and track, and provides practical advice on training and practicing techniques, trying out for the team, and organizing school teams. Other sports possibly less familiar, such as badminton and crew, are also explored, each in a chapter of its own, as are sports like football and baseball which are typically offered only to boys. Students can find detailed information for each of the eight most popular sports at the high school level: basketball, field hockey, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. This information includes the history of the sport, rules, common injuries to the sport, similar sports to try, and advice from coaches about making the team. Young female students are encouraged to try other sports that may not be offered by their high school and to get high schools to sponsor teams where there are none, as well as to participate on boys' teams if a particular sport is not offered to girls. Advice is also provided on possible sports-related problems for girls, including overtraining, drug use, eating disorders, and abuse from coaches, as well as information about sports-related careers to provide a well-rounded, comprehensive guide for young female athletes.

Reviews

"An excellent reference tool....Its primary audience will find the narrative style engaging, the information practical, and the underlying message one of positive encouragement. Librarians will appreciate its reference value as a well-organized reference source that makes available in one place a broad range of information on sports for girls."-Betty Ronayne Education Reference Librarian California State University, Sacramento
"Hastings writes with encyclopedic authority about the sports that high school girls are most interested in. This is the kind of fundamental guide young athletes--and their parents--need today."-Jean Zimmerman and Gil Reavill authors of Raising Our Athletic Daughters: How Sports Can Build Self-Esteem and Save Girls' Lives
"Penny Hastings has produced a comprehensive and entertaining guide for any girl who likes sports. Sports for Her shows why our playing fields are as wonderful as our classrooms in shaping smart and confident young women."-Joan Ryan, Columnist San Francisco Chronicle
"Penny Hastings has written an excellent resource book for girls and their parents--it is well researched and documented. It is an essential reference for any girl who is interested in being a college athlete."-Janet M. Justus NCAA Director of Education Outreach
"Sports For Her is an extraordinary resource book that is chock full of rules, skill, and training information about specific sports and advice on how to become a player. There is important content on challenges faced by girls in sports: confronting peers who are critical of her skills, handling abusive coaches and teammate troubles, dealing with over-involved parents, preventing over training, and becoming knowledgeable about drugs and nutrition. And, there are great sections on how to obtain a college athletic scholarship and sports-related careers. In short, Sports For Her will be a wonderful gift for your favorite future girl athlete and must reading' for her parents and coaches."-Donna A. Lopiano Executive Director Women's Sports Foundation
"This book is filled with practical information (i.e. How to Make the Team') and with lots of good advise to young girls who are exploring an interest in participating on the recreational level as well as the highly competitive level found in girls' athletics in high schools and women's intercollegiate sports. I will keep this book in my office and recommend that it be in our school library and the libraries of all middle schools."-Libby Stillman Athletic Director, Ursuline High School Santa Rosa, CA
An impressive amount of advice and information has been packed into this book....Readers interested in female sports will find this book informative and useful.-School Library Journal
Recommended for school, public, and teacher-preparation libraries; middle and high school girls, their parents, and school or afterschool program personnel.-Choice
Sport for Her has a place in libraries serving teens. The writing is concise and well organized. The book provides information on the sports that young women are most likely to be interested in and offers a clear picture of what the various games entail. Recommended for public and school libraries.-Reference & User Services Quarterly
This book will be a valuable addition to any middle or high school library.-American Reference Books Annual
This excellent, in-depth resource introduces the basics of various sports available to high school girls while also looking at current issues relevant to female athletes.... Beyond the sports descriptions, readers will find useful information on dealing with coaches, nutritional issues, pursuing sports after high school, and careers in sports. The clear writing and concise presentation make this information accessible to many levels of readers. Although aimed at high school athletes, middle and junior high schools will want this reference toll for younger students preparing for high school sports. A helpful resource section includes books, Web sites, and organizations for further investigation.-VOYA
"An impressive amount of advice and information has been packed into this book....Readers interested in female sports will find this book informative and useful."-School Library Journal
"Recommended for school, public, and teacher-preparation libraries; middle and high school girls, their parents, and school or afterschool program personnel."-Choice
"Sport for Her has a place in libraries serving teens. The writing is concise and well organized. The book provides information on the sports that young women are most likely to be interested in and offers a clear picture of what the various games entail. Recommended for public and school libraries."-Reference & User Services Quarterly
"This book will be a valuable addition to any middle or high school library."-American Reference Books Annual
"This excellent, in-depth resource introduces the basics of various sports available to high school girls while also looking at current issues relevant to female athletes.... Beyond the sports descriptions, readers will find useful information on dealing with coaches, nutritional issues, pursuing sports after high school, and careers in sports. The clear writing and concise presentation make this information accessible to many levels of readers. Although aimed at high school athletes, middle and junior high schools will want this reference toll for younger students preparing for high school sports. A helpful resource section includes books, Web sites, and organizations for further investigation."-VOYA

Author Bio

PENNY HASTINGS is a professional researcher, writer, and public relations consultant. She is the coauthor of How to Win a Sports Scholarship (1995).