Chalked Up: My Life in Elite Gymnastics - Softcover

Sey, Jennifer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0061351474 ISBN 13: 9780061351471

Publisher: It Books, 2009

Synopsis

Fanciful dreams of gold-medal glory led Jennifer Sey to the local gymnastics club in 1976. A natural aptitude and a willingness to endure punishing hard work took her to the elite ranks by the time she was eleven years old. Jennifer traveled the country and the world competing for the U.S. National team, but the higher she set her sights—the world championships, the 1988 Olympics—the more she began to ignore her physical and mental well-being. Jennifer suffered devastating injuries, developed an eating disorder, and lived far from family and friends, all for the sake of winning. When her parents and coaches lost sight of her best interests, Jennifer had no choice but to redefine her path into adulthood. She had to save herself.

Chalked Up delivers an unforgettable coming-of-age story that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt not good enough and has finally come to accept who they were meant to be.

About this title

About the Author:

The 1986 national gymnastics champion and a seven-time U.S. National team member, Jennifer Sey is a graduate of Stanford University. She lives with her husband and two sons in San Francisco.

Review:

“A cautionary tale to not just athletes, parents, coaches, and judges but to fans of gymnastics... intense, gripping, and powerful.” (Kathryn Bertine, ESPN columnist and author of All the Sundays Yet to Come: A Skater's Journey)

“A remarkably candid, unblinking portrait of what it truly takes to become a champion...that may forever alter the way you watch sports.” (Jake Tapper, Senior National Correspondent, ABC News)

“Chalked Up pulls no punches...Sey’s writing is brilliant...offering perceptive psychoanalysis of everyone in her isolated world...Chalked Up is proof that she still has alot of guts.” (International Gymnast)

“She has eloquently and fairly exposed a dark side to our sport that parents have long needed to be made aware of.” (Dominique Moceanu, Olympic Gold Medal Winning Gymnast)

“Sey writes with vivid, clear-eyed candor; she doesn’t blame others, instead feeling that all the pressure came from within...To this day, this former athlete, now a highly successful businesswoman, is haunted by feelings of failure. Young athletes and their parents would appreciate Sey’s book.” (Library Journal)

“A courageous story befitting a comeback kid―a timely release for the 2008 Olympics.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Is the wonder of seeing these tiny bodies propel through space worth the horror they suffer to achieve grace and beauty? Or―and this is a conclusion the Sey refuses to draw―is this “sport” just institutionalized, commercialized, child abuse?” (Penthouse)

“CURLING UP WITH A GOOD HEALTH BOOK: In 1986 Sey was the number one gymnast in America. Her memoir recounts what it took to get there. As a former gymnast myself (no where NEAR as accomplished), I relished this unvarnished account of the sport.” (Real Simple Magazine (blog), Liz Krieger)

“Sey’s memoir has sent shock waves through the tightly knit world of top athletes, sparking controversy...She hopes her book might serve as both a wake-up call to a sport that she says she still loves and a lesson to parents whose children enter the world of top athletics.” (The Observer, UK)

About this edition

• Publisher: It Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0061351474
• ISBN 13: 9780061351471
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320