Young Athletes

The focus of this book is to provide you, the listener, with best practices for working with youth and athletes outside of the classroom environment. There are too many kids and athletes not receiving the support they need mentally, academically, behaviorally, and emotionally.

Back in his old basketball league, before the car accident, 13-year-old Carlos Cooper owned the court, sprinting and jumping and lighting up the scoreboard as his opponents (and teammates) watched in amazement. But now, Carlos feels completely out of his league on his new wheelchair basketball team, the Rollin’ Rats. After all, how can he make a layup when he’s still struggling to learn how to dribble? But when the city’s crooked mayor threatens to tear down the Rollin’ Rats’ gym, Carlos realizes that he can’t stay on the sidelines forever.

A competitive diver, 17-year-old Ingrid is haunted by what she saw at the pool at a routine meet, before falling off the high dive and waking up concussed. The only thing she remembers about the moment before her dive is locking eyes with Van - her neighbor, former best friend, and forever crush - kissing his girlfriend on the sidelines. But that can’t be all. Then one sleepless night, she sees Van out her window...looking right back at her.

Can a hardcore gamer survive a real-world crisis? Seventeen-year-old Alex Brooks is obsessed with becoming an e-athlete. What teen wouldn’t want to make a million dollars playing video games professionally? Especially if you’ve got a real shot at it like Alex. His mom, a television producer in Hollywood, casts her son in a reality show about young gaming hopefuls seeking fame and fortune. This gives him great exposure in the industry. On top of that, His dad owns an up-and-coming tech business that is about to launch a revolutionary product. Life couldn’t be better - or could it?

Theo Mackey remembers only one thing for certain about the fire that destroyed his home: He lit the match. Sure, it was an accident. But the blaze killed his mom and set his dad on a path to self-destruction. Everything else about that fateful night is full of gaping holes in Theo’s mind, for good reason. Maybe it’s better that way. As captain of the Ellis Hollow Diving Team, with straight A's and solid friends, he's only one semester away from securing a scholarship and leaving his past behind.

Tree, a six-foot-three-inch twelve-year-old, copes with his parents' recent divorce and his failure as an athlete by helping his grandfather, a Vietnam vet and recent amputee, and Sophie, a new girl at school. Newbery Honor-winning author Joan Bauer's story, packed with memorable characters and her trademark humor, is about finding purpose in tough times. And it's about Tree's giant heart, not his giant size, making him a hero.

Pinned follows Ivan Korske and Bobby Zane, two high school seniors, as they embark on the most important winter of their lives in a quest for the New Jersey state high school wrestling championship.

How does an undrafted free agent and two-sport college walk-on end up in a Chicago White Sox uniform? With a college football career derailed by mononucleosis and a college baseball career shattered by rotator cuff surgery, Brian Kent's narrative will motivate any athlete. Follow the journey from high school to college(s); from the dojo to the independent leagues; and from personal training to a White Sox contract.

A wonderful how to book that focuses on motivation of a young man in American basketball: Everyone has had a failure, or two or even three.... We often equate failures with negative connotations that the person is lazy, they didn't try hard enough, they aren't educated and so on.... Motivation is not usually the outcome in this situation.

Seventeen-year-old Meg Barnes is all about control. However, the only kind of control she can find is with a razor. As if life wasn't hard enough, an accident has forced her to view everything from a wheelchair. Then a promise to an old friend forces her to resume her martial arts training and save the Little Ninja Program. While relearning self defense and pushing the limits of her body, new friends drag her to church

Thirteen-year-old Tansy has a chip on her shoulder the size of the skateboard that left her a paraplegic. No matter how she tries, she can't get excited about starting junior high. She has to watch as her friends realize their dream of making the Angel cheer squad - without her. She can see no happy ending for someone like her. Her best friend and the one-armed assistant cheer coach keep preaching about their God and his love until she wants to throw her chair at them. But there's something about the two of them - something peaceful and happy.