Victory in the Pool

Bill George

doi:10.5771/9781538173725

Victory in the Pool

How a Maverick Coach Upended Society and Led a Group of Young Swimmers to Olympic Glory

Published 2023

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doi.org/10.5771/9781538173725
ISBN print: 978-1-5381-7371-8
ISBN online: 978-1-5381-7372-5
Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham

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Zusammenfassung

The ultimate underdog story of a swim coach who could not swim, a swim club that accepted minorities when others would not, and a group of young swimmers who became Olympic champions.

Before the United States was the swimming power it is today, a novice coach named Sherm Chavoor formed a swim club that accepted all swimmers—no matter their religion, race, or social status—and started a dynasty. Following Chavoor’s intense and unorthodox coaching methods, his young swimmers quickly began dominating competitions across northern California—and then the world.

In Victory in the Pool: How a Maverick Coach Upended Society and Led a Group of Young Swimmers to Olympic Glory, Bill George tells the inspiring story of Sherm Chavoor and his dedicated athletes who rose from obscurity to win twenty Olympic gold medals during the 1960s and ‘70s. They triumphed in two of the most tumultuous and dangerous Olympic Games ever held, the 1968 Mexico City Games and the 1972 Munich Games marred by the terrorist attack that killed eleven Israeli athletes. Mark Spitz and Debbie Meyer were the two most prominent members of the team, but they were challenged every step of the way by teammates and fellow Olympians Sue Pedersen, Mike Burton, John Ferris, Jeff Float, and more.

Featuring exclusive interviews with the athletes and with Sherm Chavoor before he passed away, Victory in the Pool delivers an inside look at this unparalleled time in Olympic history. But more than that, it is the story of young people overcoming incredible odds—often in the face of insults and bigotry and under the intense glare of the spotlight—and coming out triumphant.

Schlagworte

Olympics swimming 1984 Olympics Nisei POC swimmers Mike Burton Sue Pedersen Sullivan Awards Tak Iseri Sherm Chavoor Sacramento Santa Calra Swim Club Vicky King YMCA Mark Shelley Mark Spitz Debbie Meyer Arden Hills Swim Club Don Schollander Donna de Varona Japanese American Swimmers John Ferris Beth Kaufman Jeff Float Jewish Swimmers 1968 Olympics 1972 Olympics Black Swimmers George Haines Guillermo Echevarria olympic swimmers polio hydra-therapy california

Chapter Expand | CollapsePage
i–xii Preface i–xii
- CONTENTS
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- FOREWORD
1–12 1. A PLACE IN THE WORLD 1–12
13–16 2. AN ANTIQUATED MESS 13–16
17–22 3. A CLUB TO FIT HIS VISION 17–22
23–26 4. SHOW ME WHAT YOU CAN DO 23–26
27–34 5. GET A GOOD LOOKAT EACH OTHER 27–34
35–40 6. THE BEST RIVALRY GOING 35–40
41–52 7. SWIMMING FOR THE ENEMY 41–52
53–58 8. PAIN AND AGONY 53–58
59–68 9. IT FELT REAL EASY 59–68
69–80 10. THE GAUNTLET 69–80
81–86 11. THE AMERICAN GIRLS WERE READY 81–86
87–94 12. CHALK ONE UP FOR THE TALL MEN 87–94
95–98 13. EVERYBODY HAD AN AGENDA 95–98
99–104 14. AN ABSENCE OF ORDER 99–104
105–112 15. THE INVINCIBLE AMERICANS 105–112
113–I 16. “I GOT DOWN ON MY KNEES” 113–I
125–128 17. BEAT ’EM, MURDER ’EM 125–128
129–136 18. INDIANA CALLING 129–136
137–148 19. “EVERYBODY’S SON” 137–148
149–158 20. THE GOAL OF ANY ATHLETE 149–158
159–166 21. THE FRIENDLY BAVARIAN CAPITAL 159–166
167–182 22. TACT IS OVERRATED 167–182
183–192 23. “OUR GREATEST HOPESAND OUR WORST FEARS” 183–192
193–200 24. “I LOVE YOU” 193–200
201–222 NOTES 201–222
223–224 REFERENCES 223–224
225–232 INDEX 225–232
233–234 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 233–234

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