Becoming a True Champion offers a path to achieving athletic excellence, longevity, and dignity through the values and hard work that once distinguished athletes as true role models. Providing an antidote to images of misbehaving athletes, this book guides readers through the ethics and standards that will set them apart both on and off the field.

A twist of fate brings a man and horse together in this remarkable true story now available in a new version adapted by the author of the Marguerite Henry’s Ponies of Chincoteague series. Snowman, an Amish plow horse, was bound for the meat market when Harry deLeyer, a Long Island riding instructor, spotted him at auction. After making eye contact with the gentle giant deLeyer decided to purchase him for $80. At first, Snowman was just a horse that children rode during lessons, but when deLeyer sold him to a neighbor, the horse had other ideas. He would jump the high fences so he could return “home.” Harry then began training Snowman as a show jumper. Less than two years out of the plow fields, Snowman won the 1958 horse show jumping Triple Crown—the American Horse Shows Association Horse of the Year, Professional Horseman’s Association Champion, and Champion of Madison Square Garden’s Diamond Jubilee. Snowman was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 1992.

Fatima Whitbread had the worst possible start in life. Abandoned as a baby, she spent much of her childhood in and out of children's homes. A brief, disastrous stay with her birth mother saw her raped by her mother's drunken boyfriend - while her mother held a knife to her throat to 'quieten her down'. Fatima was only twelve at the time. Athletics was her saviour: local athletics coach Margaret Whitbread took the young Fatima under her wing, eventually adopting her. Fatima competed in three Olympics, winning bronze at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. In 1986 she set a world record, and the following year in Rome became world champion and was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year. But then Fatima faded from the public eye, leaving many to wonder where she had gone. After the cheering stopped, Fatima faced prejudice, penury, scandal and heartbreak. Survivor describes how she defeated all her demons to rise triumphantly from the ashes once again, this time as queen of the jungle. Almost 13 million people watched her on I'm a Celebrity, and after surviving 20 days in the Australian heat, she has millions of new fans eager to know more about Fatima the woman: the forthright, focused, slightly bossy, charismatic single mum who knows how to transform even the most devastating experiences into lessons in life. This is the unforgettable story of a true champion, who triumphed against the worst hardships imaginable.

Today, aspiring athletes have to work harder and be more dedicated than athletes of previous generations who did not have to contend with the messages of a popular culture that promotes winning at all costs and implicitly condones "shortcuts" to winning. Many of today's athletic superstars glorify and demonstrate cheating and illicit, destructive conduct. Whether off the field antics or on the field cheating through the use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs typify an athlete's lack of personal values, the bad behavior displayed by many in a broad range of sports is hard to escape. The result is that too many such negative role models and influences are out there, diverting today's developing competitors down a seductive path to failure rather than upward to excellence and lasting, honest achievement. Becoming a True Champion: Achieving Athletic Excellence from the Inside Out fills a critical need by speaking in a frank and direct voice directly to today's aspiring athletes about these crucial, controversial issues and the personal choices they face. At the same time the book presents them with the antidote to these negative influences-the fundamental values, attitudes and concepts, both mental and practical, that support and lead to athletic excellence. A "true champion" is an athlete with the specific qualities of character, mental discipline, and physical skills necessary to generate and keep increasing athletic excellence and success throughout his or her career. These qualities can be learned and developed; they need not be inborn. Becoming a True Champion goes deeply into each quality to show developing athletes how adopting it directly affects and enhances athletic performance, longevity, and dignity. Through relevant examples, inspiring stories, and a personalized approach, the book shows athletes how to avoid the many pitfalls, and overcome the inevitable obstacles, so common in today's sports culture.

An in-depth mental motivational book for all athletes from Olympian Dr. Joanna Zeiger that offers game-changing strategies for programming your brain to achieve physical excellence. Champions, as the familiar adage preaches, are not born—they're made. Reaching the top of any sport, or any aspect of life, takes years upon years of dedication and proper preparation. But if there's a huge pool of individuals who have undertaken the same commitment and steps towards becoming the best, what truly separates the winners from everyone else? Joanna Zeiger believes proper mental preparation is the answer. The Champion Mindset is a much-needed and long overdue look into how to program a competitor's mind to achieve optimal success. Changing behaviors and ways of thinking are never easy, but the chapters in this book aim to simplify this process to make it manageable and achievable. This book is for every athlete—from the weekend warrior, who wants to complete in his or her first 5k running race, to those who have aspirations of one day becoming Olympians and world champions. The Champion Mindset is a compendium of Zeiger's own personal journey from struggling novice swimmer to Olympian and World Champion. Through steps including: Proper Goal Setting, Keeping it Fun, Building Your Team, Intention in Training, Improving Motivation, Promoting Self-Confidence, and Mind/Body Cohesion, among others, Zeiger uses her decades of personal experience, doctoral-level research, and professional success, to prepare readers to go all-in with their mental game.

What makes a champion? Olympic champion Bob Richards says it's the will to win no matter what the odds. In The Heart of a Champion, he shares the incredible stories of athletes who have overcome hardship, disability, racism, sexism, and more to become the best the world has ever seen. A celebration of hard work and the indomitable human spirit, this book captures Richards's contagious enthusiasm for individual greatness as well as the beauty of working as a team. These inspirational true stories have been loved for fifty years. Now repackaged for a new generation of athletes and coaches, The Heart of a Champion is poised to influence thousands more with its message of hope and perseverance.

The sixth in a fantastic series of perfect pony stories about Alice and her spirited young pony, Secret, from Olivia Tuffin, author of the much-loved The Palomino Pony series. Alice and her beloved pony are off to train at Devon's world-class yard - following in the footsteps of the British show jumping team! Alice and Secret have gone further than anyone thought possible ... but on the day of the show jumping trials for the British team, Alice has to make an almost impossible choice. Just how far is she prepared to go to reach the very top? What does the future hold for Alice and her spirited red pony? Check out Alice and Secret's other adventures: A New Beginning, A Friend In Need, A Ride To Freedom and more!

Inside the Heart of Every Champion Lies Character Winning at sports and life takes more than just talent and hard work. It takes faith, courage, and above all, character. Celebrate the qualities that turn today's top athletes into role models in this inspiring collection of sports stories. Each story showcases a different athlete and explores one key character trait that has distinguished their successful career. Learn more about the superstars of sport, such as NBA All-Star Stephen Curry, Olympic gold-medalist Simone Manuel, NFL Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson, and many more! Champions aren't born. They are made by living with integrity and purpose. You can be a champion in life too!

Can Danny and his father outsmart the villainous Mr. Hazell? Danny has a life any boy would love—his home is a gypsy caravan, he's the youngest master car mechanic around, and his best friend is his dad, who never runs out of wonderful stories to tell. But one night Danny discovers a shocking secret that his father has kept hidden for years. Soon Danny finds himself the mastermind behind the most incredible plot ever attempted against nasty Victor Hazell, a wealthy landowner with a bad attitude. Can they pull it off? If so, Danny will truly be the champion of the world.

Overachiever Joe Theismann had reached the pinnacle of success as an elite NFL quarterback, with a Super Bowl victory and NFL MVP award. But the memory that sticks with many fans is the gruesome injury—his leg was shattered on Monday Night Football—that ended his career. The end of his days on the gridiron wasn’t the end of life for Theismann, though. In How to Be a Champion Every Day, Theismann recounts stories from his impressive career, providing an inspirational guide for how to succeed on a team, in your career, and in your everyday life. Theismann draws on the people who have inspired and motivated him over the years, like head coach Ron Rivera, San Francisco 49ers safety Ronnie Lott, and his own mother. These amazing stories all emphasize a simple yet profound message that with hard work, focus, and belief in yourself, you can achieve greatness. Organized by themes such as Attitude, Teamwork, and Motivation, Theismann’s wise anecdotes highlight his firm belief that positive-thinking, goal-oriented people can achieve anything they set their minds to. See how Theismann’s advice can change your life.