Originally published in London 1927. The illustrated contents include: Where to Go - Equipment - Ski-ing Tests and Clubs - Ski Touring - Avalanches - Racing on Skis - Curling - Figure Skating. Etc. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Home Farm Books are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

In the glamorous, ultra-competitive world of figure skating, Katarina Witt is a living legend. She has won more titles than anyone else before her , including two Olympic gold medals, four world championships, and eight national championships. She is also renowned for independence and self-possession in a world where many stars are in thrall to management companies, and for her ability to stay true to skating while developing new careers in business, movies and television. Witt has always done whatever she's done with all her heart , with passion, intelligence, and a love of perfection. Now, in Only with Passion, she offers advice to a new generation of women athletes making their way in the world on how to live full out, compete with edge, and navigate life with grace. When a young skater consults her for advice on whether to train abroad , and leave a boyfriend behind , Witt finds occasion to recall the major turning points of her own journey, from her East German childhood to the international spotlight. She shares her inside perspective and frank opinions on the insular world of skating and offers her views about what it takes to be a champion, and to create a fulfilling life. Whether she's talking about life on or off the ice (or on the cover of Playboy !), Witt is always candid, fresh, and down-to-earth. Written with E.M. Swift, author of My Sergei , one of the best-selling skating books of all time, Only with Passion is the perfect gift for young women, young athletes ,particularly skaters , and skating fans of all ages.

This candid autobiography reveals the incredible inner strength that brought "Rudy Galindo" through his worst hours -- despair over the deaths of loved ones and his painful struggle with drugs and alcohol. Unwilling to hide his roots, his mistakes, or his sexual orientation, "Rudy Galindo" brings readers a lesson in humanity, proving that anything is possible, if you never quit.

Develop explosive acceleration, speed, and agility and dominate the ice "Laura Stamm's Power Skating" presents the skating system used by thousands of the sport's top players and teams to move with maximum efficiency on the ice.

From starts and stops to turns and transitions, "Laura Stamm's Power Skating" covers all of the critical components of explosive skating. Through top-level instruction, practice drills, and coaching tips, you'll learn these skills:

-Increase on-ice acceleration.

-Improve balance while changing directions on the ice.

-Increase speed and agility to disrupt aggressive defensemen.

-Explode from a stationary position and stop more rapidly.

-Increase puck protection without sacrificing speed.

-Use speed and agility to create more scoring chances for yourself and teammates.
The great hockey players skate powerfully and are able to get in position to make the key plays. "Laura Stamm's Power Skating" will give you that explosive edge on the competition.

The dazzling smile, the signature haircut, the staple spin. "America's Sweetheart" Dorothy Hamill grew up on the ice, working toward the dream she was to accomplish by age nineteen: winning Olympic gold in figure skating. But life was not the picture of perfection it appeared to be. Dorothy faced a painful inner struggle from the time she was a young girl that followed her into adulthood--though she would not know about the depression that ran in her family until much later in life. Weeks and months away from home to train and compete took a difficult toll, yet little reprieve could be found in the tumultuous and fragile relationship she had with her parents.
Dorothy went on to marry the man of her dreams, only to have the partnership end in heartache and a tragedy that almost pushed her to her breaking point. Then, just when a light at the end of the tunnel finally began to appear, a second failed marriage tried and tested Dorothy's trust and strength yet again--a travesty that could have led her to give up. But, she found a remarkable strength in what she did have--her greatest love, her daughter Alexandra.
"Thank goodness, I had my skating. There was certainly a pattern to my life. When times were tough, I went skating. It was only while I was out on the ice, enjoying the freedom of movement and my love of music, that I was able to escape from my bottomless heartache."
In her deeply moving and honest memoir, Dorothy opens up for the first time about love, family, courage, and what it means to truly win both on and off the ice.

In her forties, Erica Rand bought a pair of figure skates to vary her workout routine. Within a few years, the college professor was immersed in adult figure skating. Here, in short, incisive essays, she describes the pleasures to be found in the rink, as well as the exclusionary practices that make those pleasures less accessible to some than to others. Throughout the book, Rand situates herself as a queer femme, describing her mixed feelings about participating in a sport with heterosexual story lines and rigid standards for gender-appropriate costumes and moves. She chronicles her experiences competing in the Gay Games and at the annual U.S. Adult National Figure Skating Championship, or "Adult Nationals"; Aided by her comparative study of roller derby and women's hockey, including a brief attempt to play hockey herself, she addresses matters such as skate color conventions, judging systems, racial and sexual norms, transgender issues in sports, and the economics of athletic participation and risk taking. Mixing sharp critique with genuine appreciation and delight, Rand suggests ways to make figure skating more inclusive, while portraying the unlikely friendships facilitated by sports and the sheer elation of gliding on ice.

Finally, a conditioning program for figure skaters that meets today's competitive requirements of the sport. Figure skating has evolved dramatically in the past few years, with a greater emphasis on triple and quadruple jumps, jump combinations, and dramatic lifts. And to stay competitive, skaters must spend hours developing their strength, power, flexibility, and endurance to perform these maneuvers. "Conditioning for Figure Skating" is a technical, user-friendly guide that teaches you how to improve your strength, increase your power, and condition your body off the ice to improve your on-ice performance. Appropriate for skaters at all levels and all disciplines - singles, pairs, and ice dance - this manual explains the physical preparation needed to excel at the sport. Whether you are a skater, coach, trainer, or parent, you can use this book to establish a training structure to maximize your or the skater's potential.You will find in-depth analysis of: the physical components of figure skating; proper warm-up and cool-down techniques; sport-specific strength training; injury prevention exercises; drills to enhance speed, strength, and power; flexibility training; balance and body awareness; and, muscle endurance conditioning "Periodization," a yearly conditioning plan that creates a peak in physical performance coinciding with the competitive figure skating season.