Chalked Up My Life in Elite Gymnastics [Paperback]

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 Updelivers 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.

A cautionary tale to not just athletes, parents, coaches, and judges but to fans of gymnastics& intense, gripping, and powerful.A remarkably candid, unblinking portrait of what it truly takes to become a champion&that may forever alter the way you watch sports.Chalked Up pulls no punches&Seys writing is brilliant&offering perceptive psychoanalysis of everyone in her isolated world&Chalked Up is proof that she still has alot of guts.She has eloquently and fairly exposed a dark side to our sport that parents have long needed to be made aware of.Sey writes with vivid, clear-eyed candor; she doesnt 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 Seys book.A courageous story befitting a comeback kida timely release for the 2008 Olympics.Is the wonder of seeing these tiny bodies propel through space worth the horror they suffer to achieve grace andls;