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Title details for But Now I See by Steven Holcomb - Available

But Now I See

My Journey from Blindness to Olympic Gold

by Steven Holcomb
Steve Eubanks
ebook
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1 of 1 copy available
One of the top bobsledders in the world and leader of the four-man American team, Steven Holcomb had finished sixth in the 2006 Olympics and medaled in nearly every competition he entered. He was considered a strong gold contender for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. Talented, aggressive, and fearless, he was at the top of his game. But Steven Holcomb had a dangerous secret.

Steven Holcomb was going blind.

In the prime of his athletic career, he was diagnosed with keratoconus—a degenerative disease affecting 1 in 1,000 and leaving 1 in 4 totally blind without a cornea transplant. In the world of competitive sports, it was a dream killer. Not a sport for the timid, bobsledding speeds approach 100 miles per hour through a series of hairpin turns. Serious injuries—even deaths—can result. But Holcomb kept his secret from his coach, sled mates, and the public for months and continued to drive the legendary sled The Night Train.

When he finally told his coach, Holcomb was led to a revolutionary treatment, later named the Holcomb C3-R. With his sight restored to 20/20, Holcomb became the first American in 50 years to win the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation World Championship, and the first American bobsledder since 1948 to win the Olympic gold medal.

With a foreword by Geoff Bodine, NASCAR champion and founder of the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project, But Now I See is the intimate portrait of a man's pursuit of a dream, laced with humility and the faith to find a way when all seems hopeless. It's about knowing anything is possible and the gift of a second chance.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    December 4, 2012

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781937856014

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781937856014
      • File size: 1729 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 1110
    • Text Difficulty: 7-9

  • Reviews

    • School Library Journal

      April 1, 2013

      Gr 7 Up-This is equal parts autobiography and written record of how the Americans came to prominence in a sport dominated by Europeans. Holcomb weaves his own story of rising up through the ranks of bobsledding with his personal battle with Keratoconus, a degenerative eye disease that was quickly rendering him blind and threatening to end his athletic career. He deftly juxtaposes his accelerating career as a world-class athlete with his deteriorating eyesight and subsequent plummet into despair and depression. The story is absorbing, and Holcomb's personal journey is both heartbreaking and inspiring. Readers are taken along as he decides against sharing the news of his condition with friends, family, and teammates, thus forcing him to lie repeatedly to those he cares about most, and those who depended on him. Teens will share his trepidation and anxiety as he meets with more and more doctors offering up the same prognosis: cornea transplant and leaving bobsledding for good. The insider's glimpse into a sport that few know much about is thrilling, and descriptions of rides down icy runs are as harrowing as they are compelling. This is a fast-paced narrative, offering up both drama and information in a tidy package. Color photographs appear throughout. Those looking for an expose of the dirty deeds of Olympic athletes will need to look elsewhere. Holcomb clearly loves his sport and shares that openly with readers.-Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA

      Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:1110
  • Text Difficulty:7-9

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