Assault on Lake Casitas [Paperback]

Brad Alan Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1990

Brad Lewis's determination to win an Olympic medal had taken over his life by 1984. He would be too old for the 1988 games and the 1980 team had been lost to world politics.

Devastated after losing a critical race by nine-tenths of a second, Lewis went to the Olympic selection camp in hopes of earning his way into a national boat. He was not chosen.

But Lewis was not to be denied, and his story is more than quest for the gold medal. It is about challenging convention, overcoming and working outside the system.

"Lewis is a great athlete, highly individualistic and subversive of the established athletic bureaucracy. Even rarer, he tells a great story. This book does for the Olympian rowing establishment what LIAR'S POKER did for Salomon Brothers." (B-O-T Editorial Review Board)

--This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

8 1-hour cassettes --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 177 pages
• Publisher: Broad Street Books (March 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1879174006
• ISBN-13: 978-1879174009
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #880,189 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book about excellence in sports and in life., October 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Assault on Lake Casitas (Paperback)

Assault on Lake Casitas, by Brad Alan Lewis, is an absolute must-read book for Rowers, but it is also an amazing book for anyone who has ever fought to be the best then can be. As the story of one man's battle for olympic gold, Assault has a powerful momentum and a good story intertwined with Lewis's ideas about excellence, strength, and determination. It is written in a tight, powerful style that pushes the reader forward and makes your pulse pound. My coxswain used to read the second-to-last chapter to my boat as psych before every race, and it is the most inspirational thing i've ever heard.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vivid and inspiring., January 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Assault on Lake Casitas (Paperback)

I have been a collegiate rower for four years, and this is one of the best rowing stories I have found. For rowers and other competitive athletes, Lewis coherently describes his obsession for Olympic gold. Readers are sucked into the vivid details of Lewis' training and the personalities of 1984 U.S. sculling. Reading the Assault on Lake Casitas helped inspire my highest level of workout intensity. For novice rowers this book is a necessity. I look forward to reading it a second time.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great inspiration to rowers, June 12, 2003

By 

Ryan A. Ricks - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Assault on Lake Casitas (Paperback)

I'm a rower and I didn't know anything about this book before I read it. I met Brad Lewis while I was at the San Diego Crew classic in March 2003 and I was very impressed with his character, so I bought his book. The competetive shark found in the book was chillingly inspirational on what it takes to be a champion, but I must admit that the Brad in the eighties is not the same Brad of today. Ever since he stopped competing, he has calmed that anger within him. I think it has made him a better Journalist because his writing keeps getting better.
Read this book if you are interested in knowing what goes through the head of a competetive rower and the sacrifices Brad made to get that gold medal.