Beneath the Armor of an Athlete: Real Strength on the Wrestling Mat [Paperback]

Lisa Whitsett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2003

"This searing confessional reads like a novel and is just as suspenseful... Any female athlete would be interested in this story." -- Library Journal Lisa Whitsett grew up in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where she began the first of 27 years dedicated to sports and athletics. Her experiences as a mental health counselor and her adventures as a business consultant motivated her to write about development, change and transformation. Beneath the Armor of an Athlete was inspired by her own experiences of personal growth as well as her clients'. While many sports books contribute to a reader's athletic development, this book also focuses on the private, personal development of the athlete. Beneath the Armor of an Athlete is the story of a female Olympic Freestyle wrestler. Her love for the sport and striving for success expose her to rare challenges, all of which introduce new experiences in her life. From all-male wrestling camps and tournaments to the competitive ranks of national and international women's freestyle wrestling, this athlete learns that her sport is the gateway to learning more about who she really is and what she is capable of becoming.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lisa Whitsett's twenty-six years of dedication to sports, her experiences as a mental health counselor, and her adventures as a business consultant motivated her to write about development, change, and transformation. She lives in Grapevine, Texas, with her husband, Steven Wills.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Wish Publishing; 1st edition (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930546637
• ISBN-13: 978-1930546639
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #952,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book, May 27, 2003

By 

Margaret Anderson (Durham, NC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beneath the Armor of an Athlete: Real Strength on the Wrestling Mat (Paperback)

Hi, I am Marc Anderson and I have enjoyed the development of women's amateur wrestling for years now. I have recently read the book BENEATH THE ARMOR OF AN ATHLETE Real Strength on the Wrestling Mat by Lisa Whitsett. Lisa is an accomplished amateur wrestler and has made her mark on the sport. Her book details her life in the sport she loves and it shows that she fears no one except herself and the possibility of failure. It shows how she battles her inner demons to become the best wrestler she can be and is an honest and frank appraisal of her efforts. I highly recommend this book to any young person who is interested in becoming a wrestler, especially females. It is my hope that Ms. Whitsett will write a second book about her life in the sport that will bring the reader up to date on her current efforts to advance women's amateur wrestling.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding a Balance, January 3, 2005

By 

Anonymous - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beneath the Armor of an Athlete: Real Strength on the Wrestling Mat (Paperback)

Beneath the Armor of an Athlete was a very enjoyable, quick read. Please don't be misled by the word "quick," though; some readers associate that with fluffiness of content. This book's content is anything but. In fact, it occurred to me that this book might be useful in school curricula in the areas of sociology, psychology, and even writing adaptation. Its significant social issues and the author's cinematic style of storytelling make it a good candidate for many academic outlets.

A friendly word of warning: some of the lessons divulged and issues raised might make you angry. They did me! I threw the book across the room a few times. Isn't it funny how easy it is to see what we would change in others, and how difficult it is to change things in ourselves, even when we want to?

And that's part of the beauty of this book: the themes running throughout it are universal and timeless. For example, the fear of "not being good enough" and how that fear can become a pattern of behavior causing us to forget who we really are and how we want to be takes on a character all its own in this book.

The search for peace and for what makes each of us truly happy is a path each person must experience for her-/himself. The author seems well on her way to discovering her own peace through this effort. I enjoyed Beneath the Armor of an Athlete and plan to read it again in a few years just to see how timeless it really is.

---Anonymous

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The many faces of "Courage", May 21, 2003

By 

J. Reggie Roberts (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beneath the Armor of an Athlete: Real Strength on the Wrestling Mat (Paperback)

All too often we hope to catch a glimpse of something worth our attention, and this is definitely one of those times.

This original and revealing book certainly packs an astounding punch, especially in the descriptive style for which the author takes.

In allowing us into HER mind (and the unique world of many amateur wrestlers), Lisa Whitsett transforms herself into an "educator extrodinaire", by ultimately giving us a first hand lesson on what it's like to face ourselves, and the inner demons that forever attempt to cripple us from within.

Tremendous introspective to the very "soul" of a grappler!

-J. Reggie Roberts
High School wrestling coach (20 years)