Never Stop Pushing is a motivational autobiography by Olympic Greco-Roman champion wrestler Rulon Gardner (Gold Medal, 2000; Bronze Medal, 2004). This inspiring memoir comes from one of the world's most remarkable athletes who achieved arguably the greatest upset in individual sports history when he defeated the Russian Alexander Karelin — three-time Olympic champ, undefeated and unscored upon for a decade before his match with Gardner — in the 2000 Gold Medal match. Rulon Gardner tells the story of his impoverished upbringing as one of nine children in a close-knit Mormon family on a farm in Wyoming, where in performing unceasing chores he developed tremendous strength at an early age. Gardner writes about his struggles in school made arduous by learning disabilities that have challenged him his whole life. Also, after winning his Gold Medal, we read how this champion survived a snowmobile accident that marooned him outdoors for eighteen hours in high country. Rulon Gardner recovered from this and went on to defend his Gold Medal at Athens in 2004—yet another comeback from this athlete who was supposed to simply fade away.
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Gardner won an Olympic wrestling gold medal in the 2000 games with a stunning upset of Russian legend Alexander Karelin. He proved it was not a fluke with a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics despite losing part of each foot to hypothermia in 2002. Remarkably, he was not a varsity wrestler until his senior year in high school. Gardner's high-school guidance counselors even advised against college, arguing that he was better suited to vocational school. But as is so often the case with the very successful, Gardner refused to take no for an answer and attended junior college, where he improved his grades and his wrestling enough to earn a scholarship to Nebraska. This is your basic inspirational success story, but Gardner and coauthor Schaller minimize the "look-at-me" factor with a self-deprecating tone and a stern admonition that it's the work that is admirable and the triumphs only a by-product. Nice reading for those who prefer athletes with tolerable egos. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
About the Author
Rulon Gardner grew up in a Mormon family on a Wyoming dairy farm. He is a two-time Olympic Medalist (2000-Gold, 2004-Bronze) in Greco-Roman wrestling. His 2000 Gold Medal match is called "The Miracle on the Mat." He continues to give motivational speeches for corporations and events (i.e., Roche Pharmaceuticals, Special Olympics Hall of Fame Gala, Behr Paint, USO Navy Tour, etc.) charities, and schools across the country, as well as celebrity appearances at wrestling camps throughout the country. In addition, this year he will be honored at the Gene Autry Courage Awards in March in Phoenix as an athlete who has overcome physical adversity to succeed (also honored will be Bethany Hamilton, surfer whose arm was bitten off by a shark, and Aaron Ralston, climber who cut his arm off after it was trapped by a boulder), NASPE Hall of Fame Award in Chicago and the YMCA Honors (Person of the Year) in Salt Lake City. Rulon is also the color commentator for the Real Pro Wrestling league which will begin airing in March on Pax and Fox Sports. This fall Asics will release his signature shoe, the "Rulon." Rulon is the Spokesman for State Games of America and has become an honorary board member for the Sports for Kids Foundation. Rulon has decided to retire from Mixed Martial Arts competition, after his defeat of Yoshida in Japan on New Year's Eve.He lives in Wellsville, Utah.
Bob Schaller is the author of 30 books, including THE STATE OF THE GAME with Denny Crum, THE FIRST BLACK QUARTERBACK with Marlin Briscoe, and THE TOP STARS OF NASCAR. Schaller is also a contributing editor to SKATING, SPLASH and AMERICAN HOCKEY magazines.
Bob Schaller is the author of 30 books, including THE STATE OF THE GAME with Denny Crum, THE FIRST BLACK QUARTERBACK with Marlin Briscoe, and THE TOP STARS OF NASCAR. Schaller is also a contributing editor to SKATING, SPLASH and AMERICAN HOCKEY magazines.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"Never Stop Pushing" is the autobiography of Rulon Gardner, who staged one of the biggest-ever upsets in Olympic history by defeating the long-standing Russian world champion Alexander Karelin in the 2000 Sydney Games Greco-Roman heavyweight wrestling final.
Gardner's story shocked and surprised me since his gold-medal achievement makes up only part of the book. Instead, as Gardner himself states, the most remarkable time of his life was, ironically, his near-fatal accident whilst snow-mobiling near his Wyoming home. The moment-by-moment depiction of his struggle to survive a freezing cold night while waiting to be rescued forms the centerpiece of the narrative. The description of his ordeal is interspersed with details of his wrestling career and is recounted in full later on in the book.
Gardner also describes his childhood, which is something quite apart from the normal experience of most modern-day Americans. Brought up as the youngest of a large Mormon farming family, he spent long periods alone laying irrigation pipes and milking cows and lived quite an isolated life. At school he looked forward to meeting kids his own age but instead his learning disability set him apart and he made few friends.
His struggles to go to college and get a degree, like his brothers and sisters, form another substantial part of the book. You end up rooting for him to succeed.
Rulon comes across as an immensely likeable, soft-hearted guy. A few of his experiences struck a chord with me and I shuddered slightly as I recognised myself a little in the text. I particularly enjoyed his honesty - he describes crying on the way to an out-of-state wrestling meet after his coach tells him off for being late. I can't imagine many celebrities being that truthful.
NSP is by turns sad, joyful, entertaining and exciting. You get to learn about the politics of sport and how hard it can be for minority sports athletes to pursue their dreams. I would have liked a little more detail at times, for example, Gardner tells us he has bought a house in Colorado and you think, When? Why? but overall this is a remarkably well structured and pacy autobiography.
As an afterthought, I'm reminded of something Vince Lombardi said,
"It is time for us all to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever - the one who recognises the challenges and does something about it."
I guess you could say that this book shows that Rulon Gardner is a supreme "doer" and a true champion of sport.
Gardner's story shocked and surprised me since his gold-medal achievement makes up only part of the book. Instead, as Gardner himself states, the most remarkable time of his life was, ironically, his near-fatal accident whilst snow-mobiling near his Wyoming home. The moment-by-moment depiction of his struggle to survive a freezing cold night while waiting to be rescued forms the centerpiece of the narrative. The description of his ordeal is interspersed with details of his wrestling career and is recounted in full later on in the book.
Gardner also describes his childhood, which is something quite apart from the normal experience of most modern-day Americans. Brought up as the youngest of a large Mormon farming family, he spent long periods alone laying irrigation pipes and milking cows and lived quite an isolated life. At school he looked forward to meeting kids his own age but instead his learning disability set him apart and he made few friends.
His struggles to go to college and get a degree, like his brothers and sisters, form another substantial part of the book. You end up rooting for him to succeed.
Rulon comes across as an immensely likeable, soft-hearted guy. A few of his experiences struck a chord with me and I shuddered slightly as I recognised myself a little in the text. I particularly enjoyed his honesty - he describes crying on the way to an out-of-state wrestling meet after his coach tells him off for being late. I can't imagine many celebrities being that truthful.
NSP is by turns sad, joyful, entertaining and exciting. You get to learn about the politics of sport and how hard it can be for minority sports athletes to pursue their dreams. I would have liked a little more detail at times, for example, Gardner tells us he has bought a house in Colorado and you think, When? Why? but overall this is a remarkably well structured and pacy autobiography.
As an afterthought, I'm reminded of something Vince Lombardi said,
"It is time for us all to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever - the one who recognises the challenges and does something about it."
I guess you could say that this book shows that Rulon Gardner is a supreme "doer" and a true champion of sport.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book was great, it showed anyone who read this book that if you put your mind to it, and work hard you can do any that you set your mind to. This book taught me to never give up on any of the challenges that lie ahead of me. I was also able to connect to this book with the wrestling standpoint, i wrestle Freestyle which is different then Greco-Roman, but its another Olympic style of wrestling. Rulon Garnder is my favorite athlete, not because he won the Olympic Gold, but because he work harder then anyone else who made it to the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, with injury and everything, he never gave up on anything he did. When he was stranded in the woods of Wyoming, the "middle of nowhere" as he said, he never gave up, waited patiently for someone to rescuse him.
This was the best book i have ever read, not just because of the wrestling, but because of the lessons it teaches the reader.
This was the best book i have ever read, not just because of the wrestling, but because of the lessons it teaches the reader.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The book arrived on shelves 10 or 12 days ago to little or no fanfare, and mores the pity. It is an inspiring story of an improbable hero and the many, MANY tests and challenges he has faced both on and off the wrestling mat. It is also the story of an unassuming, everyday kinda guy who faced adversity in many forms and always came out on top because of his belief in the idea that you never stop trying until you win. For any self-respecting wrestler or wrestling fan, this is a must-have. For the rest of the world, well, the writing style and prose pose no particular threat to Messer Hemingway or Faulkner's standing in the literary world, but that's part of what makes it such a fun and interesting read. It is a great story and great read. Go buy it. A few more Rulon Gardner's and the world would be a much better place.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Rulons book
Well I'm not going to lie. I bought this book because I have respect for Rulon. I was hoping he'd give some valuable pointers and there's only one I can remember. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Hector Rico
Great read!
This is a great book for all people, especially those who haven't had everything in life given to them on a silver platter. Read more
Published on October 8, 2005 by Holyhabanero
Gotta Read It!
This is a must read for the wrestling fan. If his story wasn't real it would be almost as if it was written for TV. Read more
Published on August 21, 2005 by Takedown
Very Inspiring Story
Rulon's story is a true inspiration. From humble beginnings to international stardom, the journey was never easy. Read more
Published on August 9, 2005 by Kyle M Case
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
THIS IS IT. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
wrestling shoes, reverse lift, medal match, teaching methods class, wrestling career, wrestling practice, semifinal match, other wrestlers, good wrestler, body lock, best wrestler Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Star Valley, Coach Fraser, World Championships, United States, Olympic Trials, Alexander Karelin, Salt River, Salt Lake City, Olympic Games, Olympic Training Center, Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Idaho Falls, Matt Ghaffari, Coach Neumann, Gary Abbott, Ricks College, Corey Farkas, Latter Day Saints, University of Wyoming, Rulon Gardner, University of Nebraska, World Team Trials, Dave Draney, Joe Shandera New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
THIS IS IT. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
wrestling shoes, reverse lift, medal match, teaching methods class, wrestling career, wrestling practice, semifinal match, other wrestlers, good wrestler, body lock, best wrestler Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Star Valley, Coach Fraser, World Championships, United States, Olympic Trials, Alexander Karelin, Salt River, Salt Lake City, Olympic Games, Olympic Training Center, Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Idaho Falls, Matt Ghaffari, Coach Neumann, Gary Abbott, Ricks College, Corey Farkas, Latter Day Saints, University of Wyoming, Rulon Gardner, University of Nebraska, World Team Trials, Dave Draney, Joe Shandera New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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