Shell Game: Reflections on Rowing and the Pursuit of Excellence [Paperback]

Stephen Kiesling (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Nordic Knight Press (September 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963846191
• ISBN-13: 978-0963846198
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #896,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars reflections from the Yale Boathouse, September 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Shell Game: Reflections on Rowing and the Pursuit of Excellence (Paperback)

Rowing is among the most anonymous of sports. In the prestige categories there are legends and myths, but these are little known or acclaimed outside its community.. It retains its Brahmin character; despite becoming more accessible in recent years, it still has the aura of Groton, Exeter, St. Paul's preps and the Ivy League. The first Yale - Harvard contest was held in 1852, predating any other intercollegiate athletics. Kiesling takes you into the world of the 8's, in futile preparation for the boycotted 1980 Olympics. A house scholar and varsity member at Yale, Kiesling gives you a grasp of the cult like devotion to this sport, the fraternal but bitterly competitive atmosphere for places on the boat, the almost complete physical immersion, beyond exhaustion, in preparation for regattas-- and the little acre of hell and glory (or agony) of the races themselves. This type of athletic intensity is, if not unique, uniquely exhibited in Crew-- members strive to exceed their limits, to match and challenge that of their crew mates, to uphold its traditions. This is a young man's book; his sharp opinions reflect a young man's attitudes born of singular personal challenges-- which moderate with maturity. It is a good book on rowing, and a great book on the competitive spirit.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Effectively portrays the ups and downs of rowing, May 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Shell Game: Reflections on Rowing and the Pursuit of Excellence (Paperback)

I reccomend this book for anyone who has ever rowed, or has ever wondered what it would be like to row. He makes the reader feel the drastic ups and downs which go along with this addicting sport. I received my copy as a gift from another rower, and I have continually passed my copy on to my teammates and coaches. A must-have for any oarsman.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You can almost smell the sweaty socks, February 10, 2005

By 

Robin Wolfson "Reliza" (Cameron Park, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shell Game: Reflections on Rowing and the Pursuit of Excellence (Paperback)

"The Shell Game" is a nice companion to "Mind Over Water" and "The Amateurs." Where "Mind Over Water" deals with single sculling, "The Shell Game" recounts Stephen Kiesling's personal history of rowing in eights, focusing especially on the Yale-Harvard race, the Henley Royal Regatta, and the preparations and selection camp for the national team for the ill-fated 1980 Olympic Games. Along with "The Amateurs," "The Shell Game" and "Mind Over Water" seem to make up a perfect trio of personal odysseys in the sport of rowing. Of the three, "The Amateurs" is certainly the best written (after all, David Halberstam, need one say more?), but "The Shell Game" and "Mind Over Water" let you peek directly into the minds and hearts of devotees of this weirdly fanatical sport.

Focused on three specific events as it is, "The Shell Game" provides a look into a rarefied world of rowing races, from the hidebound tradition of Henley to the grueling trials at the U.S. Olympic selection camp, from the etiquette of international racing to the mechanics of testing athletes to determine not only their racing abilities but even their rate of oxygen exchange.

As with any memoir, there are those who will find the more personal passages a tad cloying, but overall it's a delightful book. Kiesling provides a particularly nice chapter ("The Set") on the tragic dichotomy of the physical and the intellectual that began in ancient Greece and still haunts us today. If ever there were an argument for their reunification, this would surely be one of the best. Definitely a keeper for future re-reading.