Shooting from the Outside [Paperback]

Tara Vanderveer (Author), Joan Ryan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1998

Never mind Michael, Shaq and the rest, the U.S. Women's Basketball Team was the real "Dream Team" at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. After a remarkable undefeated season, Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo and their teammates brought home Olympic gold under the unparalleled leadership of three-time National Coachof the Year, Tara VanDerveer. Shooting from Outside is Tara's riveting, behind-the-scenes chronicle of the excitement, drama and triumph of that unforgettable year, as well as an inspiring account of her own career: her battle against sexual discrimination in a male-dominated field, and her ultimate ascendance to the very top of her profession. This book is the riveting true-life story of the molding of a women's team that made sports history, and an intimate portrait of an indomitable leader who turned an impossible ambition into a reality.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Sports journalist Ryan (Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, Doubleday, 1995) and longtime Stanford women's basketball coach VanDerveer write frankly about the year the team spent preparing for Olympic gold in 1996. Although undefeated in 52 college and international games and viewed by some as a juggernaut, the team won through intense practices and minute scouting preparation by the coaches. VanDerveer, an outspoken perfectionist, offers honest opinions about her players, the Dream Team, the conflict between hoops and hoopla, athletic/feminine pressures, and women's coaching salaries. She gives us her autobiography along the way. After growing up with few team sports opportunities, VanDerveer believes passionately that women's sports have wider social significance. If so, her yearlong "constant anxiety" paid off for all interested women. Suitable for young adults, this book is highly recommended for public libraries and for academic collections with women's basketball programs.?Kathryn Ruffle, Coll. of New Caledonia Lib., Prince George, B.C.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

With the help of sportswriter Ryan (Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, 1995), the three-time National Coach of the Year and coach of the gold-medal-winning 1996 Olympic women's basketball team tells all. Perhaps as well known for her sober behavior and dress as for her coaching success, VanDerveer displays a side here--warm, determined, unabashedly flawed, and unselfconsciously upbeat--that should surprise those who have not followed her career since the beginning. VanDerveer relives the inequities that defined her playing career in the days prior to and just following the inception of Title IX; the grudging acceptance of the letter, rather than the spirit, of that law; and the none-too-subtle gender discrimination that still taints most sports. (After arriving in Atlanta for the Olympics, members of VanDerveer's team were told that they would receive just half the meal money of their male counterparts). Rather than catalog these setbacks and inequities, VanDerveer instead explains how her own doggedness and will to succeed helped her rise. The coach repeatedly (if unintentionally) demonstrates how her seldom-heralded ability to adapt enabled her to continually challenge and inspire Team USA--which compiled a 60-0 record en route to the gold medal. Since the games, VanDerveer has returned to Stanford, turning aside lucrative offers to coach in one of the two competing pro women's leagues. (During the off- season, she does television commentary on the WNBA.) However, judging from the impact she's had on her players' lives, VanDerveer has succeeded in making women stop listening to reasons why they can't or shouldn't play and start thinking about how they can be better players. (8 pages photos, not seen) (First printing of 60,000; author tour) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 259 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (November 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380794985
• ISBN-13: 978-0380794980
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,490,308 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Shooting from the Outside, December 12, 2001

By 

Taylor Babineaux (Lafayette, La USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shooting from the Outside (Paperback)

Tara Vanderveer is the author of the inspiring autobiography Shooting form the Outside.  In this autobiography, Tara Vanderveer discusses the challenges and obstacles that she must overcome into to reach her goal of winning the gold medal.  The autobiography discusses the hardships, conflicts, and problems that the team faces throughout the year and shows how teamwork can overcome anything.
This novel is pretty much an overview of the Women's Basketball team throughout their Olympic season.  The novel starts out with Tara Vanderveer talking about her child hood days and how she developed a love for the game.  She talks about how she use to be a mascot for the school, used to write down every new play she heard in a notebook, and how she went and watched the men's basketball team to learn any new play on offense or defense she could pick up.  The story then proceeds to Coach Vanderveer discussing her thoughts and concerns for the year that lay ahead of the eleven woman that have been selected as the national team.  She talks about her past failures like the 1994 World Games that have pushed her and motivated her to win the gold medal.  She promised that the embarrassment and disgrace that she felt from the World Games will never happen again.  One can easily feel the strong determination and motivation that Coach Vanderveer feels, and how she uses this as an ally and works the team harder than they have ever been worked before. 
This book was undoubtedly worth reading from my point of view.  This book taught me information about Title IX that I had previously never even heard about.  The book showed me the true struggle that a woman must face and has taught me a sense of respect for woman who have succeeded in the past. 
One issue the book brings up is that woman are not given enough opportunity to succeed in life.  A woman's determination and motivation can easily be destroyed or brought down by the cruelness and unfairness of discrimination towards woman.  Therefore, since woman can do all jobs just as productively as men, the book suggests that woman should be given fair and equal treatment and equal opportunities to men. 
In conclusion, Shooting from the Outside is an excellent book that teachers lessons and values that should be known and followed by all of society.  The story teachers discrimination is pointless and by not allowing woman to perform to their full capacity we are truly ruining our own opportunities to further succeed in life.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great insight into women's game and top coach, April 30, 2005

By 

Kevin Woodward (Soquel, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shooting from the Outside (Paperback)

This is a fun and easy read for any fan of the women's game, centered around the pivotal 1996 Olympic gold medal-winning team, which in many ways marked a turning point in establishing the foundation upon which the modern game is built.

But not only does this book offer a wonderful historical perspective, and some great stories and inside anecdotes on many top players past and present, it also provides insight into the mind of one of the college game's top coaches.

Even for those close to Stanford basketball, Tara Vanderveer is a very private inividual. That's why I found this book especially helpful in providing a better understanding of her personal history, philosophy toward the game, how she feels it should be played, and how that all filters down to the teams she puts on the floor today.

Because Tara is often softspoken in public and not one to actively seek the limelight or TV cameras like some of the other big names in her profession, there may be a tendency by some to think she is more of a hands-off coach. And despite the occasional glare from the sideline, a calm and quiet presence. Nothing could be further from the truth. This book does a good job of uncovering the intensity that boils deep inside and her unbending desire to win.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Articulate,Though Provoking,Warm and Inspiring, August 15, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Shooting from the Outside (Hardcover)

An insightful look at the making of a champion. Issues like Title IV and gendre inequities examined in a thoughful yet passionate fashion. The author relates Her own struggle and eventual triumph without pointing fingers and assessing blame.It was a pleasure to read a story that states why rather than why not.Enjoyable and thought provoking.A must read