Customer Reviews

Staying With It: On Becoming an Athlete (Athletic Classics of John Jerome)

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Well, I bought two books. The other one is about a guy who is trying to be a cross country skier. I am glad that I read the other one first otherwise if I read John's book first the other one will be super boring. This book is not just about how he becomes a swimmer but rather how people should deal with the inevitable - aging. I enjoy his writing so much that i bought 3 more of his books.

I read this book after a suggestion in Phil Whitten's book on swimming. It was hard to find, but very inspirational to me as I was getting heavily into serious swimming and athletics at 48, the same age as the author was when he got back into swimming. His adventures are thoughtfully described and his experience easy to identify with. The book got me interested in Jerome's other works, which are also very involving.

I was a swimmer throughout my younger years. It seems that only swimmers can understand why and how swimmers do what they do.... John Jerome, in his own style and grace, creates a book that really hits home. Super for: teenage swimmers, coaches and parents of swimmers.

I bought the book looking for motivation and ideas as an older athlete who is attempting to compete again. The book had many motivating examples and ideas to that end.

One doesn't have to be an athlete to enjoy this, let alone a swimmer. This book is a meditation of the enjoyment of competing, on pushing onesself and finding and wishing to overcome personal limits. It in the context of someone returning to a sport they have done previously so some experience of the physical side of life is helpful to an appreciation of this, (as I've met many people who are willfully proud of the complete lack of physical endeavor in their lives).
This book has much to offer the reflective athlete or regular exerciser, and can usefully be read as a series of essay on particular areas of sport, such as overtraining, the effects of aging, stretching, competition, etc.
I read many books on swimming in the last 2 years, almost all related to the specifics of training or strokes etc, and this book, which is neither about why or how to swim, or when or how much to train, was far more rewarding in it's general reflection on life and sport and aging.

I just joined a masters' swim team. I was the same age as John Jerome when he swam in this book. I just found this book motivating and that it increased my knowledge and understanding of elite athletes. It also taught me more about the world of competitive swimming. The book mainly dealt with people who were good swimmers/competitive swimmers when they were younger. I wish at least one swimmer like me without previous experience was in the book, but I still found the book had application to me. I reccomend it.