Trailblazing: The True Story of America's First Openly Gay Track Coach [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Today the issue of gay people in athletics is bigger than ever. Anderson is a vivid writer, and weaves personal, professional and political experiences into a powerful first-person story of real-life Front Runner-a gay track coach and his school team battling homophobia, struggling for athletic victory and human recognition in their sport."

-- Patricia Nell Warren author of The Front Runner

"Trailblazing blazes a new trail, just as The Front Runner did 25 years ago. This is an insider's view of running, coaching, high school life, and the gay community that proves truth is indeed stranger than fiction. You don't need to be an athlete to read this; all that's necessary is an interest in the human 'race'!" -- Dan Woog author of Jocks: True Stories of America's Gay Male Athletes

Product Description

At only 25 years of age, Eric Anderson was near the top of his sport, coaching the cadre of distance runners at Huntington Beach High School in conservative Orange County, Calif. Victory on the track gained Anderson high respect as a coach, but he was hiding the truth from his colleagues and his team: Eric Anderson was gay. Then he came out. His team was quickly labeled "the fag team" as the respect Anderson had worked for gave way to homophobia, and his runners were taunted, threatened, and even physically assaulted. Yet through it all, they continued to run, to win, and to support their coach. As Anderson battled for his job and to keep his team running, his athletes, these young trailblazers, stuck by their coach and fought for a cause they were not born into. Trailblazing is the inspiring story of a coach and his team working together for glory against incredible odds and will leave you cheering.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Alyson Books; illustrated edition edition (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555835244
• ISBN-13: 978-1555835248
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,648,350 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TRAILBLAZING: A Scorcher, June 22, 2000

By	James P. Tyler, Jr "jtorgn" (Fullerton, CA) - See all my reviews

Anderson's TRAILBLAZING burns a trail right into your heart. I had a hard time putting it down to get on with my day. I am a retired educator in music; not a sports fan. This story could convert me. Anderson is fun to read. I love the anectdotes. Most captivating is to see how he tells the story as related to his runners. Parents of the runners are heroes also. This is an important story for gay, straight and all concerned! It will move and shake you.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Educational and Inspirational, November 25, 2002

By	Karen "kae146" (Irvine, CA United States) - See all my reviews

I currently have a class with Gumby (Soc of Sport @ UCI), and reading this book was one of the requirements. However, it wasn't just another class textbook--in addition to being educational, it was extremely inspiring. I have not been exposed to many gays or lesbians (maybe a few lesbians and bisexuals here and there, but I was never close to them), in fact, I have been exposed to more conservative, anti-homosexual, and heterosexist views for most of my life, so many of the things Gumby brought up in his book were new to me. For instance, I never really thought about how hard it must be not just for a person to come "out of the closet" but how it would affect his close ones. Though I'm not close to Gumby, I learned a little more about how and why he thinks certain ways, mainly due to his treatment and experiences before and after "coming out". In addition to learning about issues on homosexuality, heterosexism, and how hegemonic masculinity can be, I learned more about how these issues are dealt with in the school administrative and sports arena through Gumby's experience. If you are interested in these sociological issues, or just want inspirational/motivational support in coming out as a homosexual, then READ THIS BOOK! It has definitely changed my view on homosexuality forever.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable true story, June 23, 2000

By A Customer

As a parent of a former (hight school) track athlete, I have had the pleasure of getting to know coach Gumby, and knew something of the experiences he had as a coach at our local high school. I must say reading about it made it seem all the more amazing and incredible that anyone could perservere through all of this personal and professional adversity. Coach Gumby is a true trailblazer. The book is wonderful and a must read for anyone concerned about tolerance.