Reviews for Shepherd

The average rating for Shepherd based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2007-07-20 00:00:00 Michael Rose I read this book 20 years ago when first learning to figure skate; revisiting �Ice Skating: From Axels to Zambonis� elicits fond memories. On the downside, some elements may be outdated: USFSA rules are described in a 6.0 score, (with judge cheating not really brought up... boy, how things have changed.) Tara Lipinski is described as merely a �very promising 13-year-old,� (pg 66) There is no mention of Alexei Yagudin (who only became famous after 1995, this book�s publication.) Besides these observations, the book is awesome. It covers the history of the sport well in a fun manner that incorporates humor (�what is the worst thing that ever happened to a zamboni? Hockey player.... became frustrated and attacked a Zamboni with an ice squeegee. He didn�t do much damage, though.� Page 26). Short bios of legendary athletes are also well-informed (including Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hammill, even going back as far as Axel Paulsen and Jackson Haines.) I especially enjoyed the bio of Dick Button�s achievements, including his obsession with getting the double axel right, where he would often �do it in his sleep... his family became used to hearing Dicky leap from his bed in the middle of the night and crash to the floor� (page 37). As a young skater growing up, I had also appreciated reading Tara Lipinski�s day-in-the-life routine (the entire chapter 4), a how-to guide on basic jumps (the entire chapter 5,) as well as descriptions of the modern stars (the entire chapter 6.) In short, if you are a figure skating fan, particularly the 90s era characterized by Elvis Stokjo, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Nicole Bobek, this book will be a treasure for you.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-10-08 00:00:00 Tom Larson If you would ignore the years when the skaters in this book won their championship, it is quite a good book. The cost of a skater used to be 25k to 50k per year, and a Zamboni was sold 5500 units for 50k each. Now all numbers doubled or more. Skaters did not do quintuple turns, though. Also people are still watching ice shows. What�s so professional about that?