Press ReleasesHARRIERSJust as all young athletes do, Joseph and Paul Shivers entered high school aspiring to athletic success. From their first days as freshmen the two cross country runners dreamed of a state championship, even though their school, Salem High, had won only three previous championships in any sport over its 150-year history. Harriers tells the story of the two boys, their community, their families, their coaches, their teammates, and their pursuit of their dream over two cross country seasons. The reader learns how the cousins’ experiences in chasing their state-championship dream helped shape them as athletes and as young men. Paul, faster and more confident, and Joseph, less athletic and more introspective, narrate a compelling story of hard, smart work and near-success; of glee and disappointment; of capricious bureaucracies and loyal supporters; and, ultimately, of personal discovery and achievement. In Harriers you will meet members of Joseph and Paul’s families and learn how they influenced and supported the boys and how they were, in turn, affected by the boys’ experiences. You will meet Mike Almond, the driven coach and dream maker, and his meticulous assistants. You will meet the teammates Aiman, Patrick, Mike, Tommy, and others – their unique personalities blending into a single-minded, goal-oriented team. And you will meet the always official – and often officious – administrators of the state high school athletic association whose rules and procedures seem to be applied with sacred fervor to the actions of high school athletes and coaches, but not to themselves and their actions. Harriers is a book for all runners, for all high school athletes, and for all dreamers who understand that dreams become more attainable when they are accompanied by a careful plan and full effort. Harriers is based on diaries, notes, reminiscences and documents that Paul and Joseph recorded and collected during their sophomore and junior years at Salem High School. They are co-valedictorians at SHS: Paul will attend Notre Dame or Ohio State, and Joseph has been accepted at Harvard University. Both plan to continue their running careers as undergraduates. # # # Press Contact: Bill Jelen 330-715-2875 consult@MrExcel.com This page current as of May 24, 2007 8:43 AM |