My full name is Rebecca Alison Bloomer. Somewhere along the line I picked up a Confirmation or Saint's name too…sadly I no longer remember which saint I chose to look out for me.
<p><b>The absorbing, definitive account of CrossFit's origins, its explosive grassroots growth, and its emergence as a global phenomenon.</b><br /> <br />One of the most illuminating books ever on a sports subculture, <i>Learning to Breathe Fire </i>combines vivid sports writing with a thoughtful meditation on what it means to be human. In the book, veteran journalist J.C. Herz explains the science of maximum effort, why the modern gym fails an obese society, and the psychic rewards of ending up on the floor feeling as though you're about to die. <br /> <br />The story traces CrossFit’s rise, from a single underground gym in Santa Cruz to its adoption as the workout of choice for elite special forces, firefighters and cops, to its popularity as the go-to fitness routine for regular Joes and Janes. Especially riveting is Herz’s description of The CrossFit Games, which begin as an informal throw-down on a California ranch and evolve into a televised global proving ground for the fittest men and women on Earth, as well as hundreds of thousands of lesser mortals. <br /> <br />In her portrayal of the sport's star athletes, its passionate coaches and its “chief armorer,” Rogue Fitness, Herz powerfully evokes the uniqueness of a fitness culture that cultivates primal fierceness in average people. And in the shared ordeal of an all-consuming workout, she unearths the ritual intensity that's been with us since humans invented sports, showing us how, on a deep level, we're all tribal hunters and first responders, waiting for the signal to go all-out. </p>
I walked past the door to a public toilet the other day. On it, the sign which would usually read ‘disabled’ had been defaced. Letters had been scratched off the sign until it read ‘is able’. I thought that very clever. Lily would do something like that and if she couldn’t reach the sign on her own, Foley would have helped her. These are the kinds of kids I love to meet and it’s this kind of vandalism I wish would become more normal! There are moments in life when we become aware of the forces shaping us and our attitudes. During those moments we decide where we stand (or sit), what we value and who we are. Foley Russel and That Poor Girl is about those moments. I do hope you’ll enjoy the experience.
<span style="font-family:Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;line-height:19px;font-size:12px;color:#1d1d1d;">“As a parent of a child with CF, I found this well written book to be a great window into our lives. It’s engaging, interesting and unassumingly educational!” <em>– Rebecca Fogarty</em></span>