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Course Correction: A Story of Rowing and Resilience in the Wake of Title IX
“Beautiful and important on many levels, Course Correction is about rowing and so much more . . . Ultimately it is about the transforming power of love, and, damnit all, it made me cry.” —Daniel James Brown, author of The Boys in the Boat
Wild meets The Boys in the Boat— a memoir about the quest for Olympic gold and the triumph of love over fear
Forty years ago, when a young Ginny Gilder stood on the edge of Boston’s Charles River and first saw a rowing shell in motion, it was love at first sight. Yearning to escape her family history, which included her mother’s emotional unraveling and her father’s singular focus on investment acumen as the ultimate trophy, Gilder discovered rowing at a pivotal moment in her life. Having grown up in an era when girls were only beginning to abandon the sidelines as observers and cheerleaders to become competitors and national champions, Gilder harbored no dreams of athletic stardom. Once at Yale, however, her operating assumptions changed nearly overnight when, as a freshman in 1975, she found her way to the university’s rowing tanks in the gymnasium’s cavernous basement.
From her first strokes as a novice, Gilder found herself in a new world, training with Olympic rowers and participating in the famous Title IX naked protest, which helped define the movement for equality in college sports. Short, asthmatic, and stubborn, Gilder made the team against all odds and for the next ten years devoted herself to answering a seemingly simple how badly do you want to go fast?
Course Correction recounts the physical and psychological barriers Gilder overcame as she transformed into an elite athlete who reached the highest echelon of her sport. Set against the backdrop of unprecedented cultural change, Gilder’s story personalizes the impact of Title IX, illustrating the life-changing lessons learned in sports but felt far beyond the athletic arena. Heartfelt and candid, Gilder recounts lessons learned from her journey as it wends its way from her first glimpse of an oar to the Olympic podium in 1984, carries her through family tragedy, strengthens her to accept her true sexual identity, and ultimately frees her to live her life on her terms.
Wild meets The Boys in the Boat— a memoir about the quest for Olympic gold and the triumph of love over fear
Forty years ago, when a young Ginny Gilder stood on the edge of Boston’s Charles River and first saw a rowing shell in motion, it was love at first sight. Yearning to escape her family history, which included her mother’s emotional unraveling and her father’s singular focus on investment acumen as the ultimate trophy, Gilder discovered rowing at a pivotal moment in her life. Having grown up in an era when girls were only beginning to abandon the sidelines as observers and cheerleaders to become competitors and national champions, Gilder harbored no dreams of athletic stardom. Once at Yale, however, her operating assumptions changed nearly overnight when, as a freshman in 1975, she found her way to the university’s rowing tanks in the gymnasium’s cavernous basement.
From her first strokes as a novice, Gilder found herself in a new world, training with Olympic rowers and participating in the famous Title IX naked protest, which helped define the movement for equality in college sports. Short, asthmatic, and stubborn, Gilder made the team against all odds and for the next ten years devoted herself to answering a seemingly simple how badly do you want to go fast?
Course Correction recounts the physical and psychological barriers Gilder overcame as she transformed into an elite athlete who reached the highest echelon of her sport. Set against the backdrop of unprecedented cultural change, Gilder’s story personalizes the impact of Title IX, illustrating the life-changing lessons learned in sports but felt far beyond the athletic arena. Heartfelt and candid, Gilder recounts lessons learned from her journey as it wends its way from her first glimpse of an oar to the Olympic podium in 1984, carries her through family tragedy, strengthens her to accept her true sexual identity, and ultimately frees her to live her life on her terms.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published April 14, 2015
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600 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
June 8, 2016
I received this book for free through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers.
This is not typically a book I would read. I'm from California, so rowing is not a big sport here. I also had never heard of Ginny Gilder before either.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was incredibly well written. It was a bit melodramatic at times. I found the parts about her personal life to be more interesting than the parts on her rowing life and career. This is probably because I know very little about rowing. Speaking of her family life, her childhood reminded me of Melanie Martinez’s song “Dollhouse”. That song features an alcoholic mom and a cheating dad, which is what happens to Ginny’s parents.
Overall, this book showcases what it was like being a female athlete in the early days of Title IX. In addition it also highlights struggling with sexuality.
This is not typically a book I would read. I'm from California, so rowing is not a big sport here. I also had never heard of Ginny Gilder before either.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was incredibly well written. It was a bit melodramatic at times. I found the parts about her personal life to be more interesting than the parts on her rowing life and career. This is probably because I know very little about rowing. Speaking of her family life, her childhood reminded me of Melanie Martinez’s song “Dollhouse”. That song features an alcoholic mom and a cheating dad, which is what happens to Ginny’s parents.
Overall, this book showcases what it was like being a female athlete in the early days of Title IX. In addition it also highlights struggling with sexuality.
August 5, 2015
Disclaimer: I received this book as part of the GoodReads First Reads program.
This book tells the story of a woman who falls in love with the idea of rowing after seeing rowers one year as a young girl. When she goes to college, she discovers that there's a woman's rowing team and she tries out for and becomes a member of the team, over the coaches objections that she's too small. She rise to the varsity quickly and is a member of one of the best woman's rowing teams in the country. After graduation, she continues her pursuit to represent the USA in the Olympics as a single sculler rower and doesn't succeed, but does get on the quad team, which wins a silver medal.
The descriptions of training, of pushing oneself beyond what is thought possible and the details of racing are all exciting and very interesting. The problem for me occurs in the long whiny descriptions of her personal life. The divorce of her parents, the decision to break up with her "one true love", another woman rower, all her personal demons, leaving her husband for another woman, thus breaking up two families, an endless litany of problems that all come of as the "white man's problems" of an entitled, self-pitying, self-important rich bitch who justifies ruining other people's lives with the mantra "the heart wants what the heart wants". I started the book liking the athlete and ended it despising the person.
This book tells the story of a woman who falls in love with the idea of rowing after seeing rowers one year as a young girl. When she goes to college, she discovers that there's a woman's rowing team and she tries out for and becomes a member of the team, over the coaches objections that she's too small. She rise to the varsity quickly and is a member of one of the best woman's rowing teams in the country. After graduation, she continues her pursuit to represent the USA in the Olympics as a single sculler rower and doesn't succeed, but does get on the quad team, which wins a silver medal.
The descriptions of training, of pushing oneself beyond what is thought possible and the details of racing are all exciting and very interesting. The problem for me occurs in the long whiny descriptions of her personal life. The divorce of her parents, the decision to break up with her "one true love", another woman rower, all her personal demons, leaving her husband for another woman, thus breaking up two families, an endless litany of problems that all come of as the "white man's problems" of an entitled, self-pitying, self-important rich bitch who justifies ruining other people's lives with the mantra "the heart wants what the heart wants". I started the book liking the athlete and ended it despising the person.
May 27, 2015
The path to the Olympic podium is arduous, no matter the sport. But Ginny Gilder also had another battle to overcome along the way: her own self-doubt.
When sixteen year old Ginny first saw a rowing shell in motion, she fell in love. When she began college at Yale the following year, she was able to realize that dream. But it wasn’t easy. She had to endure sore muscles, hours of training, injuries, her own health issues, and a coach who didn’t think she belonged in a shell. But even harder to overcome, was her lack of faith in herself.
Ginny began her rowing career during the infancy of Title IX, when the federal government had mandated equal access to sports for women. Had the government not forced colleges to open their sports to women, more than likely, Ginny would never have set foot into a rowing shell.
Growing up in a dysfunctional family left its scars and self-doubts. It took time, but slowly Ginny learned to trust in herself, to put aside her fear of failure. Rowing taught her this. It gave her the confidence to believe in herself.
But it wasn’t until Ginny saw in her daughter the same self-doubt that she harbored long ago that she truly opened her eyes to what had been within her grasp all along. Finally Ginny was able to step out into the world with confidence. She was able to claim her own happiness.
Ginny Gilder was a woman who dared to dream.
When sixteen year old Ginny first saw a rowing shell in motion, she fell in love. When she began college at Yale the following year, she was able to realize that dream. But it wasn’t easy. She had to endure sore muscles, hours of training, injuries, her own health issues, and a coach who didn’t think she belonged in a shell. But even harder to overcome, was her lack of faith in herself.
Ginny began her rowing career during the infancy of Title IX, when the federal government had mandated equal access to sports for women. Had the government not forced colleges to open their sports to women, more than likely, Ginny would never have set foot into a rowing shell.
Growing up in a dysfunctional family left its scars and self-doubts. It took time, but slowly Ginny learned to trust in herself, to put aside her fear of failure. Rowing taught her this. It gave her the confidence to believe in herself.
But it wasn’t until Ginny saw in her daughter the same self-doubt that she harbored long ago that she truly opened her eyes to what had been within her grasp all along. Finally Ginny was able to step out into the world with confidence. She was able to claim her own happiness.
Ginny Gilder was a woman who dared to dream.
April 23, 2015
I found this book very brave and honest. Ginny starts out as the underdog when she discovers rowing, not knowing much about the sport except that she'd like to learn. As someone who walked onto HS basketball try outs with no previous experience, I quickly related to her drive to overcome obstacles within an environment in which everyone was already well-versed.
I also enjoyed the mix of Ginny's personal struggles of how she "should" live her life verses how she eventually chose to live it. Ginny continuously shunned her sexual orientation and eventually married a wonderful man with whom she had two children--then, while trying to find some spark again in her marriage, she met the woman that she fell in love with. She was finally able to admit to her family and herself where her heart truly was.
Good book for people struggling with adversity (i.e. almost everyone)
I also enjoyed the mix of Ginny's personal struggles of how she "should" live her life verses how she eventually chose to live it. Ginny continuously shunned her sexual orientation and eventually married a wonderful man with whom she had two children--then, while trying to find some spark again in her marriage, she met the woman that she fell in love with. She was finally able to admit to her family and herself where her heart truly was.
Good book for people struggling with adversity (i.e. almost everyone)
April 10, 2015
I received "Course Correction" by Ginny Gilder through the Library Thing Early Reviewers program. I love history, sports, legal issues, etc., and so was intrigued by this book. On the positive side, I found the rowing details fascinating, as well as the general Title IX equality struggles. The high points are those involving her parents and their family problems - something to which we can all relate. Very moving stuff. Unfortunately the book contains far too much amateur psychology and too many rah-rah self-help platitudes for my taste. I also think the author glosses over her end-of-the-book life choice considering how many others it likely effected. Good for her that she made the choice, just treat it with the gravity it deserved. In the end the book was a bit of a disappointment, but probably still worth the read.
May 1, 2015
I bought this book at a Ginny Gilder book launch event and though I didn't know too much about her history and story, I found it a compelling, honest and riveting read. There are a number of themes in this book - Title IX, athletic training, home life challenges, personal growth, sexual awakening, profound loss and acceptance of one's true self in the face of society's otherwise less than approving judgment. I found it a compelling read with original language and honest reflections. Many lives wrapped into one book - both public and private and how to make peace with both to move on and live an authentic life.
April 23, 2015
A Goodreads giveaway
I was surprised with this book as it was more interesting than I thought it would be just a story of Title IX. Instead it is an interesting look at an athlete's life to achieve sports goals but also growing as a person.
Over written in many places (fewer words could capture the same idea and emotions)it is an easy read.
The ending is somewhat disappointing as it leaves you hanging with what happened to the other people in her life after her big decision.
Also I would like to know how she went from being an Olympian and then housewife to co-owner of the Seattle Storm.
I was surprised with this book as it was more interesting than I thought it would be just a story of Title IX. Instead it is an interesting look at an athlete's life to achieve sports goals but also growing as a person.
Over written in many places (fewer words could capture the same idea and emotions)it is an easy read.
The ending is somewhat disappointing as it leaves you hanging with what happened to the other people in her life after her big decision.
Also I would like to know how she went from being an Olympian and then housewife to co-owner of the Seattle Storm.
December 22, 2014
I was given an advanced copy! I hope to start it today.
This was a good read, although there were a few things that should have been caught in editing. Oh well - I've seen worse!
Her descriptions of training and racing and being an athlete are SO right on! She seems pretty honest about her personal life growing up and the difficulties she had with finding and accepting herself - in all ways - but it sometimes felt a little overwrought. Or maybe over-thought this long after the experience? At any rate, it worked well enough.
This was a good read, although there were a few things that should have been caught in editing. Oh well - I've seen worse!
Her descriptions of training and racing and being an athlete are SO right on! She seems pretty honest about her personal life growing up and the difficulties she had with finding and accepting herself - in all ways - but it sometimes felt a little overwrought. Or maybe over-thought this long after the experience? At any rate, it worked well enough.
May 17, 2016
Lots and lots of very hard work and determination made Ginny Gilder an outstanding athlete and entrepreneur. She's the epitome of "don't take no for an answer". She sets a great example for all young women with dreams and the willingness to keep going after what they want. Ginny's childhood is proof that psychological abuse can be present even in affluence. I found this book's narrative somewhat uneven, but the point is clear, and Ginny's love of rowing and the stability and purpose that it gave to her life defies the somewhat flowery descriptions of the sport.
March 10, 2016
This was one of those books that you prolong finishing not because it's bad, but because it's so good and you don't want to finish it. I've read a lot of rowing-related books, but this by far is one of the best. Ginny Gilder captures the heart and soul of the sport and the pure addiction it creates. She weaves the nuances of the catch, drive and recovery into a story fraught with hardship but also showing how perseverance and determination can help anyone overcome the demons in their lives. I fell in love with it completely!
June 12, 2015
I am on page 164 of this 243 page book. I like the twists between rowing, training, personal and family struggles. Given that I am a novice rower who thinks about rowing often even when I am not out on the water early learning I find this an accurate account. It is hard to image training so hard, making an Olympic team only to have the U.S. Boycott the 1980 games. I admire Ginny Gilder's competitive pioneer spirit. Love reading about sport & over coming odds!
June 2, 2015
What could have been a fantastic, insightful memoir is stifled with overdramatic prose. Some passages could have been tightened and/or cut as this work was much too lengthy. Still, it has its place as how many books can one think of about women's rowing, the politics of gender and sport, and a coming out story?
July 12, 2015
Despite the Yale and Seattle connections, I just couldn't love this book. It seems that Ginny Gilder has never met a metaphor, simile, cliché or old adage she didn't like. Rowing as a metaphor for life, rowing as a metaphor for everything. I get it. I think that only rowing fanatics would really appreciate all the fine details.
August 20, 2015
Well done, Ginny Gilder. Great story of both individual struggle with the baggage of family history and the confidence required to break through -- break through in sports and in relationships. Good use of the rowing stroke as metaphor. Great descriptions of Yale and rowing culture, family dynamics and inner turmoil.
January 3, 2016
I would describe this book as a coming of age genre. The rowing descriptions and analogies are fantastic. Her descriptions and details are incredibly accurate. Not quite what I expected. I had hoped for more on the struggles of title xi and women's rowing. The book speaks true to the struggles of life and rowing. I was hoping for more rowing based stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2015
Rowing and personal drama. What more could you want from a book?
June 27, 2016
Interesting story of a girl learning to row and then questing to be the best despite her size. Learned about the history of title IX. Wasn't interested in her sex life.
January 8, 2018
I’m a rower and therefore was really able to appreciate this story which draws analogies between life and rowing. The author captures the sport, it’s complexity, it’s challenges, and the physical and mental toughness it requires. I found the writing to be redundant and the storytelling was much more about “telling” than “showing” which made it less interesting than it could have been. I wished she had gone deeper into her life journey. I am also
Left wondering if Non-rowers would have been able to follow the technical terms. Overall, it was a fast read and engaging.
Left wondering if Non-rowers would have been able to follow the technical terms. Overall, it was a fast read and engaging.
November 28, 2024
As a former collegiate rower, I was stoked for this book and to really read an account of the protests and events that led to the enacting of Title IX. I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t more of a focus of the book. Actually, I expected more social context and commentary from the time and found it kind of lacking. I enjoyed the somewhat asynchronous timeline and insight into her mindset that allowed her to push herself to the absolute limit, and I would still recommend the book to female athletes and found it a worthwhile read.
August 14, 2020
I am a rower so likely this book held more interest for me that it might for others. There was much to be gained by learning more about the competitive aspects of the sport. I must admit I got a little weary of the "inner struggles" as I wanted to say "grow up". It also really had little to do with Title IX and the implications with women's athletics despite the title. But if you love the sport you can relate to the technical language and the thrill of being out on the water
January 13, 2021
Pretty good memoir about athletic success in rowing, overcoming familial problems, and coming to terms with your own sexuality. I wish Gilder would have put a little more effort into giving character to the people that she encountered throughout her life; it feels a little self-centered and makes for a sometimes sluggish read.
July 29, 2022
Was left wanting a little more from this book. I really liked the small snippets we got about her team's fight with University administration for equal treatment and would have loved for those details to be a little more prominent. I also disagreed with her section about the Olympics and her description of them as entirely non-political.
September 18, 2024
This is an outstanding book. I picked it up because of the mention of Title IX issues. I think the author and I are around the same age, so i remember all the brouhaha that started then about women’s sports (though I wasn’t the athlete she eventually became). I kept reading because Ms. Gilder is a terrific writer who brings the reader right to all her experiences. This book is stunningly good.
March 30, 2019
I wasn't sure exactly what the book was about when I bought it. However, I thought it brilliant: honest to the point of near embarrassment for some of the characters. Well written too. The rowing metaphor applied throughout to various aspects of the author's life worked for me as an ex-rower.
June 2, 2019
I enjoyed learning about her journey as an athlete, kept my interest throughout.
June 20, 2020
Not something you usually say, especially about nonfiction: could've been longer.
July 28, 2022
abundant life’s lessons
Excellent practical psychology with plenty of life’s lessons. Not a lot about rowing. Great motivation for a short person. Definitely worth reading.
Excellent practical psychology with plenty of life’s lessons. Not a lot about rowing. Great motivation for a short person. Definitely worth reading.
Read
October 1, 2023Great read particularly for rowers and scullers!
July 19, 2015
Interesting read about a tenacious woman who overcomes a lot in-spite of herself more often than not.
It was insightful to read that someone so driven, capable and accomplished battled personal demons that at times drove her to success and likely held her back simultaneously. One can only be left wondering what she would have accomplished if she dealt with her life honestly and openly from the start. With that said, life takes living in order to look back with the 20/20 perspective.
The prose of the book was encumbering at times and I had to force myself not to skim read now and then. Like so much of this authors life, her writing style, while beautiful and accomplished, occasionally gets in the way of herself.
I was disappointed that the end, after sharing so many personal and painful details of her life, tied up in quick neat bow and left you without some key answers about people and relationships in her life. Perhaps she felt she did not owe you the answers or they are still unfolding. Even so, I think there was a more graceful exit.
At the end of the day the story is one that so many of us struggle with - believe in yourself and don't let your past, someone's perception of you, or your own fears define you in such a way that you miss fulfilling your true potential. There is greatness within all of us. Tapping into it, believing in it, and pressing forward is the messy business of life.
It was insightful to read that someone so driven, capable and accomplished battled personal demons that at times drove her to success and likely held her back simultaneously. One can only be left wondering what she would have accomplished if she dealt with her life honestly and openly from the start. With that said, life takes living in order to look back with the 20/20 perspective.
The prose of the book was encumbering at times and I had to force myself not to skim read now and then. Like so much of this authors life, her writing style, while beautiful and accomplished, occasionally gets in the way of herself.
I was disappointed that the end, after sharing so many personal and painful details of her life, tied up in quick neat bow and left you without some key answers about people and relationships in her life. Perhaps she felt she did not owe you the answers or they are still unfolding. Even so, I think there was a more graceful exit.
At the end of the day the story is one that so many of us struggle with - believe in yourself and don't let your past, someone's perception of you, or your own fears define you in such a way that you miss fulfilling your true potential. There is greatness within all of us. Tapping into it, believing in it, and pressing forward is the messy business of life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews