To Chase A Dream

by Paul "Whitey" Kapsalis, Ted Gregory

Growing up in the Midwest in the 1980s, Paul Whitey Kapsalis dreams of playing soccer at powerhouse Indiana University, winner of 8 national championships. But he's got a he is too small, too slow, simply not good enough, and coaches tell him he never will be. What all the doubters failed to consider was that inside the body of this under-sized, humble kid was the heart of a lion. Whitey's book, To Chase A Dream is the inspirational, true story of his journey. Co-written by Pulitzer-prize-winning reporter Ted Gregory, it is about a boy who only wants to play soccer but, through disheartening challenges and uplifting relationships, becomes someone he'd never expected, a leader of men. Along the way, he learns that perseverance, optimism, hard work, kindness towards others and patience can lead to remarkable, transformational achievements and a soccer national championship. He also discovers a new definition of winning, one that has a great deal to do with the spirit of generosity. It took him 5 years, fighting through rejection and a career-threatening injury, but Paul got where he never expected to go. Here is a chance to see how he did it.

234 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 15, 2014

Reviews

[Kaitlyn Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t not give this book 5 stars — written by my old soccer coach & a close family friend, his story about chasing his dream to play soccer at IU was inspiring & offered great lessons to apply to all aspects of life

[Joe Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ted Gregory wrote To Chase A Dream which tells a about a kid’s near impossible dream to play soccer at the best college in the nation, Indiana University. Paul “Whitey” Kapsalis came from a family of three brothers and one sister, his family with his mother and father moved around quite often not settling in one place for too long, this is due to his father’s job. The way “Whitey’s” family made new friends in the community was through sports, so when ever they moved their father would always sign them up for sports leagues. One time they did not have a baseball league and the only other sport was soccer, so that is when he was hooked. The purpose of this book is to tell about boy with a big dream and never gave up no matter have many people told him he will never play at IU.

In this book the theme to me that keeps recurring is the power of perseverance. Even though like in this quote from Coach Yeagley “Coach Yeagley told me they had no idea where to fit me in this team, but that they’d learned a lot after spring soccer, and I didn’t like the way he said it”(104), “Whitey” did not give up even when all odds were against him. ‘“Whitey,” a blunt Coach Yeagley told me during my evaluation in his office, “you are never going to play here”’(156). This was going into his second year, and still everyone was against him.

To Chase A Dream is a narrative. The way Ted Gregory has set up this book in chronological order writing about times and places, through a series of events tells/shows us that this is a narrative. “Usually the hard things in our life lead to good” (142) this quote comes directly from one of the weaker or lower parts of the book where everyone seems against “Whitey” on his near impossible journey to play soccer at IU. This quote especially shows how moral aspects can be learned in a tough time. I could see in some situations where somebody could be reading this and been given the drive to keep going even when times get tough.

Personally is was a very good and inspiring book. I can not really say anything bad or wrong about this book. The only thing that I would have liked to see more of would be what happened later on down the road after college. It was altogether amazing and truly inspiring. I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone, I give it a full five stars and two thumbs ups. I have not read many books like this but it sorta reminds me of The Go-Getter, which is also an amazing book.

[Andrea Lakly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for a kid who loves soccer, or for any athlete who doesn't fit the physical type of his or her sport. It tells the autobiographical story of a young man who plays collegiate level soccer at Indiana. He has a successful, though far from perfect, experience and learns quite a bit about living along the way.

[Kristin Larson barlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. What a great story! This is one that I will have all my kids read. Great message about perseverance, courage, focus, teamwork and overcoming challenges and setbacks. It is a Soccer story but the lessons apply to all parts of life. I found myself rooting for “Whitey” throughout the book!

[John DeLucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book! Very inspirational. It’s the best book I’ve ever read about not quitting. I highly recommend it. Perseverance pays off.

[Scott Janasik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book. As a former soccer player, this account sparks a passion for the game through Whitey’s accounts of adversity. Very inspiring.

[Austin Baskett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul “Whitey” Kapsalis and Ted Gregory wrote an amazing book called “To Chase a Dream”. This book tells the story on how Paul Kapsalis, (also known as Whitey” jumped over so many barriers to be able to live his dream. Kapsalis grew up as a kid in the 1980’s, and his dream was that he always wanted to play for the monstrous Indiana University, but with any dream there is a slight problem. He’s too small, too slow, simply not good enough, and the coaches don’t mind telling him that he never will be good enough. I believe Kapsalis’ purpose of this book was to tell everyone his story on how the underdog made it big at Indiana University.
As you read this book it is obvious what the theme is, to never give up on your dreams, no matter what the cost. A good quote to prove this is, “Over the next two hours, we had a soul-scouring discussion. I told them that every night since I had come home from my recruiting trip to MSU, I couldn’t fall asleep without thinking, Am I passing up a dream to play for IU and will I wonder the rest of my life whether I could have made the team? I told them that as much as I tried to dismiss it, to bury it, the question kept coming back. I knew I’d have a rewarding career at Michigan State, I told them, and following Pete would be an honor. And, yeah, I have the partial scholarship, and yeah, Michigan State is a great school. But what if…? What if it just so happens that I am good enough to play for IU?”(35 Kapsalis & Gregory). This quote is perfect because it shows that he was willing to give up everything just to have a shot to play for his dream team.
The style of this book was definitely first person. When they wrote this book they basically made it a step by step biography on his journey to play for Indiana University. A good example for this would be “Red-shirting, I discovered on my first day of practice, is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) status in which the athlete technically is a part of the team but is prohibited from playing in the games for that team for a full year”(54 Kapsalis & Gregory). This shows it perfectly because not only was he not able to play for a year, he had to hang in there because soon he would get his chance, most people would give up, but not Whitey.
To Chase a Dream has to be one of my favorite books now, it was so inspirational. Not only was it informational, they made it interesting, I was never bored while reading this book and never found it dragging along. The only bad part that I found about this book, wasn’t really even bad, I just thought that he should have given a little more information on his childhood. I would definitely give this book and five out of five, and would definitely recommend it to a friend.

[Itasca Community Library]

Soon Har says:

I was surprised by how deeply this book engaged, touched and inspired me – despite not knowing who Whitey was, not caring about college soccer, and not having much interest in athletics in general. Written by Whitey’s cousin, the Chicago Tribune’s Ted Gregory, the writing is well-paced and warmly conveys Whitey’s voice, while the story’s many lessons feel genuine and universal. An entertaining, feel-good read.

[Kara Lauth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great inspirational book! My daughter had Whitey as one of her early soccer coaches and he is such a great
coach! So positive and encouraging - he really lives his life the way he writes in the book! She is now playing soccer in high school!!

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was inspirational and a great read for any age.