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Waterski Girl Wonder: A Journey of Perseverance.
Escaping instantaneous death and paralysis from a hangman's broken neck, and shattered right jaw endured in a horrific watersking accident is only part of this unbelievable life story. Follow Shellie on her journey from the Ozarks to Egypt and even the back alleys of Hollywood streets as she perseveres through more than her share of grueling set backs. You don't have to be a waterskier to enjoy this inspiring true story told by the first female freestyle waterskier ramp jumper in the world.
238 pages, Hardcover
First published September 11, 2015
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60 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 19, 2016
A great story about a courageous young woman who lives life to the full until the unbelievable happens. This story has it all. Drama, humour, courage, highs and lows. The trials and tribulations of a girl growing into womanhood while being a world recognised skier from an age when women were still classed as second in this sport. There are some terms in the book that leave the non water skier out of their depth, this however doesn't detract from the storyline and I recommend it as a fine piece of writing.
October 25, 2015
One of the best books I've ever read! What an amazing amount of courage Ms. Blum has! She's been fighting for what she believes in since she was a little girl. She deserves to be in the Waterski Hall of Fame. Don't miss this book!
January 26, 2016
I can’t help thinking it’s a pity that the screenplay Shellie Blum wrote of her life wasn’t accepted as it would have made a thrilling, action-packed Hollywood movie. It’s true that nobody escapes some drama in their life, but this petite, athletically gifted, ferociously competitive, independent-minded, dare-devil kind of a girl gets more than her fair share: born with a cleft palate, her violent, alcoholic father shot dead in a drunken quarrel and, above all, a horrendous accident from which she was lucky to escape alive, and which annihilated all ambition to make a precocious name for herself in the male-dominated world of professional, acrobatic show waterski-ing.
But this was far from being the end. After came her legal fight to gain some form of compensation, her struggles to establish the true causes of her accident in a world of sharkish attorneys and insurers, male sexist discrimination, ostracism on the part of her former colleagues and diminishing financial resources. If this wasn’t enough, she even gets attacked and her jaw again broken in a vicious assault. Then she accepts a dare to dive off a highboard only to break both shoulders on hitting the water. A real Calamity Jane! And finally her younger brother commits suicide.
And perhaps no less a dramatic struggle was the fight against herself : her understandable depression, the chronic pain, not to mention an inclination to drink more than was good for her, and to get into fights with men twice her size over games of pool. Fortunately, her urge to become a mother (and she chose her own special way of doing it), and the twins who finally arrived (though even here there were problems at birth) seem to have brought a certain serenity to her life. What’s more, as she herself admits, telling her story by writing her book seems to have acted as a sort of catharsis.
Not only did I find Shellie Blum’s book a gripping read but having always been interested in the culture of other countries, I was fascinated by the insights it gives into the American way of life. And to be quite frank, it wasn’t always to the country’s advantage : for one thing I was surprised that a nation which was enlightened enough to have given women the vote almost a century ago should have produced the male chauvinism which Shellie describes (she was even cheated out of first place in a competition because she was a girl). I also couldn’t help noting that contrasting mixture of excessive familiarity and raw bluntness which seems to characterize everyday relationships in the States, and which tends to contrast with our more urbane, reserved European codes. And the cult of the dollar is present everywhere. In addition, the old-fashioned part of me was slightly shocked by the readiness with which members of the so-called ‘fair’ sex are prepared to use that ineffable four-letter word beginning with ‘f’.
Never having waterskied even once in my life (and as far as snow ski-ing is concerned, I never made it past the baby slopes), it was difficult for me to relate to the sport (though I now understand what a ‘helicopter’ and ‘gainer’ are). However, in my younger days, I did use to be something of a sportsman myself, and I can appreciate and admire the dedication and courage which Shellie employed in meeting the daunting athletic challenges which her sport imposed.
Even though the book was written in what must be something approaching the record time of 24 days this is not obvious in the reading, and goes somewhere towards explaining the relaxed, spontaneous and, in spite of her problems, often exuberant American style. It’s a book which comes essentially from the heart ; but what I retain, above all, is the lesson it gives in courage, perseverance and determination in the face of adversity. And perhaps I can end with what I imagine Shellie Blum herself would reply if you asked her for advice on how to achieve any worthwhile goal. I’m sure it would go something like, ‘You gotta stick at it, buddy!’
But this was far from being the end. After came her legal fight to gain some form of compensation, her struggles to establish the true causes of her accident in a world of sharkish attorneys and insurers, male sexist discrimination, ostracism on the part of her former colleagues and diminishing financial resources. If this wasn’t enough, she even gets attacked and her jaw again broken in a vicious assault. Then she accepts a dare to dive off a highboard only to break both shoulders on hitting the water. A real Calamity Jane! And finally her younger brother commits suicide.
And perhaps no less a dramatic struggle was the fight against herself : her understandable depression, the chronic pain, not to mention an inclination to drink more than was good for her, and to get into fights with men twice her size over games of pool. Fortunately, her urge to become a mother (and she chose her own special way of doing it), and the twins who finally arrived (though even here there were problems at birth) seem to have brought a certain serenity to her life. What’s more, as she herself admits, telling her story by writing her book seems to have acted as a sort of catharsis.
Not only did I find Shellie Blum’s book a gripping read but having always been interested in the culture of other countries, I was fascinated by the insights it gives into the American way of life. And to be quite frank, it wasn’t always to the country’s advantage : for one thing I was surprised that a nation which was enlightened enough to have given women the vote almost a century ago should have produced the male chauvinism which Shellie describes (she was even cheated out of first place in a competition because she was a girl). I also couldn’t help noting that contrasting mixture of excessive familiarity and raw bluntness which seems to characterize everyday relationships in the States, and which tends to contrast with our more urbane, reserved European codes. And the cult of the dollar is present everywhere. In addition, the old-fashioned part of me was slightly shocked by the readiness with which members of the so-called ‘fair’ sex are prepared to use that ineffable four-letter word beginning with ‘f’.
Never having waterskied even once in my life (and as far as snow ski-ing is concerned, I never made it past the baby slopes), it was difficult for me to relate to the sport (though I now understand what a ‘helicopter’ and ‘gainer’ are). However, in my younger days, I did use to be something of a sportsman myself, and I can appreciate and admire the dedication and courage which Shellie employed in meeting the daunting athletic challenges which her sport imposed.
Even though the book was written in what must be something approaching the record time of 24 days this is not obvious in the reading, and goes somewhere towards explaining the relaxed, spontaneous and, in spite of her problems, often exuberant American style. It’s a book which comes essentially from the heart ; but what I retain, above all, is the lesson it gives in courage, perseverance and determination in the face of adversity. And perhaps I can end with what I imagine Shellie Blum herself would reply if you asked her for advice on how to achieve any worthwhile goal. I’m sure it would go something like, ‘You gotta stick at it, buddy!’
December 31, 2015
Ask any life coach what the secret to success is and they will likely agree it's the ability to get back up, learn the lessons, embrace the epiphanies, and let go. In this telling memoir, Shellie Blum has showed us firsthand just how successful she is. Faced with more obstacles than seems humanly possible, Ms. Blum has proven that the sun certainly does shine even behind the clouds. Her touching story reminds us that anything is possible, and the human spirit is unbreakable in the presence of determination. Thank you for teaching us all to 'keep on keeping on!'
July 31, 2016
This was a great memoir, and a quick read. I really enjoyed the story, and knew nothing about water skiing before reading it. There's a lot of 'meat' to the story, and while it follows Shellie's life and adventures in the water skiing industry, the actually 'story' is about trial, tribulation, and perseverance. I felt like the last chapter of the book could easily be the beginning of a second volume. It isn't poetic, or flowery, but it is raw, full of emotion, and powerful.
I hope to read more from Ms. Blum in the future!
I hope to read more from Ms. Blum in the future!
August 12, 2015
An Incredible Testimony!
July 4, 2016
Waterski Girl Wonder: A Journey of Perseverance reveals the life of Shellie Blum, the first female to achieve star status in waterskiing. It is a memoir that shows the ups and downs of breaking into what was then known as a man’s world. However, it not only shows the hardships, but it also shows her triumphs as she battles against odds that would have caused most people to give up.
Reading how others have overcome adversity in life strengthens our courage to move on with our lives, and that is what this book does. It gives us the courage to say, if she could do it, maybe I can overcome my struggles also.
Blum has done an excellent job of showing us that honesty and truth are traits in our character that are valuable and that the family is one of the core fundamentals of strength and help in the time of trouble.
Waterski Girl Wonder: A Journey Of Perseverance is a memoir that you should read, even if you do not waterski. What Blum shares in her memoir relates to experiential living and can be transferred to any life circumstance.
Outstanding job, Ms. Blum. All the best for your writing future.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
Reading how others have overcome adversity in life strengthens our courage to move on with our lives, and that is what this book does. It gives us the courage to say, if she could do it, maybe I can overcome my struggles also.
Blum has done an excellent job of showing us that honesty and truth are traits in our character that are valuable and that the family is one of the core fundamentals of strength and help in the time of trouble.
Waterski Girl Wonder: A Journey Of Perseverance is a memoir that you should read, even if you do not waterski. What Blum shares in her memoir relates to experiential living and can be transferred to any life circumstance.
Outstanding job, Ms. Blum. All the best for your writing future.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
March 13, 2016
Author Shellie Blum’s rise to fame as the Waterski Girl Wonder is a strong example of how to fight for and achieve your dreams, and she recounts her path from defiant tomboy to Cypress Gardens star with a dynamic energy. What impressed me most, however, was her frank honesty about her spiral downward after the horrific accident that ended her career. Maltreatment from insurance companies, attorneys, and more led to a dark place, but even in the darkness she fought back, and she conveys this with no punches pulled on her own behavior. Her remarkable story elicits equal amounts of admiration, horror, concern, and delight. A well-deserved 5 stars.
June 10, 2016
This really is a story of determination and perseverance. Even though I am not an athlete, I could totally relate to Shellie's struggles as a female to be taken seriously in her chosen field. Because of women like Shellie, I'm sure women today have an easier time. I enjoyed learning a lot about competitive water skiing and watching Shellie progress from a wonder child to a competent adult. Her caring for her colleagues and family is evident throughout the book.
May 9, 2018
Former waterski champion Shellie Blum shares her personal experiences of enduring a multitude of accidents, injuries and other personal setbacks in graphic, edge-of-your-seat detail. But what spoke to me most were the portraits she paints of the people who she encountered along the way. In sum, come for the sizzle, but stay for the story.
December 19, 2015
This book is so emotional, so full of inspiration! I couldn't put it down! I have to admit this book is the best one I've read all year!
May 6, 2018
Shellie Blum was born with a reason to hide from the world. She didn't do that. Instead, her life became the biggest adventure you can imagine. She was good at every sport she tried. She even broke some barriers others wouldn't have thought of. Her heart and soul didn't know the words- give up. Her journey was one of spectacular highs and lows.
Loved this book. It's the most inspirational book I've read in some time. Well written with descriptions so vivid you'll feel the water splash you, this author gave us her all. This book is one every person who reads it will gain something from. Ms. Blum's honesty and pride can be felt throughout the book. It's refreshing to read a really honest book about someone's life. You'll be talking about this one for months and months. I shared it with my daughters and I noticed both of them walking with their head held just a bit higher than usual.
I did find one issue. I'd like to have learned more about her life now. I understand it wasn't a focus of the book, but it would have rounded it out a bit.
I gave this one 5 cheers out of 5 because if she can do it... so can I. ~Copy of book provided by author and I voluntarily reviewed it.
Loved this book. It's the most inspirational book I've read in some time. Well written with descriptions so vivid you'll feel the water splash you, this author gave us her all. This book is one every person who reads it will gain something from. Ms. Blum's honesty and pride can be felt throughout the book. It's refreshing to read a really honest book about someone's life. You'll be talking about this one for months and months. I shared it with my daughters and I noticed both of them walking with their head held just a bit higher than usual.
I did find one issue. I'd like to have learned more about her life now. I understand it wasn't a focus of the book, but it would have rounded it out a bit.
I gave this one 5 cheers out of 5 because if she can do it... so can I. ~Copy of book provided by author and I voluntarily reviewed it.
June 9, 2016
Friedrich Nietzsche famously said, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger," and a favorite American cliché was born. The hopeful American can-do culture cherishes this self-affirming, transformative promise. With this confirmation bias, former waterski star Shellie Blum supports Nietzsche’s promise in her book "Waterski Girl Wonder, A Journey of Perseverance."
Freud in turn promised that suffering is an inevitable part of every life. No one has lived this guarantee more fully than Shellie Blum. Her horrific tell-all, and I do mean tell-all, begins with a birth defect, a cleft pallet. It leads to dental problems, speech difficulties, and all the challenges that children with medical conditions must face, namely social and emotional problems. She first has to learn to defend herself from bullies, including teachers and administrators who suffer from a defect of empathy.
Then, still a young girl, her alcoholic dad is shot to death by a family member. She toughs it out and at age 12 proceeds to realize her watery dream to become a barefoot water skier, no easy feat for a girl in a man’s world, at Lake of the Ozarks.
Shellie next lands a prized place at Cypress Gardens, a botanical garden and theme park that was located near Winter Haven, Florida. It operated from 1936 to 2009. I learned to ski there way before Shellie's arrival. Attempting to ski high in the sky at the end of a kite, I oscillated enough to bring on an embarrassing crash into the lake, skis and all. I know how difficult the sport can be for those not as athletic as Shellie.
By 2011, only the botanical garden remained. The rest of the park was turned into Legoland Florida. But back in the day, the Cypress Gardens waterski show was daredevil awesome. It featured jump acts with helicopters and flips, 50 mph barefoot pyramids, jump skiers, choreographed water ballet line, partner conventional doubles, strap doubles, and trios, two- through four-tier human pyramids. The team even pulled off a record-setting five-tier. But just as Shellie’s dreams begin coming true, they are shattered in a terrible accident that breaks her neck. It was caused by negligent employers and a faulty bridle, but proving it proves to be grueling, lonely, and enormously depressing. A long recovery from surgery to repair her spine and broken jaw comes next with almost no help from anyone except her mother. After miraculously surviving death and paralysis by hanging and several difficult surgeries, she bravely goes to war against those employers, their workmen's comp attorneys, and her own legal counsel in order to win some modest compensation.
Shellie’s fourth workmen’s compensation lawyer, a woman, finally goes hard against ITT Hartford. At last, she is able to prove that her near-death was caused when her head became caught in an oversized bridle that should never have been used. The bridle became a hangman’s noose to break her neck and right jaw, a horror made worse when her supervisor inside the waterski boat failed to pull the safety release in time to save her.
Shellie embarks on another cruel fiasco when she tries to sell the screenplay about her accomplishments, trials, and tribulations in Hollywood. No go. Next comes a vicious assault by a man who jumps her outside a bar. This time, Shellie’s left jaw and cheekbone are crushed. More surgeries. More wires. More metal inserts. Still, she is determined to find the positive in all this misery. She always refuses to play the victim. No self-pity for Shellie.
No sooner does she recover from this latest assault than she breaks both shoulders at the pool end of a high dive. A titanium plate had to be inserted to reconnect her arm to her shoulder. Recovering from this latest distress, she receives this text from her sister: “Maybe this happened to prove to you that you don’t have to prove yourself anymore,” something she’s been driven to do since that unfortunate birth defect and the shotgun death of her father.
Sadly, things don’t get better for Shellie until today and the publication of this book. You can read it to learn more. Shellie sums up the strength her struggle has given her in words she says she recalls from Golda Meir: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am for myself only, what am I? If not now, when?”
I search and search but can find no such quote from Ms. Meir. I do, however, find this quotation. I believe it sums up Shellie’s life lesson just as eloquently: “Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.” – Golda Meir
Freud in turn promised that suffering is an inevitable part of every life. No one has lived this guarantee more fully than Shellie Blum. Her horrific tell-all, and I do mean tell-all, begins with a birth defect, a cleft pallet. It leads to dental problems, speech difficulties, and all the challenges that children with medical conditions must face, namely social and emotional problems. She first has to learn to defend herself from bullies, including teachers and administrators who suffer from a defect of empathy.
Then, still a young girl, her alcoholic dad is shot to death by a family member. She toughs it out and at age 12 proceeds to realize her watery dream to become a barefoot water skier, no easy feat for a girl in a man’s world, at Lake of the Ozarks.
Shellie next lands a prized place at Cypress Gardens, a botanical garden and theme park that was located near Winter Haven, Florida. It operated from 1936 to 2009. I learned to ski there way before Shellie's arrival. Attempting to ski high in the sky at the end of a kite, I oscillated enough to bring on an embarrassing crash into the lake, skis and all. I know how difficult the sport can be for those not as athletic as Shellie.
By 2011, only the botanical garden remained. The rest of the park was turned into Legoland Florida. But back in the day, the Cypress Gardens waterski show was daredevil awesome. It featured jump acts with helicopters and flips, 50 mph barefoot pyramids, jump skiers, choreographed water ballet line, partner conventional doubles, strap doubles, and trios, two- through four-tier human pyramids. The team even pulled off a record-setting five-tier. But just as Shellie’s dreams begin coming true, they are shattered in a terrible accident that breaks her neck. It was caused by negligent employers and a faulty bridle, but proving it proves to be grueling, lonely, and enormously depressing. A long recovery from surgery to repair her spine and broken jaw comes next with almost no help from anyone except her mother. After miraculously surviving death and paralysis by hanging and several difficult surgeries, she bravely goes to war against those employers, their workmen's comp attorneys, and her own legal counsel in order to win some modest compensation.
Shellie’s fourth workmen’s compensation lawyer, a woman, finally goes hard against ITT Hartford. At last, she is able to prove that her near-death was caused when her head became caught in an oversized bridle that should never have been used. The bridle became a hangman’s noose to break her neck and right jaw, a horror made worse when her supervisor inside the waterski boat failed to pull the safety release in time to save her.
Shellie embarks on another cruel fiasco when she tries to sell the screenplay about her accomplishments, trials, and tribulations in Hollywood. No go. Next comes a vicious assault by a man who jumps her outside a bar. This time, Shellie’s left jaw and cheekbone are crushed. More surgeries. More wires. More metal inserts. Still, she is determined to find the positive in all this misery. She always refuses to play the victim. No self-pity for Shellie.
No sooner does she recover from this latest assault than she breaks both shoulders at the pool end of a high dive. A titanium plate had to be inserted to reconnect her arm to her shoulder. Recovering from this latest distress, she receives this text from her sister: “Maybe this happened to prove to you that you don’t have to prove yourself anymore,” something she’s been driven to do since that unfortunate birth defect and the shotgun death of her father.
Sadly, things don’t get better for Shellie until today and the publication of this book. You can read it to learn more. Shellie sums up the strength her struggle has given her in words she says she recalls from Golda Meir: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am for myself only, what am I? If not now, when?”
I search and search but can find no such quote from Ms. Meir. I do, however, find this quotation. I believe it sums up Shellie’s life lesson just as eloquently: “Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.” – Golda Meir
July 26, 2016
When I finished reading Waterski Girl Wonder, all I could say was "Wow!" Shellie Blum tells her own story from her childhood with an alcoholic father, to her rise to prominence in the sport of water skiing as a young teenager, and the tragic accident at Cypress Gardens, Florida, at that time the water skiing capital of the world, which ended her career.
From the time she was a small child, Shellie was willing to compete with the best of them. The youngest in the family, she had two older brothers and a sister. After the death of her father, her mother held their family together and encouraged her youngest daughter in her competitive endeavors, whether water skiing or other sports that she loved growing up.
Through it all, Shellie never lost her fighting spirit and hope for the future. She goes into great detail about the technicalities of the difficult water skiing maneuvers she learned, often performing ones that had previously been "reserved" for men skiers. I felt awed and inspired by her tenacity and willingness to try anything. It's not easy to tell the story of your own life -- the triumphs, family tragedies and bad mistakes that all of us make. Shellie Blum succeeds in telling her story without embarrassment or excuses. She is a true fighter who knows what she wants, including her delightful twins who make up her own family now. Waterski Girl Wonder is a book to entertain and inspire, even if your only sport is shooting pool, in which Shellie Blum is also a top performer.
From the time she was a small child, Shellie was willing to compete with the best of them. The youngest in the family, she had two older brothers and a sister. After the death of her father, her mother held their family together and encouraged her youngest daughter in her competitive endeavors, whether water skiing or other sports that she loved growing up.
Through it all, Shellie never lost her fighting spirit and hope for the future. She goes into great detail about the technicalities of the difficult water skiing maneuvers she learned, often performing ones that had previously been "reserved" for men skiers. I felt awed and inspired by her tenacity and willingness to try anything. It's not easy to tell the story of your own life -- the triumphs, family tragedies and bad mistakes that all of us make. Shellie Blum succeeds in telling her story without embarrassment or excuses. She is a true fighter who knows what she wants, including her delightful twins who make up her own family now. Waterski Girl Wonder is a book to entertain and inspire, even if your only sport is shooting pool, in which Shellie Blum is also a top performer.
October 30, 2016
This book was a fascinating read and a page turner. I could not put it down. This should be required reading for every school student. Hard work, standing up for what is right and persistence. As Calvin Coolidge once said, "Persistence and determination alone is omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race". You certainly have demonstrated that Shellie. As I read your words I felt as if I was right there with you every step of the way on your journey. Many "truths" were told and felt. Thank you for sharing your journey with all of us.
March 14, 2018
Interesting story, poorly written
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews