Are sports good for kids? Does participation in athletics improve a person's life? Yes, according to Betsy Mitchell, a collegiate athletic director and two-time Olympian, medalist, world champion, record holder, and seven-time NCAA champion swimmer. But according to Mitchell, amateur sports are only beneficial when the focus remains on acquiring skills, developing sportsmanship, and having fun. From her journey competing in sports, she learned many lessons that she applies in her daily life and career. In this inspirational memoir, Betsy writes a love letter to amateur athletes, revealing how the joy and challenges of sports shaped her life and sharing twelve pivotal lessons she learned along the way.
"Even as a teenager, I understood that swimming occupied only a part of my life; it was not my whole life. At some point in the future, I would stop swimming and continue with every other aspect of myself."