Shellie Blum

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.… (mere)