Anthology of Sports Writing
"Start Your Engines"
Margaret Mickelway
(7.3)
Sick of slow? There’s a hot new sport for kids that will put your life in the fast lane. It’s called junior (jr.) drag racing, and it gives kids as young as 8 a chance to develop topnotch driving skills.
Girls and boys, ages 8 to 17, have been revving up for league competition at racetracks around the United States for the last three years. In jr. drag racing, two cars at a time race each other down an eighth-mile strip—a straight track a little longer than two football fields. The cars look almost like the ones the pros drive, but jr. cars are half as big. Their smaller engines are generally propelled by alcohol or gasoline.
Drivers go up to 60 miles an hour. The real test isn’t only speed, however, but split-second timing. Each driver must start and finish the race within an estimated time for his or her car. Going faster than estimated or too slow can bring a loss to a racer.
Young drivers get instruction at the track, then take part in a series of competitions to qualify for major meets. At every jr. drag meet safety is the number one concern. Accidents are rare. Track conditions, car equipment, and safety gear are all strictly regulated.
In the summer of 1994, 500 of the best racers competed at the Inaugural Jr. Drag Racing National Championships, at Indianapolis Raceway Park in Indianapolis, Indiana. The champs were the Houston Half-Scale Team, from Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas. The 10 member team beat out 59 other groups—and had an individual winner, Mark Lowry, 16, of Baytown; and a runner-up, Erica Enders, 10, of Houston.
What gets a kid into racing? For many it’s a family thing. “My dad raced before I was born,” explains Erica. “My dad worked as pit crew,” says Mitch Elliott, 12, of Woodstock, Ontario, in Canada. The college scholarship prizes attract others. But for J. R. Todd, 13, a racer from Lawrenceburg, Indiana, there are greater attractions. “What do I like? . . . It’s the people, the excitement,” he says.
1. This article tells you that the cars are “propelled by alcohol or gasoline.” When used this way, the word propelled means
A) made larger.
B) made to move.
C) burned.
D) kept clean.
2. What does the author say the “real test” is?
A) Speed and timing
B) Speed and luck
C) A good car and fast pit crew
D) The ability to drive for eight miles
3. How often do accidents happen at junior drag race meets, according to the author?
A) Frequently, but they usually aren’t serious
B) In about 10 percent of the races
C) Rarely, because safety is stressed
D) Never, but accidents do happen in adult races
4. What does the article say about why kids like to get into racing?
A) They can become famous.
B) The prize money is good.
C) Five hundred racers competed in the last National Championships.
D) The sport is fun and exciting.
5. Authors often want to have readers react in certain ways upon reading their work. Which of the following is the author of this passage trying to persuade readers to believe after reading this article?
A) That junior drag racing is fun and exciting
B) That junior drag racing is only fun for a few special people
C) That they should be afraid to try junior drag racing
D) That they will not have enough information to know if they like the idea of junior drag racing or not
6 B Word Meaning
7 A Literal Comprehension
8 C Literal Comprehension
9 D Inferential Comprehension
10 A Literary Elements and Devices
"Beating the Odds"
Theodore Knight
(7.7)
Wilma Rudolph won three gold medals at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, the first American woman ever to do so. Her first-place finish in the 100-meter dash tied the world’s record, and she set an Olympic record in the 200-meter dash. It was her running of the final leg of the 400-meter relay, however, that showed the world the incredible determination that her friends and acquaintances already knew. The 400-meter women’s relay was a battle between the German and American teams.
Although the Germans took the lead at the start, by the end of the third leg of the race, the Americans had managed to gain a lead of about two yards. As the third American runner dashed up, Rudolph reached back to grab the relay baton, only to see the other woman drop it just short of her fingers. As Rudolph stooped and snatched the fumbled baton, the German runner surged to a commanding lead. Rudolph sprinted off in pursuit. To the astonishment of the crowd, Rudolph gained back all the ground she had lost and nipped across the finish line ahead of the German runner. Her effort earned her team the gold medal and set a new world record in the relay.
Wilma Rudolph had beat the odds, but that was not new for her. Born to a poor, black Tennessee family that already had fourteen children, Rudolph was sickly and underweight at birth and not expected to live. But she survived. Then, at age four, she was stricken with double pneumonia and scarlet fever. Once again, Rudolph pulled through, but her illness left her with a paralyzed left leg. Local doctors informed her parents that she would never walk again. Rudolph’s determined mother took her daughter by bus to a clinic in Nashville. There they were told that with daily heat and water massages, the child might gradually gain a little use of her leg. Mrs. Rudolph worked six days a week as a maid and had no way to get her daughter to the clinic, so she taught herself and then her oldest children how to give the massage. For the next two years, Rudolph was given four massage treatments each day by family members. On Mrs. Rudolph’s day off, she and her daughter made the forty-five-mile bus trip to Nashville for additional treatments.
Since the family was too poor to afford a wheelchair, Rudolph spent her days confined to a bed or a chair. After two years with no progress, Rudolph suddenly began to regain some feeling in her leg. Two years later, she was able to walk with the aid of a leg brace. Just being able to walk a bit was not enough for Wilma Rudolph, however. She continued to exercise and was able to throw away the leg brace when she was eleven. At thirteen she tried out for the high school basketball team and at fifteen she was averaging over thirty-two points per game and was a member of the all-state team. Her basketball exploits brought her to the attention of the track coach at Tennessee State University and through his influence she became the first member of her family to attend college. Rudolph’s triple gold in Rome was only the next step in a twenty year-long race from behind to overcome seemingly unbeatable obstacles.
1. The story tells you that Wilma “nipped across the finish line ahead of the German runner.” This means that Wilma
A) won by a large distance.
B) carried the baton in her teeth so that she could use her arms better.
C) fell as she leaned forward at the end of the race.
D) just barely won the race.
2. The story says that Wilma’s “basketball exploits brought her to the attention of the track coach at Tennessee State University . . . .” In this sentence, the word exploits means
A) achievements.
B) uniform and equipment.
C) mistakes.
D) height.
3. The story doesn't say for sure, but the author probably thinks that
A) Wilma had only bad luck in her life.
B) Wilma is an inspiration to people.
C) the German team should have won the 400-meter relay.
D) Mrs. Rudolph should have taken care of Wilma herself.
4. Wilma was an outstanding athlete. What was one of the main reasons for this?
A) Mrs. Rudolph worked hard as a maid to support her children.
B) Wilma attended many sports camps when she was young.
C) The basketball coach was very strict with Wilma.
D) Wilma believed in herself and had great determination.
5. Why did Wilma’s family massage her legs?
A) They thought she might be in the Olympics someday.
B) They felt it would help her become a basketball player.
C) They thought she needed to be well enough to work.
D) They wanted her to be able to walk.
"Why is Basketball So Popular?"
Dave Anderson
(9.1)
In slightly less than a century since Dr. James Naismith put up the peach baskets in the gymnasium in Springfield, Massachusetts, basketball has evolved into one of the world’s most popular sports. Baseball and football have traveled from America to a few other nations, but not many. Basketball, in contrast, has emerged not only as an Olympic sport, but also as a game that is played virtually everywhere throughout the world. One reason is its simplicity. All you need is a ball and a hoop. Another reason is its appeal as a sport that can be played informally with five members on a team. Or four. Or three. Or two. Or even one. In many playgrounds, one-on-one is the basic game. And if there’s no one else around, you can play basketball by yourself, a solitary shooter out there aiming a ball at a hoop. Unlike baseball and football, basketball has another vital appeal: Women and girls can play it.
Olympic boycotts in 1980 and 1984 prevented the United States women’s team from opposing the Soviet Union team, generally considered the world’s best. But in 1986 the Americans twice defeated the Russians in Moscow, winning the Goodwill Games championship and the World Tournament. Cheryl Miller, a 6'3" shooter who had been voted the Outstanding Player Award at the NCAA Women’s Final Four in both 1982 and 1983 while at the University of Southern California, led the U.S. team to its 83-60 and 108-88 triumphs.
“Women play a different kind of basketball than men do,” said Anne Donovan, the center on those U.S. teams. “Men play above the rim. Women play below the rim.”
Women’s basketball in America began to thrive in 1971 when Immaculata, a suburban Philadelphia college, won the first formal national championship. Coached by Cathy Rush, the Mighty Macs also won the next two years. Three members of those teams later emerged as outstanding coaches—Marianne Crawford Stanley at Old Dominion, Rene Muth Portland at Penn State, and Theresa Shank Grentz at Rutgers.
The popularity of women’s college basketball was obvious when the University of Texas Lady Longhorns were in the midst of a 36-0 season that would end with the 1986 national championship. After one victory a Texas rooter and his five-year-old son were talking to Jody Conradt, the Texas coach. During the conversation, the little boy looked up at his father.
“Daddy,” he said, “how can I grow up to be a Lady Longhorn?”
Like baseball and football, basketball occurs on four levels in America, from neighborhood leagues for youngsters up through high schools and colleges to the National Basketball Association, which showcases the skills of the world’s best players. But unlike baseball and football,
basketball can be played indoors or outdoors. Most organized games are played in arenas or gymnasiums, but the roots of basketball grow in playgrounds and schoolyards, in driveways and backyards. Equipment is also relatively inexpensive. Put up a hoop, buy a ball, and put on your sneakers. That’s all you need.
But as basketball players grow taller and taller each year, the court seems to have shrunk. For four decades, the standard NBA court has been ninety-four feet by fifty feet. And ever since that railing in Springfield, Massachusetts, happened to be ten feet above the floor, the basket has been ten feet above the floor. The size of the court and the height of the basket remain ideal for college and high school competition. But with the average NBA player taller than 6'7" now, the court is clogged and virtually every player can slam-dunk the ball.
Some basketball people propose that the court should be larger to provide more room for bigger players, or that only four players should be on a team. But the most popular theory is that the basket should be raised to twelve feet. The traditionalists, however, always mention that no matter how high the basket is, the seven-footers will always be closer to it than the six-footers. Debate, of course, is proof of basketball’s popularity. If nobody cared about basketball, nobody would bother proposing that the game be changed. In their love for the game, some basketball people are searching for better competition, while others argue that nobody should tinker with what has been a successful game. Go anywhere in the world, and youngsters are shooting a ball at a basket, together or alone.
Dr. Naismith would be proud of the game he created—a game that honors him all over the world.
1. According to the author, which level of women’s basketball has contributed most to its popularity?
A) Neighborhood
B) High school
C) College
D) Professional
2. What does the author imply is the reason basketball hoops are ten feet off the ground?
A) Dr. Naismith carefully planned it that way.
B) It needed to be that height so women could play too.
C) It just happened because that’s where it was convenient to put the first basket.
D) It is a requirement of the Olympic committee.
3. The information in this selection best supports the idea that
A) women’s basketball is not as popular as men’s basketball.
B) basketball owes its popularity to the fact that it can be played in many different ways.
C) the rules of basketball are easy to change.
D) today’s taller players have a negative effect on the game of basketball.
4. The passage says some people argue that “nobody should tinker with what has been a successful game.” As used here, the word tinker means
A) to work with metal.
B) to learn new rules.
C) to alter dramatically.
D) to try to improve.
5. What do Marianne Crawford Stanley, Rene Muth Portland and Theresa Shank Grentz have in common?
A) They all played at Immaculata College.
B) They all played on the Olympic team.
C) They all coached at Immaculata College.
D) They were the first females in the NBA.
"Do Try This at Home"
Wendy Dubow
(10.2)
Ultimate Frisbee player Becky Hicks was getting frustrated. Every time she tried to throw a forehand into the end zone during a game, she blew the shot, curving the disc far out of bounds. Because she always made this throw perfectly in practice, she couldn't figure out how to fix it. Then one week Hinks added a new element to her routine: She spent 10 minutes a day imagining herself executing the throw correctly under pressure. Soon enough, she was nailing the toss every time.
Imaging is a proven tool of Olympic and other top-notch athletes. But it works just as effectively for weekend warriors. The key is to engage all the senses in the imaging process, says Jean Williams, sports psychologist at the University of Arizona and past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Applied Sports Psychology. “I don’t like to use the term visualization because it implies just using the sense of the eyes. In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, we began to realize that the best benefits come from maximizing all the senses: visual, kinesthetic, tactile, smell, hearing. Make the image as vivid as possible.”
Although it’s not completely clear why it works, mental imaging is used by nearly all top level athletes and coaches to improve physical execution. “It definitely enhances learning.” Williams says. “You can learn new techniques faster than if you just do physical practice, and you can refine performance.” Imaging helps performance in other ways, too. While recuperating from an injury, athletes can “stay in the game” through mental practice. Sports psychologists point to numerous instances of athletes returning from injuries and achieving record-level performances because they've maintained their timing and concentration through systematic imaging.
Some psychologists believe imaging works simply because it creates the appropriate arousal and focus for succeeding in an activity, setting the mind and body in coordination before the actual performance. But there is also evidence that the neural pathways are trained as the mind engages. “The muscles you’d use during the sport are still firing,” explains Williams. “It’s like a physiological blueprint.” Whatever the reasons, experts agree that imaging has noticeable, positive effects.
Positive imagery creates a desirable mental state. Successful athletes often remark that they relive their great performances over and over between competitions to boost their confidence. It’s also common for athletes to run through an impending race in their heads or picture themselves crossing the finish line in order to focus just prior to competition.
Whether your goal is to get the gold or just to finish your first 5K, this technique can help you. “I can honestly not think of an athlete for whom imagery would not be beneficial,” asserts Williams. “It’s an extremely powerful tool.”
Okay, so you’re convinced that imaging is important for success, but you don’t have the luxury of a coach analyzing your past performances or steering you toward your next goal. Don’t worry—you can guide yourself to a better performance. To practice mental imaging, find a quiet place to practice where you won’t be disturbed. Choose which part of your sport you want to improve or identify a goal you want to set. Create a mental image of yourself performing your activity or meeting your goal.
Make the image as accurate and detailed as you possibly can. Use all your senses to help you create the image. If you are hoping to improve a technique, then remember a time when you did it very well. Create that moment in your mind. Repeat this image for a few minutes each day.
If you wish to reach a specific, long-term goal—for example, finishing a 10K race you will run in a month—then imagine very specifically how you’ll feel when you have reached your goal. Again, do this several minutes each day until the big event. Remember, be careful what you wish for—it could come true!
1. As used in this passage, the word executing means
A) observing
B) scoring
C) completing
D) eliminating
2. The final step to improve a technique through positive imaging is
A) mentally repeating the image of meeting your goal.
B) choosing an aspect in the sport you want to improve.
C) making the mental image as detailed as possible.
D) finding a quiet place to practice creating an image.
3. The information in this selection BEST supports the idea that
A) winning athletes have always used imaging.
B) imaging can be used to enhance your performance.
C) imaging is good for your health.
D) anxieties will increase with imaging.
4. Which of the following best describes how the author supports her ideas in this selection?
A) By quoting sources who are experts on the subject
B) By using emotional appeals combined with statistical evidence
C) By organizing the information from most to least important
D) By using real-life examples in the body of the passage
5. If you are an athlete using imaging, the author would suggest all of the following EXCEPT
A) get a clear image of meeting your goals.
B) imagine how you feel when the ball goes in.
C) focus on mistakes so you don’t repeat them.
D) create an image of scoring the winning point.
6. In the first paragraph, the author uses the short narrative about Becky Hines to
A) establish the major conflict.
B) capture readers’ attention.
C) provide foreshadowing.
D) create imagery.
19 C Vocabulary
20 A Demonstrate General Understanding
21 B Develop an Interpretation
22 A Examine Content and Structure: Informational Text
23 C Develop an Interpretation
24 B Examine Content and Structure: Informational Text