In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

185 Acknowledgments The people who deserve the most acknowledgment for their contributions to this book are the former athletes, activists, and coaches who so generously gave of their time to speak with me about their experiences. Without their stories the wider narrative that unfolds in the pages of this book could not have been told. I thank you all sincerely. The genesis of this work was in the PhD thesis that I completed in 2010. The first debt of gratitude is therefore owed to my supervisor, Keith Brewster, and my secondary supervisor, Susan-Mary Grant. Susan-Mary was an excellent sounding board for many of my ideas and she inspired my interest in American history as an undergraduate. Keith was the perfect supervisor. He allowed me time to develop my ideas in my own way but always provided critical and insightful advice that developed the depth and quality of the project. Without Keith and his wife, Claire, this book would not have been possible. During the course of this project I received help from many archivists and librarians. There is a strong likelihood that there are some individuals missing from the list below, whom I have forgotten to mention. Apologies to those who have fallen through the cracks of my memory or are buried too deeply in the recesses of my e-mail inbox. Ellen Summers and Lisa Greer provided help in accessing the archives of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Cindy Slater was very generous with her time and resources at the United States Olympic Committee library and archives. Thanks also to Shannon Bowen at the University of Wyoming; Brad Aldridge and Rich Bunnell at the University of California, Berkeley ; Anne Bridges at the University of Tennessee; Michelle Sweetser at Marquette University; Barry Bunch and Becky Schulte at the University of Kansas; Jan Mazzucco at the University of Georgia; Melanie Gray at the University of Alabama; Tyra Whittaker at USA Track and Field; Linda Stahnke at the University of Illinois; Simon Elliott at UCLA; and Claudia Rivers at the University of Texas at El Paso. Thanks to the Bulletin of LatinAmerican Research book series and the International Journal of the History of Sport for permission to reproduce elements of this research published during an earlier stage of my studies. 186 Acknowledgments I would like to thank Robert Mason and members of the Scottish Association for Study of the Americas for giving me the opportunity to share my ideas during an early stage of this project. Brian Ward provided many pertinent pieces of advice in the period immediately after the completion of my PhD thesis and Ben Houston pointed me in the direction of some possible publishers. A huge thanks to Anne Dean Watkins and Bailey Johnson at the University Press of Kentucky for their help, support, and encouragement during the development of this project. I could not have asked for more skillful acquisitions editors. I also owe a debt of gratitude to the anonymous readers who helped me turn a promising thesis into a readable book and to Joy Margheim for her excellent editing. The love and support of my family continues to be an inspiration and they all deserve thanks for their interest and encouragement as I worked toward completing this book. My mother and father remain the very best teachers. To the newest members of the family, Joseph and Neve, if you are old enough to be reading this on your own then you are old enough to understand how much I love you. Finally, this book is dedicated to my lovely Laura. Thanks for everything you do, both the things you know about and the things you don’t. ...

Share