LIBRARY SHELF: Find your sport and get healthier with SPL | Local Columnists
Stillwater is a very sports-oriented city. Many residents and students alike follow one or more sports teams at OSU. On match days, it’s not uncommon to see an orange sea lapping the streets. We’re even home to the Wrestling Hall of Fame which is amazing!
There are so many sports in the schools and even some sports in the city league.
People belong to bike clubs, bowling leagues and the Stadtbad is always busy when it’s open in the summer. The YMCA and Ultimate Air Trampoline Park attract kids and adults alike. The parks fill up with walkers, runners and skaters. The disc golf courses fill up when the wind doesn’t “sweep down the plain.”
No wonder OSU holds the honor of having the healthiest campus. The library even has a Walking Book Club!
What does this have to do with the library? We are also here to keep our guests healthy! We have many sports books for team and individual sports. We have sports books like Pickleball is Life: The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Obsession by Erin McHugh or The Diver’s Handbook by Alan Mountain. Pick a sport and you’re likely to find an instruction book among non-fiction books for children and adults about the 700’s.
If you already know how to play your sport, you may need a book on how to improve your game. Golfers should check out Jack Nicklaus’ Putting My Way. For those not interested in golf, Jerry Krause’s “Basketball Skills & Drills” or Bonnie Kenny’s “Volleyball: Steps to Success” might be more appropriate.
Not sure which sport might interest you? A good book to look at might be the Guinness Book of World Records to see how many extreme sports you can try. Another option would be “Oklahomas 100 Greatest Athletes” by Berry Tramel. Choose one of the greats and follow in their footsteps!
Maybe you’re an armchair athlete and prefer to read about the greats of your sport. We’ve got those covered too. After cycling? Read “The Fastest Man Alive” by Michael Kranish and learn all about Major Taylor, America’s first black sports hero. If soccer is more your game, try reading about one of Oklahoma’s greats in No Excuses: The Making of a Head Coach by Bob Stoops. Interested in a little less conventional sports? Check out “Four Wheels and a Board: The Smithsonian Story of Skateboarding” by Betsy Gordon. We also have books about running off the beaten track, like Scott Jurek’s Eat and Run. Not to mention books on yoga, pilates, stretching and more.
Despite growing up in a home where part of my family worked for a sports team, I never played any sport other than swimming. I worked hard in synchronized swimming during my school days and when I was young I loved to compete in diving and swimming. Growing up in a small town in Minnesota, our sports teams were small and not the most competitive. Friday night’s lights were some sub-zero affairs that had little appeal to me.
Happy to be in a more temperate climate here in Stillwater and now enjoy hiking and following some of our awesome local sports teams. I learned and teach Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance and even enjoyed running and mud walking for a while. Finding the right exercise for the right time in your life can help your mental and physical fitness. Become part of sports culture here in Stillwater by cheering on your favorite teams and reading all about sports. In return, you might find your next favorite activity and maybe even improve your health.