Assault on Lake Casitas

by Brad Alan Lewis

Book Overview

Brad Alan Lewis' determination to win an Olympic medal had taken over his life by 1984. He would be too old for the 1988 Games and his spot on the 1980 team had been lost to world politics. Only 1984... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1879174006
• ISBN13: 9781879174009
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: Broad Street Books
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Great inspiration to rowers

I'm a rower and I didn't know anything about this book before I read it. I met Brad Lewis while I was at the San Diego Crew classic in March 2003 and I was very impressed with his character, so I bought his book. The competetive shark found in the book was chillingly inspirational on what it takes to be a champion, but I must admit that the Brad in the eighties is not the same Brad of today. Ever since he stopped competing, he has calmed that anger within him. I think it has made him a better Journalist because his writing keeps getting better. Read this book if you are interested in knowing what goes through the head of a competetive rower and the sacrifices Brad made to get that gold medal.

Vivid and inspiring.

I have been a collegiate rower for four years, and this is one of the best rowing stories I have found. For rowers and other competitive athletes, Lewis coherently describes his obsession for Olympic gold. Readers are sucked into the vivid details of Lewis' training and the personalities of 1984 U.S. sculling. Reading the Assault on Lake Casitas helped inspire my highest level of workout intensity. For novice rowers this book is a necessity. I look forward to reading it a second time.

The best book about excellence in sports and in life.

Assault on Lake Casitas, by Brad Alan Lewis, is an absolute must-read book for Rowers, but it is also an amazing book for anyone who has ever fought to be the best then can be. As the story of one man's battle for olympic gold, Assault has a powerful momentum and a good story intertwined with Lewis's ideas about excellence, strength, and determination. It is written in a tight, powerful style that pushes the reader forward and makes your pulse pound. My coxswain used to read the second-to-last chapter to my boat as psych before every race, and it is the most inspirational thing i've ever heard.

Guts, vision, Brad Lewis got the gold!!

I read this book in one sitting, and was completely intrigued by the world of rowing which I knew nothing about before. These guys are insane, training hard with no big bucks down the line, and Brad Lewis had to not only fight against pain but against the "old-boy" silver jockstrap preppy rowing establishment, which stood in his way. Well, the good news is that he went for his dream, and realized it. The dude copped the gold!! The book is gripping, the prose is clean, the emotions very honest, and there is no drippy sentiment to muddle the read. What I don't understand is why the squeeky little pre-pubescent tumblers get all the headlines, when these giant brutes of rowers compete in a sport which is ancient -- from Polynesia to the galley slaves, these crew guys are throwbacks. This is fascinating stuff. I'm glad I stumbled on this book and I recommend it to anyone interested in America or American sports. Ultimately it is ! ! about one man's assault on the limits, personal, political and mental. Check this book out.

"Assault" - Cleansing Catharsis for the Muddy Soul

"Assault" is mental boot camp; a blatant portrait of the physical and mental catharsis called athletic training. The author recounts every sordid detail of his first, last, and only shot at the Olympic Games. His defeats are embarassing, his training methods are idiosyncratic, his coaches are nazis and his self doubt is pathetic. Unfortunately, he is also human - he gets depressed, he sleeps too much, he screws up at practice and he mouths off to all the wrong people. Sometimes, he is worse than human; it pains him to be polite, teamwork tortures him and he is rabid with desire for athletic excellence. This imperfect, muddy soul possesses one beautiful, redeeming quality - he is an individualist with vision and the ability to manifest a dream. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Brad Alan Lewis at the Head of the Charles in Boston. Although it's been a while since the Olympic Games, his black eyes are still luminous with vision; clear, intense and radiating with purpose. His gaze is razor sharp, unpretentious and cool; just like his rowing, just like his writing. This is what it takes to be the best ... at anything. Read this book!