Eric Heiden: Winner in Gold

By Nathan Aaseng

Presents the skating career of Eric Heiden, the American speedskater who won five gold medals at the 1980 Olympics. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Library Binding
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0822504812
• ISBN13: 9780822504818
• Release Date: October 1980
• Publisher: Lerner Publications
• Length: 56 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Eric Heiden; Winner in Gold

A little dated, as the text refers to what Heiden WILL be doing at the 1984 Olympics, but that takes nothing away from the story. In fact, the fact that you might already know that Heiden DID win 5 Olympic gold medals doesn't detract from the hold-your-breath-and-hope effect, either. Eric Heiden and his sister Beth are from Madison, Wisconsin. There, in grade school, they begin to skate. They are asked to leave a class for being too disruptive, a nice realistic touch for those readers whose rambunctious ways get them into trouble. That doesn't stop them and it seems nothing will when the siblings make the US Olympic speedskating team in 1976. The build up for each race is well-done and exciting. The photos in the book are black and white and vaguely amusing all these years later, for the adults. It's a great thing that this book, about Eric, doesn't overlook his sister. It would have been reasonable if it had; it's not about her. But making sure she got the notice in the book that she deserves seems to be in the right spirit for a book about a guy as humble as Eric is portrayed. There is a typo on page 6 - and a little math lesson comes with it! The 5,000 meter, it says, is 2.1 miles; later, the 10,000 meter is said to be over 6 miles. Not possible! But that's the nitpicking, hardly important. Important is that the book is exciting, interesting and motivating. Eric Heiden's "secret" for winning? Hard work!