Ashley Brown, Author of ‘Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson’

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Rick talks with University of Wisconsin professor and author, Ashley Brown this week.

She’s the author of Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson.

The most comprehensive biography of Althea Gibson, set against the major historical developments of the twentieth century
Based on previously unpublished archival sources, news media accounts, and oral histories
A nuanced examination of a woman’s experience as an elite athlete
Places a woman at the center of sports integration

From her start playing paddle tennis on the streets of Harlem as a young teenager to her eleven Grand Slam tennis wins to her professional golf career, Althea Gibson became the most famous black sportswoman of the mid-twentieth century. In her unprecedented athletic career, she was the first African American to win titles at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.

In this comprehensive biography, Ashley Brown narrates the public career and private struggles of Althea Gibson (1927-2003). Based on extensive archival work and oral histories, Serving Herself sets Gibson’s life and choices against the backdrop of the Great Migration, Jim Crow racism, the integration of American sports, the civil rights movement, the Cold War, and second wave feminism. Throughout her life Gibson continuously negotiated the expectations of her supporters and adversaries, including her patrons in the black-led American Tennis Association, the white-led United States Lawn Tennis Association, and the media, particularly the Black press and community’s expectations that she selflessly serve as a representative of her race. An incredibly talented, ultra-competitive, and not always likeable athlete, Gibson wanted to be treated as an individual first and foremost, not as a member of a specific race or gender. She was reluctant to speak openly about the indignities and prejudices she navigated as an African American woman, though she faced numerous institutional and societal barriers in achieving her goals. She frequently bucked conventional norms of femininity and put her career ahead of romantic relationships, making her personal life the subject of constant scrutiny and rumors. Despite her major wins and international recognition, including a ticker tape parade in New York City and the covers of Sports Illustrated and Time, Gibson endeavored to find commercial sponsorship and permanent economic stability. Committed to self-sufficiency, she pivoted from the elite amateur tennis circuit to State Department-sponsored goodwill tours, attempts to find success as a singer and Hollywood actress, the professional golf circuit, a tour with the Harlem Globetrotters and her own professional tennis tour, coaching, teaching children at tennis clinics, and a stint as New Jersey Athletics Commissioner. As she struggled to support herself in old age, she was left with disappointment, recounting her past achievements decades before female tennis players were able to garner substantial earnings.

A compelling life and times portrait, Serving Herself offers a revealing look at the rise and fall of a fiercely independent trailblazer who satisfied her own needs and simultaneously set a pathbreaking course for Black athletes.

 

Richard Kaufman, ‘PLAYED: The Games of the 1936 Berlin Olympics’

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As anticipation builds for the 2024 Olympics, a new book from Glenn Allen and Richard Kaufman takes readers back to the contentious atmosphere surrounding the Summer Games hosted by the Nazi regime, when the nations of the world had a chance to turn their backs on Hitler’s propaganda-laden spectacle — but didn’t. Their book, PLAYED: The Games of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, brings to life pivotal characters, both good and bad, to depict a cautionary story that serves to warn the modern era that history must not repeat itself.

Kaufman joins Rick this week.

Based on real stories and real people involved in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, PLAYED plunges readers into a compelling, fictionalized account of the insanity and hysteria that unfolded across Germany, the United States and in much of the world from 1931 through 1936.

At the center of the controversy in the U.S. is American Olympic Committee President Avery Brundage. Unmoved by the new Nazi regime’s anti-Jewish doctrines, Brundage leads the fight to participate in the 1936 Berlin Games after much debate of a U.S. boycott. Brundage desperately wants to be on the International Olympic Committee. If he doesn’t get the Americans to Berlin, he can kiss that dream goodbye.

When the vote is decided in Brundage’s favor, AP Sports Editor Alan J. Gould, friend and champion of the athletes, travels to Berlin to cover all of the “games” being played. Through his eyes readers see the machinations of Brundage’s complicity with the Nazis, the tenacity of the proud American athletes and the extreme pressure from the Nazis on their German athletes. Their stories, heartbreaking and tragic, give rise to feats of heroism that go beyond the playing field.

Along the way readers meet some of the most famous people of the time: Mae West, Charlie Chaplin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Joseph Goebbels, Leni Riefenstahl, Eva Braun and the madman himself, who vowed to “make Germany great again,” Adolf Hitler.

“Of course, we can’t go back in time and change history insomuch as we can change the outcome of a sporting event,” the authors added. “But we’re obligated to study history because it teaches us how to move forward. At least we hope it does.”

About the Authors

Richard Kaufman and Glenn Allen have been writing together for over 25 years. They have numerous projects in development, including scripted feature films, docuseries, television series, and have co-written and produced two award-winning independent films, all under the banner Green Bandana, a TV/film development company the two co-created in 2015.

Book: PLAYED: The Games of the 1936 Berlin Olympics

Website(s): www.greenbandana.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richard.a.kaufman

Davyeon Ross, Co-Founder, CEO and President of ShotTracker

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It’s Final Four week.. what helps make a successful shooter?

ShotTracker.

Rick is joined again by Davyeon Ross, Co-Founder, CEO and President of ShotTracker, this week.

There is a lot going on at ShotTracker.

ShotTracker is a revolutionary sensor-based system that delivers statistics and analytics to teams, fans and broadcast networks instantly, enhancing the experience of the game — both on and off the court.

ShotTracker tracks more than 70 stats for your team. Real-time stats at your fingertips.

Ross played basketball at Benedictine College and founded Digital Sports VENTURES, an interactive technology company, which was sold to Digital Broadcasting
Group in 2011.

Matt Fowles, Rapsodo Director of Marketing

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Rapsodo, the company known for leading the revolution to affordable, pro-grade sports technology to help athletes play like never before, recently announced the addition of R-Speed for all Premium Members on the mobile app for the Rapsodo Mobile Launch Monitor (MLM) and Mobile Launch Monitor 2 PRO (MLM2PRO™).

Have a listen to Rick and Matt.

R-Speed is a swing speed platform that measures the speed of the golf club when swung as well as speed training clubs, without the need for impact on a golf ball. Users can measure their swing in three different units: mph, mps or kph. The feature is compatible with both golf clubs and swing speed training programs. “It’s fantastic that Rapsodo has added the ability to measure clubhead speed without ball contact. I completed my last Stack session using the MLM2PRO. The speeds were accurate and it was handy to be able to watch a down the line view of my Stack swing after each rep.” said golf biomechanist, Dr. Sasho MacKenzie, Co-Founder of The Stack.

Designed to help golfers increase the speed of their golf swing, R-Speed allows users to practice and track their swing without needing to hit a golf ball. Perfect for practice sessions, R-Speed will help users increase their swing speed which will ultimately train them to hit the ball farther.

Players can record, monitor and track their R-Speed progress through Rapsodo’s new feature R-Cloud. R-Cloud, which launched in December of 2023, is a web-based platform that allows users to access their entire performance history for MLM and MLM2PRO™ sessions. With access to their performance history, players can monitor and analyze their progress to improve their game performance.

“The addition of R-Speed to Rapsodo’s platform of innovative features will provide another opportunity for athletes at every level to improve their game and track their performance,” Rapsodo Director of Golf Shawn Curtis said.

R-Speed is only available to users with a Premium Membership. The MLM Premium Membership is $99 for one year and includes a number of extra features, and the MLM2PRO™ Premium Membership is $199 for one year, but the first year is included with purchase. The MLM, MLM2PRO™ and the Premium Memberships can all be purchased on www.rapsodo.com.

Rapsodo is on a mission to give athletes everywhere the tools they need to play like never before. Favored by MLB teams, D1 College Champions, and top-ranked PGA coaches, our motto of “Play Without Limits™,” is realized by leveling the playing field with affordable, professional grade technology. Innovation and category leadership in golf, baseball, and softball have been celebrated in MyGolfSpy’s Best Of Golf Awards and led to the Official Partner of USA Baseball. Getting more out of your game is always within reach with Rapsodo. Experience more at https://www.rapsodo.com/.

Lt. Jay Sconyers, US Air Force Band of the West

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Rick talks with Lt. Jay Sconyers, leader of the US Air Force Band of the West.

Based in San Antonio, Texas, the USAF Band of the West is a musical organization with an outstanding record of achievement. The Airmen assigned to the band are highly-trained professional musicians who have dedicated themselves to serving their country through music. Whether recording or performing for live, radio, and television audiences, band members reflect Air Force excellence to millions of people each year.

The USAF Band of the West travels more than 125,000 miles annually and provides hundreds of free performances to military and civilian audiences throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Puerto Rico. The organization is made up of the multiple large and small ensembles and can blend seamlessly into a any style classical to country!

Second Lieutenant Julian “Jay” Sconyers is the flight commander and associate conductor of the United States Air Force Band of the West, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Lt Sconyers assists the Commander to lead, organize, and equip a unit of 61 Airmen in engagements throughout the Southeastern United States and abroad on behalf of the 502d Air Base Wing.

Prior to serving in the Air Force, Lt Sconyers served as Director of Bands and Assistant Director of Bands at McNeese State University. Lt Sconyers received his doctorate in musical arts in conducting from the University of South Carolina, where he studied with Dr. Scott Weiss, and his masters of music education and bachelors of music education from the University of Georgia, where he studied trumpet with Professor Fred Mills. Prior to his time in higher education, Lt Sconyers served as the Director of Bands at Elbert County Comprehensive High School in Elberton, GA.

Lt Sconyers has performed in a wide variety of instrumental and choral ensembles, performing throughout the United States, Germany, Austria, Italy, the Vatican, and China. He has served as an associate producer with the USC Wind Ensemble’s album Dynasty on the Summit Label and as a producer and conductor on the McNeese State University Marching Band’s album McNeese Saturday Nights. Lt Sconyers has been published with GIA Press in the 12th edition of the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band as well as an upcoming publication of Arvo Pärt’s Sieben Magnificat-Antiphonen for wind ensemble. Lt Sconyers has presented at a variety of conferences and clinics around the country including: The College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) Athletic Band Symposium (2021), The CBDNA Southeast Regional Conference (2018, 2020, 2022), The CBDNA National Conference (2017), Louisiana Music Educators Conference (2022), Georgia Music Educators Conference (2015), The Future Music Educators Colloquium (2017, 2019), The Marching Arts Roundtable (2018, 2019), and at many high schools, colleges, and universities.

They are coming to Georgia.

The US Air Force Band of the West will present their “Music in Our Schools” concerts in the area at the following East and Central Georgia locations:

Fri, March 22: Theatre Dublin, 7pm (Dublin, GA)
Sat, March 23: Georgia Southern University Performing Arts Center, 7pm (Statesboro, GA)
Sun, March 24: East Georgia State College, 3pm (Swainsboro, GA)
Mon, March 25: Grover C. Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre at Augusta University, 7pm (Augusta, GA)
Tues, March 26: Roswell High School, 7pm (Roswell, GA)

Admission to these performances is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Reserve your tickets today flow.page/afband. This is a family-friendly, all-ages event.

The U.S. Air Force Band of the West will take the stage to celebrate Music in Our Schools Month. For nearly 40 years, March has been officially designated as the time to celebrate music education and it’s role in our nation. This performance will feature concert band classics, colorful storytelling as well as a debut performance of a new work by Henry Jackman (Kong: Skull Island, X-Men: First Class, Captain Phillips) The USAF Band of the West will honor those who have served and are serving, inspire the next generation of Americans and connect with audiences throughout Georgia!