User Profile

There is a certain amount of unhealthy balance and toxicity that these ultra-high performance environments and scenarios create for people. There will always be making enormous sacrifices of everything from long term health, relationship with friends and family, et cetera to make sure you get one of the handful of spots in the world every 2-4 years. Reading about how strenuous those environments were, even with supportive minded coaches can make me a bit tense. What is discussed here is the incredibly toxic, rules skirting if not outright breaking, psychological abuse, and even sexual assault on athletes by people in power at the Nike Oregon Program.

There is more to this book than just that. The author and her co-writer wove a very conversational/blogpost style covering everything from early childhood through to personal experiences well past her time in the Oregon program. It was a very open discussion about her personal highs and lows throughout her entire life up to that point. You really get into the mind of an Olympic athlete. It is a shame that so much of it documents truly horrific behavior by Nike staff at the behest of program director/trainer Alberto Salazar and people he brought into the program.