Stoked!: Winners and Grinners from Our Sporting Life

- Blurb -

There's nothingAustralians love better than a sporting hero, except perhaps giving that hero agentle ribbing for having the temerity to outstrip the rest of us. From theJumping Doc and his `Peltzer flinch' to late nineteenth century fashion on thefield (knitted jumper, anyone?), the great H.G. `battered sav' Nelson headstrackside once more to scrutinise the efforts of some of Australia's finestathletes. In this broad-reaching commentary, readers will join him to speculateabout the complex rules of roller derby, reminisce fondly about the good olddays on the Hill at the SCG and delight in a rare snap of that most famous ofunderground sports, shotgun tennis.Alongside H.G.'sincisive commentary are images of some of Australia's finest sportingachievements from the National Library's vast Pictures Collection and obscuretruths about Australia's national pastimes. Did you know that completing a2,000 metre rowing race is the physiological equivalent of playing twobasketball games back-to-back? That many ballet positions are derived fromthose of fencing? That, in 1952, one cheeky wrestler slid down the giltbanister of the main staircase in Buckingham Palace while visiting the Queen?A mix of facts and humourousobservations, this book will educate readers a little and amuse them a lot.