by Jen Krajack

Lopez Island Library

Friends of Lopez Library proudly present the centerpiece of its annual meeting Saturday, April 23rd, 7 p.m. at Lopez Center, an evening with Ginny Gilder: author, Olympic medalist, community advocate and one of the owners of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm. All welcome!

Gilder will discuss and read from her book “Course Correction: A Story of Rowing and Resilience in the Wake of Title IX”. The book described as Wild meets The Boys in the Boat, is a memoir about the quest for Olympic gold and the triumph of love over fear. Daniel James Brown, author of ‘The Boys in the Boat,’ describes the book as “Beautiful and important on many levels, ‘Course Correction’ is about rowing and so much more—hope and hopelessness, fear and courage, loss and redemption. Ultimately it is about the transforming power of love, and, damnit all, it made me cry.”

In 1975, as a freshman at Yale, Gilder discovered rowing. From her first strokes as a novice, she found herself in a new world. At Yale, she trained with two Olympic rowers and participated in the famous Title IX naked protest, which helped mold the future of women’s crew and helped define the Title IX movement.

Gilder represented the United States on four national rowing teams, including two Olympic teams. She was named to the U.S. team that boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games and the 1984 team that competed in Los Angeles. She holds a pair of international medals, including a bronze from the 1983 World Championships in the single and a silver as the stroke of the women’s quadruples sculls with coxswain from the LA Olympics. Course Correction recounts the physical and psychological barriers Gilder overcame as she transformed into an elite athlete who reached the highest echelon of her sport.

Taking place against the backdrop of unprecedented cultural change, Gilder’s story personalizes the impact of Title IX, demonstrating the life-changing lessons learned in sports far beyond the athletic fields of play. This inspiring program celebrates the hard work, commitment and joy of sports in our lives and is the perfect finish for a day of cycling in the Tour de Lopez. For more information contact the Lopez Island Library at 468-2265 or visit lopezlibrary.org.