Seeing England from the Fifty Yard Line: A Rewarding Year Coaching American Football and Touring the Land of Cricket and Rugby - Hardcover

Baldwin, George H.

9780930753207: Seeing England from the Fifty Yard Line: A Rewarding Year Coaching American Football and Touring the Land of Cricket and Rugby

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0930753208 ISBN 13: 9780930753207

Publisher: Spectacle Lane Pr, 1996

For George Baldwin, teaching the English to play American football had many and varied challenges. The team, the Gladiators of Colchester, England, included a railroad engineer, a deep sea diver, a rally car racer and a construction contractor, who, because of the demands of their jobs, were seldom able to practice as a full squad. When they did make it, their typically British relaxed attitude toward conditioning and discipline made improvisation and compromise a way of life for the American coach, who was used to strict adherence to plans, schedules and rules.
Eventually, Baldwin's persistence, the enthusiasm of players wanting to learn the game, their not inconsiderable talent, and their pride in being Gladiators made the season a successful one. With the help of several Americans from a nearby Air Force base, the team won many close and exciting games as they battled for a championship in a rugged league.
Working in side trips between games George Baldwin and his wife, Marillyn, virtually did see "England from the Fifty-Yard Line" as they enjoyed leisurely trips from their home in the quaint village of Twinstead to London, Oxford, Cambridge, Wales, Portsmouth, and other cities and areas, many of them off the usual tourist routes.
The account of the Baldwins' experience makes an entertaining combination of a different sort of sports book and a different sort of travel book that is intriguing in both of its aspects.

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