New York Times sportswriter, Karen Crouse

Today we’re talking with New York Times sportswriter, Karen Crouse, about her new book, Norwich.

Norwich is a tiny town in Vermont that has produced eleven Olympians, and Karen’s extremely well-written book looks into how it is that this little town has managed to produce so many successful athletes.

But Karen is also exploring far bigger, universal questions about the relationship of athletic achievement and personal well-being, and really, I think her book Norwich is best understood as a blueprint for how to raise and train athletes to be more than mere medal-winning machines. Norwich is a book about community, about parenting, and how to go about helping kids become fully-developed people who are well positioned to lead happy, healthy lives.

Karen and I also discuss the current state of the Olympic Games, since Karen has been to and has covered a bunch of them and will be at the Olympics again next month, and she and I talk about how her time spent with all-time achievers like Michael Phelps and Tiger Woods has informed her thoughts on the price of greatness.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• How do you sum up what this book is about? (1:55)
• How do you view the state of the Olympics today? (4:17)
• Some of the principles of Norwich that are worth emulating / cultivating (8:51)
• Takeaways from the experience of Olympic moguls skier, Hannah Kearney (13:53)
• Ford Sayre & Norwich’s culture of volunteering (23:38)
• Replicating elsewhere the connection between Dartmouth College & Norwich (28:09)
• Praising Effort vs. Praising Results (31:07)
• Cultivating Happiness, Cultivating Greatness (on Michael Phelps, Tiger Woods, & Hannah Kearney) (34:04)
• Placing the Person before the Performer - shifting our priorities (51:14)

Connect with Karen on Twitter at: @bykaren

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