About this item
Highlights
- Most fans of women's basketball would be startled to learn that girls' teams were making their mark more than a century ago--and that none was more prominent than a team from an isolated Indian boarding school in Montana.
- Author(s): Linda Peavy & Ursula Smith
- 498 Pages
- Social Science, Ethnic Studies
Description
About the Book
Most fans of women's basketball would be startled to learn that girls' teams were making their mark more than a century ago--and that nonewas more prominent than a team from an isolated Indian boarding school in Montana. Playing like "lambent flames" across the polished floors ofdance halls, armories, and gymnasiums, the girls from Fort Shaw stormed the state to emerge as Montana's first basketball champions. Taking their game to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, these young women introduced an international audience to the fledgling game and returned home with a trophy declaring them champions.Book Synopsis
Most fans of women's basketball would be startled to learn that girls' teams were making their mark more than a century ago--and that none was more prominent than a team from an isolated Indian boarding school in Montana. Playing like "lambent flames" across the polished floors of dance halls, armories, and gymnasiums, the girls from Fort Shaw stormed the state to emerge as Montana's first basketball champions. Taking their game to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, these young women introduced an international audience to the fledgling game and returned home with a trophy declaring them champions.
World champions. And yet their triumphs were forgotten--until Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith chanced upon a team photo and embarked on a ten-year journey of discovery. Their in-depth research and extensive collaboration with the teammates' descendents and tribal kin have resulted in a narrative as entertaining as it is authentic.
Full-Court Quest offers a rare glimpse into American Indian life and into the world of women's basketball before "girls' rules" temporarily shackled the sport. For anyone captivated by Sea Biscuit, A League of Their Own, and other accounts of unlikely champions, this book rates as nothing but net.
Review Quotes
"A compelling narrative. . . . Highly recommended."--Choice
"A monumental achievement that deserves a wide readership among women, sport, and Indian historians."--David W. Adams, Western Historical Quarterly
"Bravo to Peavy and Smith for an excellent account of these Native heroes who deserve to be honored."--Indian Country Today
