Door County: exploring the “Cape Cod of the Midwest”

DOOR COUNTY, WISCONSIN – When you visit the area known as Door County, and notice its many charming small towns and villages, its clapboard structures, marinas, beaches and the numerous sailboats and motorboats that make up its maritime traffic, you can’t help to think that someone cut out a chunk of the New England coast and plunked it down in a thumbed-shaped peninsula that juts out of the north eastern side of Wisconsin.

For decades, this peninsular jewel that’s surrounded by Green Bay and Lake Michigan was the ideal summer vacation haven for many Wisconsin and Illinois residents. However, the beauty of Door County gained the world’s attention when a lengthy piece on the area was published in the March 1969 issue of “National Geographic” magazine.

“As an alien thumb of land on the corn-knuckled fist of the Middle West, the Door Peninsula, with its 250 miles of shoreline, draws expression of surprise from first-time visitors,” wrote William S. Ellis, its author. “More often than not, the reactions invoke references to New England, such as ‘Cape Cod on an inland sea.’”

…Not bad for an area that was once referred to by French explorers more than 300 years ago as the “Porte des Morts”, or the “Door of Death”, because the rather hazardous conditions on the peninsula’s northern tip was the chief factor behind the hundreds of shipwrecks that occurred there (hence the reason why it was named Door County).

During a four-day period this past August, I got the chance to experience Door County during a press tour that emphasized its many attractions for those who enjoy outdoor recreation; our focus were on four villages located on the north western side of the peninsula: Egg Harbor, Sister Bay, Fish Creek and Ephraim, with Peninsula State Park serving as the nucleus. For those who like camping, hiking, cycling, kayaking and boating, Door County is the destination for you.

But for those who are visiting the area for the first time, I highly recommend taking a Door County Trolley tour (www.doorcountytrolley.com) to properly familiarize and orient yourself to what the area has to offer and what villages and attractions you would like to see during your visit. Our group took the narrated scenic tour, where we got not only the chance to see many of the stunning scenic bluffs that over look the islands of the area, but learned a lot about the legends and lore behind Door County’s colourful history, from the bloody battles between the Winnebago and Potawatomi tribes, to the settlement of the area by Scandinavian immigrants (and at certain stops, the trolley allows passengers to disembark and take photos). As well, they offer nine other thematic trolley tours, from lighthouses, to food, to wine to their very popular ghost tours.

Not being the overly adventurous type, I decided to explore parts of Door County via boat (but letting someone experienced do the driving). For those who like an adrenaline kick when they take a boat tour, try Door County Adventure Rafting (www.doorcountyadventurerafting.com). Our skipper, Captain Matt Olson, gave us a high-octane ride on his motorized rubber raft (complete with his repertoire of kick ass rock tunes that he played throughout our journey) as we explored some of the hard-to reach islands, lighthouses and geographic wonders along the coast, including my favorite Eagle Cave, which is inhabited by hundreds of bats. And if you go with Captain Matt on a ride when the water is quite choppy (which happened when I took the tour), bring a rain jacket or poncho … you will get wet!

A more relaxed, yet no less informative, boat tour of the peninsula was courtesy of a narrated boat cruise onboard “The Shoreline” (www.shorelinecharters.net). Launching from the peninsula’s most northern tip at Gills Rock, the two-hour tour was a captivating look at the maritime beauty of northern Door County, including its many lighthouses, limestone cliffs, preserved shipwrecks (some, including one that dated back to the Civil War, can be seen with the naked eye) and islands, both populated and isolated. One part of the tour that caught my attention was Pilot Island, which our guide jokingly referred to as “Alfred Hitchcock’s summer home” (pictured above). Originally, I was not aware that the Master of Suspense actually had a summer retreat in this area; and as we got closer to the island, I easily understood the reason behind the Hitchcock reference. The island, which houses a lighthouse and a foghorn station (both now abandoned and victim to years of decay), is now an official state bird refuge. And seeing practically every inch of the small island (and both structures) covered with birds of all kinds was a rather eerie, visual reminder of Hitchcock’s 1963 classic thriller “The Birds”. Although visually fascinating, I cautiously kept still and quiet, so that I would not rouse the many flocks of birds and have them to do me and my fellow journalists like what they did to Tippi Hedren towards the end of the movie.

One evening during our stay, we took an arts and culture break and experienced a performance by the Northern Sky Theatre (www.northernskytheatre.com) troupe, and gave us a vivid example what summer stock and regional theatre are all about. Throughout its summer season (which runs from mid-June until the end of August), the troupe – which makes its home in the beautiful outdoor Northern Sky Amphitheatre that’s located in Peninsula State Park – perform four original, 90-minute family-oriented productions eight times a week, all accompanied with a live musical quartet. What makes this troupe so unique is that they do not perform adaptations of popular Broadway plays or musicals, but productions that have a local flavour to them. The show we saw on the night in question was “Doctor! Doctor!”, an entertaining musical comedy set during the 1930s, in which a young doctor from the big city (Milwaukee) is about to take over his uncle’s medical practice in one of Door County’s small towns .. yet somehow the residents are rather reluctant to adapt to the new doctor in town. And during September and October, Northern Sky Theatre has its fall season, in which two productions are performed at two indoor venues in Fish Creek.

…And now, a few words about the food: When it comes to the food in Door County, two things come to mind: cherries and fish.

First, the cherries. For a period of 100 years – between the 1860s and the 1960s – Door County was regarded as the top cherry producer in the United States (it was even referred to as “Cherry Land USA”). Although it has not retained that status, Door County is still a leading producer of the fruit, with over 2500 acres that grow tart cherries and 50 acres of sweet cherries, and still produces over 12 million pounds a year. No matter where you go throughout Door County, you can’t ignore its cherry presence. There are countless orchards, restaurants and farmer’s markets that offer everything from cherry pies, cherry pie filling, cherry jams and preserves and my favorites, cherry cobbler and dark chocolate-covered cherries.

 

Second, the fish. Perhaps the most dominant type of fish that inhabits the Door County area is whitefish. But half the fun of eating that whitefish is witnessing how it’s uniquely prepared. That’s where the “fish boil” comes into the picture. Dating back to the area’s Scandinavian settlers, a typical fish boil is an event unto itself. Basically, the ingredients are gradually placed into a large cauldron of water that boils over a wood fire by the boilmaster (first the salt, followed by the onions, potatoes and then the chunks of whitefish). The boil comes to a visually stunning climax when the boilmaster throws kerosene into the fire, and in a quick massive ball of fire, all of the oil that gives the fish its fishy taste and essence are boiled away, leaving a sweet, delicious taste to the fish. We caught a typical Door County fish boil at the Rowleys Bay Resort (www.rowleysbayresort.com), located on the Lake Michigan side of the peninsula (pictured above). Before the dinner, we sat around the cauldron and in between ingredients, “Peter Rowley” (actually one of two local retired college history professors) tells in his inimitable way stories dealing with Rowleys Bay’s colourful past as the fish is being boiled for dinner. Once the cooking portion is done, guests try the boiled fish (which is great when you combine it with the onions and potatoes) at the resort’s restaurant, which also includes an impressive 14 foot-long, all-you-can-eat buffet. The fish boil takes place at the resort every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night starting at 4:30 p.m., and reservations are recommended.

And finally, here are three Door County restaurants that you must visit for your dining pleasure. Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant (www.aljohnsons.com) in Sister Bay is a family-owned restaurant that offers diners an authentic taste of Sweden (I recommend the Swedish pancakes, garnished with tangy lingonberries). One peculiar thing that I noticed about the log cabin-type structure of the restaurant is that the roof was covered entirely in grass. And then I found out why; every morning around 8:15, three goats are brought on the roof to graze on its grass-laden covering, which certainly attracts the attention of anyone who passes by the place.

Wilson’s Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor (www.wilsonsicecream.com) in Ephraim has been a fixture in Door County since 1906. And once you step inside, you are automatically taken back in time to when soda fountains and ice cream parlours were a cornerstone on every small town main street. This memorabilia-filled restaurant is a treat to experience (complete with mini 1950s jukeboxes at every booth), and the menu is a delicious throwback. And don’t forget dessert … malteds, ice cream sodas, milk shakes and sundaes are prepared and presented the way they are meant to be, in those classic tall soda fountain glasses with those long, thin spoons (and I highly recommend the Dark Secret sundae, which is the ideal dessert for chocoholics everywhere).

If you want good food with a great view, go to Fred & Fuzzy’s Waterfront Grill in Sister Bay (www.fredandfuzzys.com). Located on the shores of Little Sister Resort, Fred & Fuzzy’s offers the ultimate outdoor dining experience, with a wonderful view of the marina that adjoins the restaurant and the multitude of boats that are docked there (and looks even better when the sun sets). And the restaurant’s large menu includes its series of signature grilled sandwiches (I tried their delicious tenderloin steak sandwich), and their famous cherry margaritas.

* * *

For more information about visiting Door County, and what it has to offer tourists,  visit their website at www.doorcounty.com. Special thanks to Jon Jarosh, communications and PR director of the Door County Visitor Bureau, for his tremendous assistance during and after the tour.

(This article originally appeared in the Sept. 28, 2016 edition of "Wednesday").

“Asher Lev” a masterpiece of one man’s choice between life and art

When Chaim Potok’s novel My Name is Asher Lev was published in 1972, it spent six months on the New York Times best seller list, and was widely praised by critics for its powerful, sensitive, moving story, especially, according to the Wall Street Journal, for its “vision of humanity, of religion, of art”.

It is within that spirit that the stage adaptation of Potok’s novel is being presented by the Segal Centre to open its 2016-2017 subscription season, and is playing there until October 2.

The story centres around Asher Lev (David Reale), a young observant Jew who lives in Brooklyn during the late 1940s and early 50s. Asher possesses a natural talent to draw and draw ell, and is eager to draw no matter what surface he finds, whether it be a stray piece of paper or the pages of a prayer book. In fact, he much rather do these drawings than devote his time to his scholarly and religious studies, which compels his mother (Ellen David) to encourage him to develop his talent, and infuriates his father (Alex Poch-Goldin), a travelling emissary for the Rebbe.

When Asher’s artistic talents are nurtured by veteran New York painter Jacob Kahn (also played by Poch-Goldin), he realizes that he has a future transcending his drawings onto canvas for the world to see. However, because the subject matter he paints (mainly nudes and crucifixions) goes against the principles of his faith, Asher is constantly torn to choose one aspect of life over the other: whether he should be a good Jew or a great artist.

The stage adaptation of “My Name is Asher Lev”, which is produced in conjunction with the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, is quite faithful to Potok’s novel. It gives the audience a strong picture of how a religious person in modern times who possesses a rare artistic gift sometimes faces that difficult situation of choosing between their faith or their talent, and the long, tortuous road one travels to reach that important personal decision. David Reale is excellent in the title role, and has that uncanny ability to transform Asher from age 6 to 13 to 20 by simply putting on a vest or slightly changing the cadence of his voice. As well, special kudos go to his co-stars Alex Poch-Goldin and Ellen David for successfully accomplishing the difficult task of performing, respectively, all the other male and female roles (from Asher’s parents, to painter Jacob Kahn, to a haughty New York art gallery owner) and make it look not just so easy, but deliver compelling performances with each role they undertake. And Martin Ferland’s set design convincingly evokes the starkness and simplicity of both the Levs’ Brooklyn apartment and an artist’s studio around 65 years ago.

What a masterful way for the Segal Centre to start its 2016-2017 season. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 514-739-7944, or go to www.segalcentre.org.

"Damn Those Wedding Bells!" an entertaining matrimonial family farce

Tony Calabretta (left) and Mary Long

Planning a wedding, especially when it’s just days away, is a process that can be a stressful thing. Not only for the bride in question, but also for the family of the bride in question, especially if one certain family member has trouble finding a date for the nuptials.

And that’s the scenario that is played out in Tony Calabretta’s raucous comedy “Damn Those Wedding Bells!”, which is now playing at the Leonardo Da Vinci Centre, located 8370 Lacordaire Boulevard in St. Leonard, until September 25.

Christina Filippidis (right) and Dawn Ford

The Robertini family is in an understandably frantic state, as the wedding of daughter Connie (Christina Filippidis) is just days away, and she is fretting over every detail and forgetting every other one. But that’s not the only thing that is worrying family matriarch Nunziata (Mary Long). She is concerned that her middle-aged son Anthony (Tony Calabretta), who still lives at home, works at a dead-end job in a slaughterhouse and is an aspiring writer (who has yet to commit a single word to a single sheet of paper), has no date for his sister’s wedding; in fact, he is more comfortable wearing t-shirts and sweat pants than trying to meet a potential girlfriend. That is why Nunziata is doing everything within her power (and connections) to try and set up the right girl for him, much to Anthony’s strong reluctance. Even brother Frank (Guido Cocomello), a local actor and experienced ladies’ man, is recruiting into getting that ideal mate for Anthony.

However, when Angela (Eleanor Noble), an attractive young neighbor of the Robertinis, accidentally encounters Anthony when she drops by the apartment to borrow some cake pans for her mother, he is hit by a thunderbolt, and thinks she maybe THE one for him. But what he doesn’t know is that Angela was actually one of Frank’s old flames from a few years before, and is about to give him a second chance in their previously failed relationship.

This the setting that makes up the two hours of an entertaining family farce that is “Damn Those Wedding Bells!”. What I found so refreshingly surprising about this play is that at first glance, I thought the focus would obviously be on Connie the bride-to-be, and all of the trials and tribulations she would go through personally and family-wise as her wedding day becomes closer to reality. But the focus on Anthony and his difficulty of finding the ideal woman for him (and the frustrations and insecurities that he has experienced through most of his life), gives this play a much more unpredictable angle and shows that planning a wedding affects everyone in the immediate family, and not just the bride-to-be.

There are plenty of laughs and humorous situations that anyone in a similar situation can readily identify with. The ensemble cast is excellent and each one brings to the table their own perspective to that much revered – and stressful – situation that is the family wedding. And special kudos go out to supporting cast members Shawn Campbell as Anthony and Frank’s best friend (and Frank’s somewhat agent) David Greenberg, who steals the show with plenty of excitable, loud, wildly gesticulating panache (especially during the blister “operation” sequence that closes act 1, which is certainly of sitcom quality); and Ariane Castellanos as Rosa, the Latin spitfire of a potential suitor for Anthony, whose fast-paced seductive scene with Calabretta adds a lot of spice to the show.

So whether you’re Italian, Jewish or Latino, “Damn Those Wedding Bells!” is a wildly entertaining, raucous – and quite sensitive -- farce of the wild ride that a family goes through before one of their own enters the bonds of holy matrimony. So before you say “I do”, see this play!

For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 514-955-8370, or go to www.cldv.ca.

American Heiress by Jeffrey Toobin (Doubleday, $38.95)

The kidnapping of newspaper heiress Patricia “Patty” Hearst was one of the most notorious – and most reported – crimes of the 1970s.

From her kidnapping at her San Francisco home at the hands of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), to her transformation as “Tania” (and her machine-gun toting photo that is one of the most iconic images of that decade), to the Hibernia Bank robbery, to eventual capture in September of 1975 and subsequent sentence commutation and pardon, Patty Hearst and her abduction has come to symbolize the upheaval that dominated America during the early and mid-70s, as well making her the unofficial poster child for “Stockholm Syndrome” (when a kidnapping victim develops a sense of affection and sympathy for their kidnappers).

But throughout her 18-month ordeal at the hands of the SLA, the main question that is brought up regarding the Patty Hearst kidnapping is this: was Hearst a willing convert and participant in the SLA’s violent string of crimes, or was she forced and coerced to commit these crimes under the fear that her life was in constant danger? Jeffrey Toobin, the CNN legal analyst whose book The Run of His life is regarded s the definitive account of the O.J. Simpson murder trial, answers this question to good effect with his latest book American Heiress.

Basically, Toobin effectively argues that it was a bit of both circumstances that ruled Patty Hearst while she was in captivity. First, he believes that Hearst quickly became indoctrinated and influenced to what the SLA stood for – in creating a violent revolution against the establishment in California – as a means of rebellion against her life of privilege as the granddaughter of famed newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst; basically, she felt her life with her parents (especially with her overbearing mother Catherine), and her upcoming engagement to university teacher Steven Weed was a sham and would have led to a life of drudgery and servitude to Weed (and admitted that she even contemplated suicide before the kidnapping took place). Second, that the Hearsts would agree to the demands of the SLA for her eventual release (which was in the form of a food giveaway to the underprivileged of San Francisco), because Patty was constantly living under the threat of death, which was always expressed by the SLA’s self-appointed leader Donald De Freeze (aka “General Field Marshal Cinque”).

Toobin uses his journalistic skills and legal knowledge to craft a complete, well-rounded examination of the Patty Hearst kidnapping case and its violent circumstances, thanks to countless interviews and access to court documents and letters that Hearst wrote during her 18 months in captivity. We get an inside look at the SLA, which was created in a San Francisco that was reeling from a very turbulent, violent period as it was in the midst of the fear that was brought about by the Zodiac and Zebra serial killings that gripped the city, and its rag tag members were made up of young adults from mainly middle class upbringings who were disillusioned by their relatively safe backgrounds, and were committed to a violent revolution (they were influenced by California prison inmate George Jackson and his two bestselling memoirs Soledad Brother and Blood in My Eye); we find out how dysfunctional the Hearst family really was at the time of the kidnapping (and that William Randolph Hearst distrusted his sons so much, he willed that his newspaper and media empires were not to be run by them); and we find out what really went on during the period between the fiery, violent deaths of six SLA members in May of 1974 and Hearst’s arrest in September of 1975 (which involved travelling from one end of the U.S. to the other, and hiding in Pennsylvania and California, as Hearst was gearing her way of thinking from revolutionary to feminist); and how the ego of her lawyer F. Lee Bailey practically derailed her case when it went to trial in 1976 and ended up in a guilty conviction and a prison term.

American Heiress is a compelling, well-researched book that serves as a prime example of how the ideal true crime book should be written.  It shows what motivates a small group of people to take up arms against the establishment (unrealistic as it may be) and kidnap a young, susceptible individual, who can be easily indoctrinated to their cause and help promote that cause to the outside world. Although the story is well told in this book, it still raises many questions to what happened during the Patty Hearst kidnapping case and why it happened, and how the outcome happened the way it did. As Toobin concludes in the book:

“Patricia Hearst was a woman who, through no fault of her own, fell in with bad people but then did bad things; she committed crimes, lots of them … But when she and her comrades were caught, Patricia was rational once more … A clear thinker, if not a deep one, Patricia understood that for her rich was better than poor and freedom was better confinement. She chose accordingly … The story of Patricia Hearst, as extraordinary as it once was, had a familiar, even predictable ending. She did not turn into a revolutionary. She turned into her mother.”

(This article originally appeared in the Sept. 10, 2016 edition of the Montreal Times)

Allo! Mon Coco restaurant chain celebrates 15th anniversary

The exterior of Allo! Mon Coco's Le Plateau restaurant

Back in 2001, 23-year-old Tom Bountis decided to open up a restaurant that would not only modernize the concept of breakfast, but also revolutionize it.

And now 15 years later, that restaurant – called Allo! Mon Coco – has grown to 20 franchised locations in Quebec, which offers more than 200 different breakfast and lunch dishes that are known for its fresh locally sourced ingredients, fresh fruit and generous portions, and always attract large numbers of patrons to their locations to enjoy their wide menu for breakfast, brunch and lunch.

Allo! Mon Coco founder Tom Bountis

On August 22, Allo! Mon Coco celebrated its 15^th anniversary with a special soiree at its Le Plateau location on the corner of St. Laurent Boulevard and Mount Royal. In a short address to the suppliers, franchisees and media in attendance, Bountis thanked his loyal employees, family members and franchisees who helped make the Allo! Mon Coco such a huge success over the past 15 years, and announced in 2017, that eight new Allo! Mon Coco restaurants will be opened in Ontario and the U.S.

My friend Pat sampling Allo! Mon Coco's chicken and waffles

The Le Plateau location is quite remarkable with its large terrace and its comfortable, modern interior (which is highlighted by a massive, towering light fixture at the centre of the restaurant that is constructed mainly of egg beaters). And me and my friend Pat, along with the many guests in attendance, got the chance to sample some of items from their large menu, which gives an interesting, modernized twist to many breakfast and lunch favorites. This included a watermelon and feta cheese salad, pulled pork and smoked meat sandwiches, chicken and waffles (a dish that’s popular in the southern U.S.), and our favorite, a new twist to sushi, which was filled with lox, cream cheese, a special sauce and instead of being wrapped around rice or fish, was wrapped around a crepe.

Allo! Mon Coco's "breakfast sushi"

For more information, go to www.allomoncoco.com. #coco15.

Making Waves by Shirley Babashoff with Chris Epting (Santa Monica Press, $32.50)

Back in the summer of 1976, I was caught up in the flurry of excitement that was the Summer Olympics that year, especially since it was taking place in my hometown of Montreal. I was fortunate enough to catch the opening ceremonies live at the Olympic Stadium, and was quite impressed to see all that pageantry right in front of me. As well, I watched a great deal of the coverage of the games on both CBC and ABC. And throughout those 16 days of glory, three names were always mentioned who constantly dominated the spotlight at the 76 Olympics: Nadia Comaneci, Bruce Jenner and Shirley Babashoff.

The first two are well known for obvious reasons (Nadia scored the very first “10” during the gymnastics competition and Jenner won the decathlon). As for Babashoff, she was the champion freestyle swimmer and world record holder who won three medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, and was touted to win a slew of individual gold medals in the pool four years later in Montreal (she even appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s 1976 Olympic Preview issue).

However, something happened during those individual swimming competitions at the Olympic Pool in Montreal. It was in the form of the women’s Olympic swimming team from East Germany. They somehow appeared to be more stronger and muscular in appearance than any of their other female swimming counterparts. And they virtually tore up the pool with every race they competed in, practically winning the lion’s share of the gold medals. They proved to be no match for Babashoff, who ended up winning four individual silver medals, and scored a personal victory when as a member of the U.S. women’s relay team, they beat the East Germans and won the gold medal in the 4X100 relay.

 Although her medal haul in Montreal was quite impressive by any standards, something about the way the East German women swimmers appeared and their somewhat superhuman performance in the pool seemed to bother Babashoff a great deal. She was suspicious that these swimmers were winning their gold medals not through the merit of years and hours of hard work and practice like she did, but through constant doping using illegal performance enhancement drugs (which she learned about from a 1973 article by French journalist Jean-Pierre Lacour in Swimming World magazine, which stated that East German athletes were part of a state run program since the 1960s, and were given a “vaccine” to combat fatigue).

When Babashoff decided to go to the media and voice her opinion about why the East Germans really won so many swimming gold medals, she was accused of poor sportsmanship for picking on the poor, defenceless East Germans. And instead of being regarded as game changer who first shed light on the worldwide illegal doping of athletes, both amateur and professional, she was viewed as a bitter individual, and was given the nickname “Surly Shirley” by a rather unforgiving sports press corps.

And now more than 40 years later, Shirley Babashoff tells her story as a revered champion swimmer and a pioneering whistle blower when it comes to sports doping in her engaging memoir Making Waves.

Babashoff, who was born and raised in the L.A. suburb of Norwalk, began swimming competitively when she was eight years old. The impression you get is that she built her swimming career as a means of escaping a rather dysfunctional family upbringing with a constantly disapproving mother and a father who later was convicted of being a child molester. Through her swimming, Babashoff managed to give herself not only a sense of purpose and accomplishment, but also gave her a means to explore the country and the world through the multitude of swim meets she competed in. And she got to that champion level in a more honest manner, through a great deal of practice, long hours and hard work, not to mention plenty of motivation thanks to her longtime coaches Ralph “Flip” Darr and Mark Schubert.

What I enjoyed about the book is Babashoff’s tone, which is a combination of honesty, wide-eyed fascination, graciousness and dogged determination. You get a first-hand look at what the rigours a professional swimmer goes through in order to remain competitive, not to mention what an Olympic athlete goes through before, during and after their respective competitions (she got the chance to explore Montreal during her down time, and has a lot of high praise for the people and the city). As well, she gives a terrific, lap-by-lap account of that gold medal 4X100 relay race that will leave the reader breathless (all that is missing is the late Jim McKay offering the play-by-play description from the broadcast booth).

And Babashoff deserves a great deal of credit for her bravery to expose the world to the widespread doping of East German athletes that was approved by the state, nearly 20 years before the truth really came out and many athletes and administrators confessed to the doping and created a major international scandal as a result (and led to the establishment of the World Anti-Doping Agency). Not only was Babashoff proven right and somewhat vindicated, to her it was not enough for all of the shunning she had to endure throughout those 20 years (including her Olympic team coach) for exposing these allegations. In fact, she adamantly wants the International Olympic Committee to rectify the situation for those swimmers who lost out to the East Germans in 1976 by revising those results and award medals to those swimmers who would have finished in first, second or third place without the aid of doping, which is included towards the end of the book (so far, her proposal has fell upon deaf ears from the IOC).

Thanks to the excellent ghostwriting and researching skills of prolific author/pop culture historian Chris Epting, along with encouraging words from veteran Olympic broadcaster Donna de Varona, legendary 1972 Olympic swimming medalist Mark Spitz and Coach Schubert, Making Waves is a fascinating, complete testament to a true Olympian who showed extraordinary skills in the pool and raw courage outside it, and was years ahead of her time to realize that something was very wrong with the way athletes in certain countries were being prepared to compete on the world stage. After reading this book, you have to feel that Shirley Babashoff should not be treated as a bitter pariah, but as a true Olympic hero and role model for future generations of athletes who want to follow in her footsteps, and the footsteps of other Olympic champions.

(This article originally appeared in the Sept. 3, 2016 edition of the Montreal Times).