Sidecountry : tales of death and life from the back roads of sports / John Branch.

Snow fall -- The Dawn Wall -- Lost brother -- On league night, a 300 game lives -- Perfection in the horseshoe pit -- Where drivers and danger meet -- Enduring traditions -- Where creativity wags its tail -- A last hurrah for Hollywood Park -- The Lady Jaguars -- Hunting something that can hunt you back -- The most perilous prize -- The ultimate pursuit -- "You're either the hunter or the hunted" -- Deliverance from 27,000 feet -- Seeing the world beyond the court -- A football coach, a tornado and a murder -- They heard the helicopter go down. Then they prayed -- Children of the cube -- The girl in the no. 8 jersey.

"Breathtaking tales of climbers and hunters, runners and racers, winners and losers by the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter. New York Times reporter John Branch's riveting, humane features on ordinary people doing extraordinary things at the edges of the sporting world have won nearly every major journalism prize. Sidecountry gathers the best of Branch's work for the first time, including classic pieces like "Snow Fall," about skiers caught in an avalanche in Washington State, and "Dawn Wall," about rock climbers trying to scale Yosemite's famed El Capitan. In other articles, Branch introduces people whose dedication and decency transcend their sporting lives, including a revered football coach rebuilding his tornado-devastated town in Iowa and a girls' basketball team in Tennessee who play on, despite never winning a game. The book culminates with his moving personal pieces, including "The Girl in the No. 8 Jersey," about a mother killed in the Las Vegas shooting whose daughter happens to play on Branch's daughter's soccer team"-- Provided by publisher.