The other side of Nicholas Sparks
Author Nicholas Sparks is known best for weepers such as The Notebook and Nights in Rodanthe, but you might not know this about him: He's also a coach for a record-setting track team of high schoolers.
Runners from the New Bern, N.C., team set three U.S. records on the way to winnning seven national titles this year, according to the Raleigh News & Observer. Sparks, who helps coach the team, has also been a generous benefactor, giving more than $1 million toward building a track and improving the area's track and field program, the newspaper reported in an earlier story (which also noted that his gifts have sparked some hard feelings).
Sparks was quoted as saying, "I think I can help kids in the areas that I know best. One of those is track and field. I don't know how to get a kid a scholarship in gymnastics, but I do know how to help a kid get a track scholarship."
Photo by Alice M. Arthur
Comments
Nicholas Sparks did a book signing here and I decided to go. The crowd was so large that I left without getting my book signed, but I noticed that he took his time with each person and really talked to them. By the way, he used to live in the town we live in now. That's one of our small claims to fame.
Posted by: Kathy | July 13, 2009 8:02 AM
I remember reading about his coaching at some other place and he is apparently perhaps even better than in writing great books.
Posted by: Ondrej from Nicholas Sparks Books | August 7, 2011 4:58 AM