SKU: 42512340631

The Watermen

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The WatermenBy: Michael Loynd The feel good underdog story of the first American swimmer to win Olympic gold, set against the turbulent rebirth of the modern Games, that bring[s] to life an inspiring figure and illuminate[s] an overlooked chapter in Americas sports history (The Wall Street Journal) Once or twice in a decade, one of these stories . . . like Laura Hillenbrands Unbroken [or] Daniel Browns The Boys in the Boat . . . captures the imagination of the

By: Michael Loynd     
The feel-good underdog story of the first American swimmer to win Olympic gold, set against the turbulent rebirth of the modern Games, that “bring[s] to life an inspiring figure and illuminate[s] an overlooked chapter in America’s sports history” (The Wall Street Journal)

“Once or twice in a decade, one of these stories . . . like Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken [or] Daniel Brown’s The Boys in the Boat . . . captures the imagination of the public. . . . Add The Watermen by Michael Loynd to this illustrious list.”—Swimming World

Winner of the International Swimming Hall of Fame’s Paragon Award and the Buck Dawson Authors Award

In the early twentieth century, few Americans knew how to swim, and swimming as a competitive sport was almost unheard of. That is, until Charles Daniels took to the water.

On the surface, young Charles had it all: high-society parents, a place at an exclusive New York City prep school, summer vacations in the Adirondacks. But the scrawny teenager suffered from extreme anxiety thanks to a sadistic father who mired the family in bankruptcy and scandal before abandoning Charles and his mother altogether. Charles’s only source of joy was swimming. But with no one to teach him, he struggled with technique—until he caught the eye of two immigrant coaches hell-bent on building a U.S. swim program that could rival the British Empire’s seventy-year domination of the sport.

Interwoven with the story of Charles’s efforts to overcome his family’s disgrace is the compelling history of the struggle to establish the modern Olympics in an era when competitive sports were still in their infancy. When the powerful British Empire finally legitimized the Games by hosting the fourth Olympiad in 1908, Charles’s hard-fought rise climaxed in a gold-medal race where British judges prepared a trap to ensure the American upstart’s defeat.

Set in the early days of a rapidly changing twentieth century, The Watermen—a term used at the time to describe men skilled in water sports—tells an engrossing story of grit, of the growth of a major new sport in which Americans would prevail, and of a young man’s determination to excel.
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SKU: 42512340631

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Stacie
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
Happy pup. Worth it.
My dog loves this thing. It takes hardly any effort to launch the ball. Flick of the wrist kinda thing. The squeaky ball is her favorite but unfortunately you can't buy this brand of ball separately. It says compatible with any 2.5 inch ball but that's not true. We have a ton of Penn tennis balls and they are just slightly too big for this launcher. You can do it but it's a huge pain and hard to throw. Another issue is that when we first got it the handle didn't want to stay screwed together. After the first day of use and having to rescrew it together multiple times, the issue seems to have corrected itself? Either way, for the price with the comfy handle, very low effort throwing for big pay off, two balls included and the crazy excitement from my dog anytime we get near the thing. It's definitely worth it. I like it much better than the chuck it and stone random cheap brand we used to have. I'm going to try one of the balls recommended in the product pictures. I'll update if they work out.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2026
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Jennifer
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 5
Ergonomic and well made.
I have at least a half dozen ball launchers and this is the nicest one. As efficient as any of them and it feels the nicest in my hand. As long as you tighten the handle when you put it together, it will serve your puppy well.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2026
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JD.
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 1
Ball Launcher Poorly Made and Hard To Use, Save Your Money
This launcher was too long and thin to pick up the ball from the ground, I had to use my other hand to press down on it. The screw on handle was heavy and kept coming loose no matter how tight I made it, strain on the wrist to use. The ball holder end would often not let go of the ball when trying to launch it. I ended up putting it in the trash. I had two shorter Chuckit launchers that are much better made, will stick with them. I don't recommend this to anyone, save your money.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2026
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Jonathan
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
Go Get It!
GoSports does it again. Our family has a lot of GoSports products. It brings us comfort knowing when we order a product from them the quality is going to be great. The Ball Launcher is excellent. Our lab loves the soft tennis balls that come with it, preferring them over the harder rubber ones from other brands. The launcher itself is thoughtfully designed, well-made, and comfortable to hold. Our new go-to for daily fetch sessions.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2025
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Stephanie S.
Battle Creek, US
★★★★★ 2
Gave it a Try
I have always used the Chuck It ball and ball launcher. I thought I would try this since the price was better. There is definitely a reason it is priced lower. The handle on this one twists on and constantly comes undone when you throw, and it does not launch nearly as well. I would not order this product again.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2026

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