Sarah Palin and the Wasilla Warriors

the long version

"Long before everyone knew Sarah Palin as "Momma Grizzly," the girls on her team called their point guard Sarah "Barracuda" for her tenacious play. That determination fit in well on scrappy team from a small town where people were proud to call themselves Valley Trash and happy to take on the big city schools. As beautiful as Alaska is, it's also unforgiving. It's a place where your first mistake may be your last. When the winter comes and the nights are long and the temperatures plunge, everyone starts looking for an escape. All across Alaska, those gyms--bright and warm--become a sanctuary not only for the players but for their isolated hometowns as well. Acclaimed sportswriter Mike Shropshire goes beyond Sarah Palin's media profile to tell the untold story of how she and a team of young women came together to overcome daunting odds both on and off the court"--