Author: Donald W. Albertson
Date of birth:
Website: www.donaldwalbertson.com
Donald W. Albertson was born and raised in southern New Jersey, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. He graduated from Rutgers University with a bachelor's degree in history, and did graduate work in history and ancient languages at Temple University and Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.
After serving in the military and finishing school, he worked in business, engineering and with the United States Postal Service. Upon retiring from the U.S. Postal Service, he founded an online antiquarian bookstore, Riverfront Books, specializing in modern first editions.
His love of literature led Albertson to write his first novel, "Catch a Rising Star: The Adult Game of Youth Sports." This is the first piece of adult fiction to portray the mind-set of the obsessed youth sports parent, showing his desires, motivations, and often, sad results. These issues have been dealt with in some young adult books, but this is the first of its kind for adult readers.
As a youth sports coach in soccer and softball, Albertson was amazed by the lengths obsessed parents would go to drive their children to sports glory, or into the ground. He found that when parents' expectations were not met, sports rage would take over, often resulting in violence. He combined his experience as a coach who witnessed parental sports rage, with interviews from other parents, coaches and children to get their perspectives and experiences on the issue. He had also served as program commissioner for the Cinnaminson (N.J.) Girls Soccer Club and representative to the South Jersey Girls Soccer League.
Parental rage is not limited to sports. His four daughters were also involved in music and theater where he witnessed fierce parental involvement. He has seen how some parents sabotaged the auditions and rehearsals of other children to give their own children an unfair advantage.
Albertson often speaks at events on the topic of sports rage and violence in sports and other youth activities. He currently lives near Philadelphia with his wife, Carolyn. They enjoy traveling and book collecting.
