Kirk Mango was a collegiate Division I National Champion and gold medalist on the still rings in 1979, defeating several Olympians to earn this honor. The previous year Kirk had won the silver medal on this event in the 1978 Division I National Championships. He was selected as a collegiate All-American in both 1978 and 1979 and to the present day still holds the Northern Illinois University school record for the still rings event. Kirk is also a three-time Hall of Fame athlete and was selected in 2009 as Number 8 on the list of “Top 50 Huskies of All Time” by the NIU Northern Star. He has been a high school teacher for 32 years, coaching for 17 of them. He has coached girls’ gymnastics teams to three conference championships, four regional championships, one sectional championship and three Elite-Eight IHSA (Illinois High School Association) state championship competitions. Kirk has also been a member of the Illinois Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, which is dedicated to the promotion of the quality of life through fitness and wellness.
Daveda Lamont is an author, ghostwriter and developmental editor with many books to her credit. This is her fourth book and third as co-author. In 2000-2001, Daveda served as a contract editor for Powered, Inc., editing and co-writing courses for the corporate online universities of clients such as Barnes & Noble, Dell, VISA, and Bloomberg.com. Her developmental editing experience includes fine art appreciation, film and music instruction, artist memoirs, creative nonfiction, nutrition, alternative healthcare, family financial planning, consumer investing and finance, investment risk and reward, online commerce, and various self-improvement subjects.