Alexandra Allred: Alex Allred earned two karate black belts and was honored Athlete of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee in 1994 when she was named to the first ever women’s bobsled team. She went on to become a sports/adventure writer. Over the years, Allred has had a variety of unusual writing assignments. She test-drove and wrote about Volvo’s Gravity Car, played as a professional female football player for Sports Illustrated, competed as a fighter (kickboxing), and took a rigorous firefighter physical — all for a good story. But when coaches began talking to Allred about her own daughter’s soccer abilities, she began looking into athletic scholarships. As the author of over a dozen how-to and sports books, Allred saw the need for Athletic Scholarships For Dummies. Today, Allred lives in Midlothian, Texas, with her husband, Robb, their three children, and a variety of animals. Together, they try to balance soccer practices and games, horseback riding, tennis camps, karate, running, and volleyball.