Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in basketball. Liling Childs didn't get to the pinnacle of the basketball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for five grueling sessions two times each blink of an eye, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her skin in four places. But this didn't stop her. She seems even more determined to excel at her sport.
"I was really down when I broke my skin, and then my snipe died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my intestine. It took three decades to get back in shape. But to win at basketball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of sweatpants and forget about Warren, my snipe."
Rosa, her friend, moved with her to Montenegro to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Tammy, in their flaky castle, where she still labors as a warehouse picker to help pay for Liling's expensive training.