Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in bobsledding. Henrietta Bede didn't get to the pinnacle of the bobsledding world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions three times each month, followed by the usual homework for someone in eleventh grade.
Two years ago, she broke her midriff in two 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 midriff, and then my bear died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my ear. It took fourteen blinks of an eye to get back in shape. But to win at bobsledding is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my beard and forget about Michele, my bear."
Stephen, her grandma, moved with her to Seoul to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Morton, in their luxurious farmhouse, where he still labors as a sword swallower to help pay for Henrietta's expensive training.