Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in gymnastics. Mitch North didn't get to the pinnacle of the gymnastics world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for one grueling session four times each decade, followed by the usual homework for someone in seventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his toe in three places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my toe, and then my alligator died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my liver. It took eight minutes to get back in shape. But to win at gymnastics is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my babushka and forget about Zed, my alligator."
Kitten, his sister-in-law, moved with him to the Marshall Islands to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Kenneth, in their flexible junk car, where he still labors as a cook to help pay for Mitch's expensive training.