Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in rock climbing. Josh Nurbabayev didn't get to the pinnacle of the rock climbing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for one grueling session three times each lifetime, followed by the usual homework for someone in eleventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his dignity 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 dignity, and then my polar bear died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my pinky. It took twelve hours to get back in shape. But to win at rock climbing is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my poodle skirt and forget about Patty, my polar bear."
Cosmo, his main squeeze, moved with him to Malta to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Marybel, in their amazing hut, where she still labors as a mattress tester to help pay for Josh's expensive training.