Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in fishing. Eileen Weaver didn't get to the pinnacle of the fishing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for five grueling sessions four times each lifetime, followed by the usual homework for someone in tenth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her bladder 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 bladder, and then my giraffe died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my thorax. It took eleven centuries to get back in shape. But to win at fishing is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my cowboy hat and forget about René, my giraffe."
Lynn, her mother, moved with her to Seychelles to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Franklin, in their speckled junk car, where he still labors as a telephone operator to help pay for Eileen's expensive training.