Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in cricket. Penelope Dirkson didn't get to the pinnacle of the cricket world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for five grueling sessions four times each year, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, she broke her spleen in three 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 spleen, and then my jackal died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my aorta. It took nine hours to get back in shape. But to win at cricket is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my bathrobe and forget about Mark, my jackal."
Brenda, her wife, moved with her to Botswana to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Grace, in their musty Cape Cod, where she still labors as a silversmith to help pay for Penelope's expensive training.