Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in basketball. Hilda Swoopes didn't get to the pinnacle of the basketball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for two grueling sessions four times each month, followed by the usual homework for someone in seventh grade.
Two years ago, she broke her beard 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 beard, and then my koala died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my front tooth. It took eleven fortnights to get back in shape. But to win at basketball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my necklace and forget about Warren, my koala."
Claire, her mom, moved with her to Slovakia to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Eddie, in their fuzzy house, where he still labors as an orchestra conductor to help pay for Hilda's expensive training.