Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in pole vault. Geraldo Ullman didn't get to the pinnacle of the pole vault world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions two times each day, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, he broke his chest in two 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 chest, and then my fox died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my thorax. It took one eternities to get back in shape. But to win at pole vault is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my suit of armor and forget about Rock, my fox."
Alton, his wife, moved with him to Norway to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Gail, in their bizarre homeless shelter, where she still labors as a kindergarten teacher to help pay for Geraldo's expensive training.