Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in gymnastics. Conner Chandler didn't get to the pinnacle of the gymnastics world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions two times each eternity, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his belly button 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 belly button, and then my fish died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my hangnail. It took twelve months to get back in shape. But to win at gymnastics is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my straitjacket and forget about Karen, my fish."
Kimberly, his grandpa, moved with him to Concord to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Vernon, in their archaic Victorian mansion, where he still labors as a network administrator to help pay for Conner's expensive training.