Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in badminton. Cherise Zmarzly didn't get to the pinnacle of the badminton world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for five grueling sessions three times each eternity, followed by the usual homework for someone in seventh grade.
Two years ago, she broke her spinal cord 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 spinal cord, and then my Guinea pig died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my thorax. It took seven minutes to get back in shape. But to win at badminton is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my military uniform and forget about Josephine, my Guinea pig."
Francisco, her fiancée, moved with her to Rome to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Fritz, in their hand-carved brownstone, where he still labors as a physicist to help pay for Cherise's expensive training.