Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in canoeing. Starla Burt didn't get to the pinnacle of the canoeing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for two grueling sessions four times each decade, followed by the usual homework for someone in fourth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her antenna 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 antenna, and then my frog died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my ear. It took eight centuries to get back in shape. But to win at canoeing is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of safety glasses and forget about Meredith, my frog."
Cosmo, her cousin, moved with her to Utah to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Willard, in their puzzling log cabin, where he still labors as a journalist to help pay for Starla's expensive training.