Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in baseball. Carmen Norris didn't get to the pinnacle of the baseball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions four times each blink of an eye, followed by the usual homework for someone in fifth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her elbow 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 elbow, and then my seal died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my head. It took two blinks of an eye to get back in shape. But to win at baseball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my ponytail and forget about Simeon, my seal."
Fido, her aunt, moved with her to Yakima to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Cynthia, in their handy chateau, where she still labors as a fortune teller to help pay for Carmen's expensive training.