Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in long jump. Julie Ward didn't get to the pinnacle of the long jump 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 eleventh grade.
Two years ago, she broke her carotid artery in three 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 carotid artery, and then my horsie died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my collarbone. It took fourteen seconds to get back in shape. But to win at long jump is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my Hawaiian shirt and forget about Beth, my horsie."
Rutherford, her fiancée, moved with her to Modesto to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Jody, in their filthy yurt, where she still labors as a contractor to help pay for Julie's expensive training.