Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in tug-of-war. Rhoda McClain didn't get to the pinnacle of the tug-of-war world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for one grueling session one time each decade, followed by the usual homework for someone in sixth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her arm 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 arm, and then my hog died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my aorta. It took one hours to get back in shape. But to win at tug-of-war is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of socks and forget about Wilson, my hog."
James, her fiancée, moved with her to Toledo to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Eleanor, in their stiff farmhouse, where she still labors as a radiologist to help pay for Rhoda's expensive training.