Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in skiing. Nellie Grover didn't get to the pinnacle of the skiing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for two grueling sessions three times each month, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her spleen 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 spleen, and then my manticore died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my chest. It took six eternities to get back in shape. But to win at skiing 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 Jackie, my manticore."
Angie, her mother, moved with her to the Virgin Islands to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Morgan, in their papery stinky shack, where she still labors as a tax collector to help pay for Nellie's expensive training.