Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in bronc riding. Kelly Dixon didn't get to the pinnacle of the bronc riding world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions three times each hour, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her ankle 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 ankle, and then my dormouse died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my elbow. It took fourteen lifetimes to get back in shape. But to win at bronc riding is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my tailcoat and forget about Julian, my dormouse."
Emmeline, her mother, moved with her to Rwanda to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Pippa, in their dusty condominium, where she still labors as a painter to help pay for Kelly's expensive training.