Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in badminton. Kim Myers didn't get to the pinnacle of the badminton world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions two times each minute, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her fingernail 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 fingernail, and then my mosquito died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my intestine. It took one months to get back in shape. But to win at badminton is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of UGGs and forget about Roscoe, my mosquito."
Wesley, her friend, moved with her to the Netherlands to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Nicolas, in their delicate sand castle, where he still labors as a sword swallower to help pay for Kim's expensive training.