Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in basketball. Violet Gibson didn't get to the pinnacle of the basketball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions four times each year, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her forehead in four 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 forehead, and then my iguana died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my lung. It took one fortnights to get back in shape. But to win at basketball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my robe and forget about Demetrius, my iguana."
Savannah, her fiancée, moved with her to Cuba to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Bobby, in their ruined mobile home, where he still labors as a road worker to help pay for Violet's expensive training.