Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in chess. Julia McAllister didn't get to the pinnacle of the chess world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for six grueling sessions four times each day, followed by the usual homework for someone in eleventh grade.
Two years ago, she broke her spleen 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 spleen, and then my garter snake died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my spleen. It took ten centuries to get back in shape. But to win at chess is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my armband and forget about Shawna, my garter snake."
Danielle, her friend, moved with her to Sri Lanka to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Floyd, in their aromatic parsonage, where he still labors as a construction worker to help pay for Julia's expensive training.