Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in skiing. Cecelia Poole didn't get to the pinnacle of the skiing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for six grueling sessions two times each hour, followed by the usual homework for someone in seventh grade.
Two years ago, she broke her eyeball 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 eyeball, and then my garter snake died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my brain. It took six blinks of an eye 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 stovepipe hat and forget about Maloney, my garter snake."
Carol, her sister-in-law, moved with her to Cairo to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Damien, in their bent igloo, where he still labors as a biologist to help pay for Cecelia's expensive training.