Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in gymnastics. Kami Plummer didn't get to the pinnacle of the gymnastics world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for one grueling session one time each fortnight, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, she broke her spinal cord 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 spinal cord, and then my dragon died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my spinal cord. It took twelve eternities to get back in shape. But to win at gymnastics is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of flip-flops and forget about Logan, my dragon."
Sydmo, her sister-in-law, moved with her to the Amazon to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Frank, in their brightly-colored mobile home, where he still labors as an orchestra conductor to help pay for Kami's expensive training.