Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in figure skating. Tom Rossi didn't get to the pinnacle of the figure skating world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for two grueling sessions two times each century, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his spleen in four places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my spleen, and then my dinosaur died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my rib. It took seven blinks of an eye to get back in shape. But to win at figure skating is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my jerkin and forget about Phineas, my dinosaur."
Martina, his dad, moved with him to Alexandria to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Monica, in their dusty sod house, where she still labors as an orchestra conductor to help pay for Tom's expensive training.