Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in canoeing. Sadie Rossi didn't get to the pinnacle of the canoeing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for six grueling sessions four times each month, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, she broke her horn 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 horn, and then my panther died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my shin. It took seven hours to get back in shape. But to win at canoeing is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my corset and forget about Jacques, my panther."
Priscilla, her mother-in-law, moved with her to Mississippi to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Yancey, in their waxy dugout, where he still labors as a shyster to help pay for Sadie's expensive training.