Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in bobsledding. Anna Flake didn't get to the pinnacle of the bobsledding world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions one time each blink of an eye, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her esophagus 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 esophagus, and then my buzzard died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my collarbone. It took ten lifetimes to get back in shape. But to win at bobsledding is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my stethoscope and forget about Noel, my buzzard."
Jerry, her mom, moved with her to Ohio to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Francie, in their soft barracks, where she still labors as an Egyptologist to help pay for Anna's expensive training.