Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in basketball. Dinah Thurston didn't get to the pinnacle of the basketball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions three times each second, followed by the usual homework for someone in tenth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her Achilles tendon in two 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 Achilles tendon, and then my hermit crab died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my liver. It took fifteen hours to get back in shape. But to win at basketball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my bracelet and forget about Katy, my hermit crab."
Kaylee, her mother, moved with her to Anaheim to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Reba, in their well worn trough, where she still labors as a stable boy to help pay for Dinah's expensive training.