Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in football. Connie Vargas didn't get to the pinnacle of the football world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for five grueling sessions two times each day, followed by the usual homework for someone in tenth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her bladder 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 bladder, and then my goblin died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my palm. It took twelve weeks to get back in shape. But to win at football is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of dungarees and forget about Veronica, my goblin."
Mary Lou, her aunt, moved with her to Rochester to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Kjersten, in their stiff cardboard box, where she still labors as a coroner to help pay for Connie's expensive training.