Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in gymnastics. Linda Dalton didn't get to the pinnacle of the gymnastics world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for one grueling session two times each decade, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her femur 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 femur, and then my bird died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my heel. It took fourteen lifetimes to get back in shape. But to win at gymnastics is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my kilt and forget about Mim, my bird."
Joel, her fiancée, moved with her to France to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Eppie, in their electronic log cabin, where she still labors as a civil engineer to help pay for Linda's expensive training.