Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in canoeing. Valentina Bruce didn't get to the pinnacle of the canoeing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions two times each blink of an eye, followed by the usual homework for someone in eleventh grade.
Two years ago, she broke her eye 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 eye, and then my walrus died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my hangnail. It took seven blinks of an eye 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 wet suit and forget about Beverly, my walrus."
Pippa, her mother, moved with her to Peru to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Gail, in their rare stinky shack, where she still labors as a computer programmer to help pay for Valentina's expensive training.