Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in bobsledding. Christine Barber didn't get to the pinnacle of the bobsledding world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for one grueling session four times each fortnight, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her little finger in three 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 little finger, and then my ghost died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my scalp. It took eleven blinks of an eye 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 coonskin hat and forget about Iggy, my ghost."
Tracy, her mother, moved with her to Seychelles to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Blanca, in their brittle dugout, where she still labors as a chemist to help pay for Christine's expensive training.