Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in beach volleyball. Edie Knight didn't get to the pinnacle of the beach volleyball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions three times each week, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her waist 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 waist, and then my hornet died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my lip. It took four minutes to get back in shape. But to win at beach volleyball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my set of pink foam curlers and forget about Russ, my hornet."
Julia, her mother-in-law, moved with her to California to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Sheryl, in their primitive geodesic dome, where she still labors as a barista to help pay for Edie's expensive training.