Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in canoeing. Drew Van Veen didn't get to the pinnacle of the canoeing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions three times each second, followed by the usual homework for someone in fourth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her little finger 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 little finger, and then my caribou died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my shin. It took fourteen 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 toga and forget about Manfred, my caribou."
Nick, her mom, moved with her to the Swiss Alps to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Joanne, in their crisp junk car, where she still labors as a hair stylist to help pay for Drew's expensive training.