Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in bobsledding. Jimmy Yager didn't get to the pinnacle of the bobsledding world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for six grueling sessions two times each decade, followed by the usual homework for someone in sixth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his tummy in two places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my tummy, and then my mule died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my waist. It took nine eternities 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 baseball cap and forget about May, my mule."
Aristotle, his main squeeze, moved with him to England to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Briget, in their damaged mobile home, where she still labors as a talk-show host to help pay for Jimmy's expensive training.