Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in diving. Deborah Sartre didn't get to the pinnacle of the diving world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions two times each eternity, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, she broke her ego 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 ego, and then my bat died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my belly button. It took eight blinks of an eye to get back in shape. But to win at diving is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of jeans and forget about Minnie, my bat."
Lear, her mentor, moved with her to Billings to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Broderick, in their multicolored church, where he still labors as a diplomat to help pay for Deborah's expensive training.