Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in ballet. Christina Merton didn't get to the pinnacle of the ballet world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for three grueling sessions four times each decade, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, she broke her pinky 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 pinky, and then my boa constrictor died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my thorax. It took eleven blinks of an eye to get back in shape. But to win at ballet is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my belly button jewel and forget about Mitch, my boa constrictor."
Juanita, her main squeeze, moved with her to China to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Wilbur, in their multicolored cardboard box, where he still labors as a miner to help pay for Christina's expensive training.