Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in bobsledding. Katy Iliescu didn't get to the pinnacle of the bobsledding world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions four times each second, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, she broke her palm 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 palm, and then my reindeer died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my thorax. It took fifteen years 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 pair of Groucho glasses and forget about Alberta, my reindeer."
Francene, her grandpa, moved with her to Bagdad to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Loretta, in their stuffed penthouse, where she still labors as a court jester to help pay for Katy's expensive training.