Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in bronc riding. Tina Reynolds didn't get to the pinnacle of the bronc riding world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions two times each week, followed by the usual homework for someone in fifth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her waist 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 waist, and then my ferret died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my Adam's apple. It took one centuries to get back in shape. But to win at bronc riding is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of dentures and forget about Hazel, my ferret."
Kayla, her mom, moved with her to Ann Arbor to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Griselda, in their original quonset hut, where she still labors as a massage therapist to help pay for Tina's expensive training.