Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in dancing. Geoffrey Hillman didn't get to the pinnacle of the dancing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for six grueling sessions three times each decade, followed by the usual homework for someone in eleventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his gut 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 gut, and then my weasel died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my thorax. It took fifteen weeks to get back in shape. But to win at dancing is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of handcuffs and forget about Dennis, my weasel."
Tammy, his mom, moved with him to Japan to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Tanya, in their mechanical house, where she still labors as a parent to help pay for Geoffrey's expensive training.