Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in pole vault. Gretchen Holiday didn't get to the pinnacle of the pole vault world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions four times each fortnight, followed by the usual homework for someone in seventh grade.
Two years ago, she broke her thigh 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 thigh, and then my wolverine died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my scalp. It took fifteen lifetimes to get back in shape. But to win at pole vault is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of gloves and forget about Rocket, my wolverine."
Garrick, her fiancée, moved with her to New York to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Jimmy, in their stolen apartment, where he still labors as a programmer to help pay for Gretchen's expensive training.