Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in volleyball. Gina Bristol didn't get to the pinnacle of the volleyball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions one time each month, followed by the usual homework for someone in seventh grade.
Two years ago, she broke her buttocks in three 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 buttocks, and then my wallaby died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my wig. It took four eternities to get back in shape. But to win at volleyball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my hoop skirt and forget about Chelsea, my wallaby."
Helmut, her fiancée, moved with her to London to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Susie, in their polka-dotted cottage, where she still labors as a bailiff to help pay for Gina's expensive training.