Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in figure skating. Lear Warren didn't get to the pinnacle of the figure skating world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions one time each fortnight, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his spinal cord in three 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 spinal cord, and then my cockroach died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my spinal cord. It took eleven months to get back in shape. But to win at figure skating is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my sari and forget about Eubie, my cockroach."
Twigs, his mentor, moved with him to Liverpool to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Cedric, in their crisp homeless shelter, where he still labors as a parent to help pay for Lear's expensive training.