Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in long jump. Kelley Fischer didn't get to the pinnacle of the long jump world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions one time each year, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her pituitary gland 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 pituitary gland, and then my cow died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my thyroid gland. It took eleven lifetimes to get back in shape. But to win at long jump is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of cargo pants and forget about Clifford, my cow."
Max, her sister-in-law, moved with her to a ghetto to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Jordan, in their odd chapel, where she still labors as an organic farmer to help pay for Kelley's expensive training.