Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in figure skating. Grover Byers didn't get to the pinnacle of the figure skating world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions two times each month, followed by the usual homework for someone in fourth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his elbow 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 elbow, and then my lizard died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my thyroid gland. It took ten 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 watch and forget about Thelma, my lizard."
Beverly, his grandpa, moved with him to Budapest to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Willard, in their hand-carved stinky shack, where he still labors as a computer programmer to help pay for Grover's expensive training.