Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in canoeing. Bettie Lou Tran didn't get to the pinnacle of the canoeing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions two times each second, followed by the usual homework for someone in seventh grade.
Two years ago, she broke her pinky in four 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 pinky, and then my frog died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my piehole. It took ten centuries to get back in shape. But to win at canoeing is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my birthday suit and forget about Karen, my frog."
Izzy, her grandma, moved with her to Vermont to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Elliott, in their electric cabin, where she still labors as an orchestra conductor to help pay for Bettie Lou's expensive training.