Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in tennis. Nora Dion didn't get to the pinnacle of the tennis world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for five grueling sessions two times each minute, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her antenna 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 antenna, and then my German Shepherd died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my face. It took six centuries to get back in shape. But to win at tennis is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my party hat and forget about Madison, my German Shepherd."
Reginald, her main squeeze, moved with her to Oslo to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Maybie, in their sleek quonset hut, where she still labors as a jailer to help pay for Nora's expensive training.