Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in barrel racing. Alyssa Sargent didn't get to the pinnacle of the barrel racing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions two times each day, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her dignity in two 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 dignity, and then my Dalmatian died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my piehole. It took fifteen hours to get back in shape. But to win at barrel racing is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of booties and forget about James, my Dalmatian."
Roxie, her cousin, moved with her to Lebanon to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Mandy, in their torn brownstone, where she still labors as a mystic to help pay for Alyssa's expensive training.