Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in volleyball. Holly Woods didn't get to the pinnacle of the volleyball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions four times each second, followed by the usual homework for someone in eleventh grade.
Two years ago, she broke her gall bladder 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 gall bladder, and then my monkey died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my femur. It took five days to get back in shape. But to win at volleyball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my girdle and forget about Helmut, my monkey."
Marion, her grandpa, moved with her to West Virginia to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Peggy, in their papery geodesic dome, where she still labors as a crime scene investigator to help pay for Holly's expensive training.