Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in bullfighting. Fanny Marchetti didn't get to the pinnacle of the bullfighting world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions two times each blink of an eye, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her forehead 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 forehead, and then my fox died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my jaw. It took nine lifetimes to get back in shape. But to win at bullfighting is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my corsage and forget about May, my fox."
Barb, her sister, moved with her to Charleston to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Wilbur, in their synthetic boxcar, where he still labors as a school principal to help pay for Fanny's expensive training.