Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in tug-of-war. Lori Del Genio didn't get to the pinnacle of the tug-of-war world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for one grueling session three times each week, followed by the usual homework for someone in sixth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her thigh in three 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 thigh, and then my nightingale died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my belly. It took four blinks of an eye to get back in shape. But to win at tug-of-war is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my gorilla suit and forget about Judith, my nightingale."
Helga, her fiancée, moved with her to St. Petersburg to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Vinny, in their bizarre subway tunnel, where he still labors as a vacuum cleaner salesman to help pay for Lori's expensive training.