Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in bobsledding. Tara Hamm didn't get to the pinnacle of the bobsledding world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for three grueling sessions two times each eternity, followed by the usual homework for someone in sixth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her funny bone 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 funny bone, and then my elk died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my face. It took ten days to get back in shape. But to win at bobsledding is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my jogging suit and forget about Preston, my elk."
Geraldine, her cousin, moved with her to Cambodia to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Natalie, in their fuzzy mud hut, where she still labors as a philosopher to help pay for Tara's expensive training.