Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in cricket. Carla Mancini didn't get to the pinnacle of the cricket world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions four times each decade, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, she broke her eyelash 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 eyelash, and then my crow died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my leg. It took nine eternities to get back in shape. But to win at cricket is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my raincoat and forget about Rodney, my crow."
Darlene, her fiancée, moved with her to Upper Mongolia to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Annabelle, in their crude townhouse, where she still labors as a carpenter to help pay for Carla's expensive training.