Poe was a medal favorite going into the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but she was upset in the first round, forcing Poe to contemplate retirement and giving up the sport she'd been involved with since age eight. She didn't give up though and is currently ranked atop her weight class and training again for the upcoming Titan Games and for Athens 2004.

How to come back and move on from disappointment

Tip #1: Take some time off
"I took three months off, and I was pretty sure I wasn't going to get back into it at all, but I started missing it a lot by the end of that. It took a lot of thought before I was really ready to think about coming back."

Tip #2: Open your heart up for another try
"Forget about the past and realize you have to go on with yourself. I had to forgive myself for the Olympics before I could step back in and start training again, and that took a long time."

Tip #3: Start Slow
"I started off saying I was only going to train to stay in shape and just because I loved the sport, and then sure enough I was competing at Nationals within a month of training."

Tip #4: Be positive
"My first week back was really tough because I cried a lot. It was really tough, and I was pretty hard on myself. It made things hard, but whenever you fall off a horse you get back on it."

Tip #5: Keep on trying for your goals
"If things would have worked out the way I wanted them to in Sydney, I probably wouldn't still be fighting, but they didn't. I didn't reach my goal, but I'm still trying."

Tip #6: Remember its fun
"When it stops being fun, maybe it's really time to rethink things. Because as much hard work and with everything else you sacrifice, you have to really love it and want it. Sometimes you just need to re-evaluate that."