Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in beach volleyball. Max Vanderbilt didn't get to the pinnacle of the beach volleyball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions three times each month, followed by the usual homework for someone in fifth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his knuckle in four places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my knuckle, and then my dromedary died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my chest. It took ten centuries to get back in shape. But to win at beach volleyball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of Oxfords and forget about Griselda, my dromedary."
Ursula, his sister-in-law, moved with him to Cameroon to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Woody, in their frilly house, where he still labors as a slave to help pay for Max's expensive training.