Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in diving. Ethan Stucky didn't get to the pinnacle of the diving world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for two grueling sessions two times each fortnight, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his hand in three 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 hand, and then my pig died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my lip. It took twelve lifetimes to get back in shape. But to win at diving is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my mortarboard and forget about Bub, my pig."
Stella, his fiancée, moved with him to Albuquerque to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Lynette, in their bent mud hut, where she still labors as a curmudgeon to help pay for Ethan's expensive training.