Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in tug-of-war. Cat Niebels didn't get to the pinnacle of the tug-of-war world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for two grueling sessions three times each second, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his thorax 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 thorax, and then my pigeon died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my hip. It took four months to get back in shape. But to win at tug-of-war is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my suit of armor and forget about Octavio, my pigeon."
White Cloud, his mentor, moved with him to Germany to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Edith, in their electronic wikiup, where she still labors as an usher to help pay for Cat's expensive training.