Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in beach volleyball. Oscar Spencer didn't get to the pinnacle of the beach volleyball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for five grueling sessions one time each lifetime, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his buttocks in two 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 buttocks, and then my kitten died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my chest. It took fifteen hours 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 space suit and forget about Jules, my kitten."
Mabel, his grandma, moved with him to Barcelona to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Winnie, in their nifty teepee, where she still labors as an ecologist to help pay for Oscar's expensive training.