Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in canoeing. Thaddeus Eklund didn't get to the pinnacle of the canoeing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions one time each decade, followed by the usual homework for someone in eleventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his scalp 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 scalp, and then my wallaby died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my funny bone. It took three weeks to get back in shape. But to win at canoeing is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my gold medal and forget about Dinah, my wallaby."
Sierra, his aunt, moved with him to Birmingham to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Susanna, in their ruined sand castle, where she still labors as a bureaucrat to help pay for Thaddeus's expensive training.