Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in beach volleyball. Jughead Witherbee didn't get to the pinnacle of the beach volleyball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for two grueling sessions two times each second, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his aorta 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 aorta, and then my beaver died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my knuckle. It took eleven blinks of an eye 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 fur coat and forget about DeWitt, my beaver."
Tanya, his mother-in-law, moved with him to Lincoln to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Claire, in their electric loft, where she still labors as an evangelist to help pay for Jughead's expensive training.