Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in barrel racing. LaDue Witherbee didn't get to the pinnacle of the barrel racing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions four times each lifetime, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his paw 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 paw, and then my pheasant died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my brain. It took four decades to get back in shape. But to win at barrel racing is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of culottes and forget about Konstanze, my pheasant."
Nils, his sister-in-law, moved with him to Cape Town to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Clara, in their smelly church, where she still labors as an errand runner to help pay for LaDue's expensive training.