Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in fencing. Macon Schmoe didn't get to the pinnacle of the fencing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions four times each day, followed by the usual homework for someone in eleventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his belly 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 belly, and then my phantom died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my spleen. It took twelve years to get back in shape. But to win at fencing is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my winter coat and forget about Irving, my phantom."
Raymond, his mother-in-law, moved with him to Gainesville to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Avery, in their large duplex, where she still labors as a disk jockey to help pay for Macon's expensive training.