Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in softball. Jughead Davis didn't get to the pinnacle of the softball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions three times each hour, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth 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 mule died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my piehole. It took eight months to get back in shape. But to win at softball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my baseball cap and forget about Pamela, my mule."
Cornelius, his mommy, moved with him to Peoria to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Sophie, in their odd office, where she still labors as a street artist to help pay for Jughead's expensive training.