Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in volleyball. Rumpelstiltskin Goldwater didn't get to the pinnacle of the volleyball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for six grueling sessions one time each fortnight, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, he broke his thorax 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 thorax, and then my turtle died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my spine. It took fourteen centuries to get back in shape. But to win at volleyball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of cowboy boots and forget about Ada Belle, my turtle."
June, his aunt, moved with him to Waco to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Yolanda, in their handy condominium, where she still labors as a magician to help pay for Rumpelstiltskin's expensive training.