Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in softball. Papa Fulton didn't get to the pinnacle of the softball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for six grueling sessions three times each decade, followed by the usual homework for someone in twelfth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his gut 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 gut, and then my ring-tailed lemur died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my horn. It took seven weeks 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 pocket watch and forget about Giselle, my ring-tailed lemur."
Bill, his mother, moved with him to Petaluma to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Joseph, in their shiny villa, where he still labors as a gravedigger to help pay for Papa's expensive training.