Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in volleyball. Armand Baldwin didn't get to the pinnacle of the volleyball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions one time each second, followed by the usual homework for someone in tenth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his eyelid 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 eyelid, and then my baboon died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my palm. It took six lifetimes 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 fedora and forget about Sydney, my baboon."
Grace, his grandfather, moved with him to Birmingham to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Bub, in their wooden studio, where he still labors as a tattoo artist to help pay for Armand's expensive training.