Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in beach volleyball. Morton Ordway didn't get to the pinnacle of the beach volleyball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for six grueling sessions four times each day, followed by the usual homework for someone in eleventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his eyelash 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 eyelash, and then my canary died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my bicep. It took four weeks to get back in shape. But to win at beach volleyball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of jackboots and forget about Konstanze, my canary."
Mia, his sister, moved with him to Italy to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Ronnie, in their aromatic park bench, where he still labors as a hit man to help pay for Morton's expensive training.