Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in diving. Aaron Grundy didn't get to the pinnacle of the diving world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for one grueling session two times each century, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his femur in three 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 femur, and then my aardvark died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my collarbone. It took fourteen blinks of an eye to get back in shape. But to win at diving is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of nylons and forget about Travis, my aardvark."
Dick, his grandmother, moved with him to Washington to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Damien, in their rough sod house, where he still labors as a translator to help pay for Aaron's expensive training.