Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in rugby. Bart Zimmerman didn't get to the pinnacle of the rugby world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions one time each decade, followed by the usual homework for someone in eleventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his hand 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 hand, and then my Dalmatian died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my toenail. It took four years to get back in shape. But to win at rugby is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my false beard and forget about Leslie, my Dalmatian."
Drew, his dad, moved with him to Uzbekistan to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Eleanor, in their porcelain manor house, where she still labors as a quilter to help pay for Bart's expensive training.