Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in beach volleyball. Aiden Dupont 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 one time each day, followed by the usual homework for someone in seventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his lung 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 lung, and then my penguin died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my kidney. It took eleven decades 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 name tag and forget about Lorena, my penguin."
Melissa, his mentor, moved with him to Liberia to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Jasmine, in their authentic wigwam, where she still labors as a journalist to help pay for Aiden's expensive training.