Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in football. Horst Sledge didn't get to the pinnacle of the football world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions one time each year, followed by the usual homework for someone in eleventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his neck 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 neck, and then my elk died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my collarbone. It took four centuries to get back in shape. But to win at football 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 Mindy, my elk."
Brook, his grandmother, moved with him to Belize to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Donnie Bob, in their fabulous park bench, where he still labors as an embalmer to help pay for Horst's expensive training.