Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in fishing. Willie Marshall didn't get to the pinnacle of the fishing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for three grueling sessions two times each blink of an eye, followed by the usual homework for someone in twelfth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his belly button 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 belly button, and then my jackal died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my cheek. It took ten centuries to get back in shape. But to win at fishing is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my straitjacket and forget about Cory, my jackal."
Gloria, his mother-in-law, moved with him to New York to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Louise, in their ragged Spanish colonial, where she still labors as a window washer to help pay for Willie's expensive training.