Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in football. Darryl Wales didn't get to the pinnacle of the football world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions two times each month, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his spine 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 spine, and then my duck died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my spine. It took five years 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 tool belt and forget about Alan, my duck."
Cassandra, his grandpa, moved with him to Augusta to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Shawna, in their immense retreat, where she still labors as a mechanical engineer to help pay for Darryl's expensive training.