Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in baseball. Marvin Irons didn't get to the pinnacle of the baseball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions two times each decade, followed by the usual homework for someone in seventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his collarbone 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 collarbone, and then my weasel died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my jaw. It took seven hours to get back in shape. But to win at baseball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my blanket and forget about Jürgen, my weasel."
Paula, his dad, moved with him to Chad to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Latrina, in their soft cabin, where she still labors as a bodyguard to help pay for Marvin's expensive training.