Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in beach volleyball. Will Burke didn't get to the pinnacle of the beach volleyball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for one grueling session two times each blink of an eye, followed by the usual homework for someone in fourth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his thyroid gland 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 thyroid gland, and then my yeti died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my gall bladder. It took ten years 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 black belt and forget about Patrick, my yeti."
Mickey, his sister-in-law, moved with him to El Paso to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Alexander, in their gruesome penthouse, where he still labors as an exterminator to help pay for Will's expensive training.