Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in table tennis. Jeffrey Nyberg didn't get to the pinnacle of the table tennis world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions three times each year, followed by the usual homework for someone in twelfth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his toenail 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 toenail, and then my pig died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my eyebrow. It took fourteen lifetimes to get back in shape. But to win at table tennis is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my shawl and forget about Royce, my pig."
Robert, his mommy, moved with him to New Orleans to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Marion, in their dry houseboat, where she still labors as a filmmaker to help pay for Jeffrey's expensive training.