Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in table tennis. Steven Sattler didn't get to the pinnacle of the table tennis world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for one grueling session four times each day, followed by the usual homework for someone in seventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his knuckle 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 knuckle, and then my cockatiel died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my vein. It took eleven months 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 gunny sack and forget about Ava, my cockatiel."
Aaron, his grandfather, moved with him to St. Petersburg to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Dusty, in their archaic duplex, where he still labors as an editor to help pay for Steven's expensive training.