Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in chess. Vera Lowry didn't get to the pinnacle of the chess world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for one grueling session three times each week, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her back in three places. But this didn't stop her. She seems even more determined to excel at her sport.
"I was really down when I broke my back, and then my wallaby died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my spleen. It took fourteen eternities to get back in shape. But to win at chess is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my big red rose and forget about Anton, my wallaby."
So-Yeng, her mommy, moved with her to Lubbock to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Mabel, in their hand-painted cabin, where she still labors as a page to help pay for Vera's expensive training.