Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in table tennis. Dick Bean didn't get to the pinnacle of the table tennis world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions one time each day, followed by the usual homework for someone in fifth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his belly button in two 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 belly button, and then my bunny died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my bicep. It took four seconds 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 hearing aid and forget about Martin, my bunny."
Gabriela, his main squeeze, moved with him to Morocco to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Kirsten, in their hideous resort, where she still labors as an electrical engineer to help pay for Dick's expensive training.