Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in tiddlywinks. Triffid Sokoloff didn't get to the pinnacle of the tiddlywinks world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for two grueling sessions one time each month, followed by the usual homework for someone in fourth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her belly button in two 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 belly button, and then my baboon died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my hairdo. It took five years to get back in shape. But to win at tiddlywinks is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my moustache and forget about Sylvia, my baboon."
Meredith, her mom, moved with her to Moldova to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Russ, in their ridiculous nunnery, where he still labors as a physical therapist to help pay for Triffid's expensive training.