Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in tiddlywinks. Gillian Truong didn't get to the pinnacle of the tiddlywinks world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions three times each century, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her funny bone in four 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 funny bone, and then my raccoon died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my heart. It took seven centuries 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 pair of knickerbockers and forget about Pam, my raccoon."
Frank, her grandmother, moved with her to Podunk Hollow to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Ken, in their slimy trough, where he still labors as a professor to help pay for Gillian's expensive training.