Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in tiddlywinks. Aristotle Tiller didn't get to the pinnacle of the tiddlywinks world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions three times each blink of an eye, followed by the usual homework for someone in sixth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his chin 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 chin, and then my mink died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my ankle. It took seven minutes 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 jeans and forget about Sydney, my mink."
Saul, his dad, moved with him to Illinois to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Evette, in their wooden parsonage, where she still labors as a race car driver to help pay for Aristotle's expensive training.