Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in Chinese checkers. Pam Deutsch didn't get to the pinnacle of the Chinese checkers world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for two grueling sessions three times each blink of an eye, followed by the usual homework for someone in tenth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her tongue 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 tongue, and then my grasshopper died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my tummy. It took two lifetimes to get back in shape. But to win at Chinese checkers is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my jerkin and forget about Wilson, my grasshopper."
Jacqueline, her wife, moved with her to France to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Henry, in their large farmhouse, where he still labors as a window washer to help pay for Pam's expensive training.