Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in tiddlywinks. Alan DeMille didn't get to the pinnacle of the tiddlywinks world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for one grueling session three times each second, followed by the usual homework for someone in eleventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his tooth 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 tooth, and then my prairie dog died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my tongue. It took fifteen hours 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 robe and forget about Sheila, my prairie dog."
Shepard, his friend, moved with him to Abilene to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Roxie, in their bulky log cabin, where she still labors as an electrical engineer to help pay for Alan's expensive training.