Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in table tennis. Katherine Jackson didn't get to the pinnacle of the table tennis world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions one time each fortnight, followed by the usual homework for someone in tenth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her lip 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 lip, and then my mountain goat died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my hangnail. It took seven minutes to get back in shape. But to win at table tennis is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of tights and forget about Xavier, my mountain goat."
John Paul, her aunt, moved with her to Tennessee to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Jan, in their sleek sand castle, where she still labors as an interior designer to help pay for Katherine's expensive training.