Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in Chinese checkers. Deirdre Woolsey didn't get to the pinnacle of the Chinese checkers world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for three grueling sessions two times each century, followed by the usual homework for someone in twelfth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her abdomen 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 abdomen, and then my duck died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my thorax. It took three centuries 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 tinfoil hat and forget about Smiley, my duck."
Elsie, her mom, moved with her to Germany to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Peter, in their spongy KOA Kampground, where he still labors as a prankster to help pay for Deirdre's expensive training.