Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in tiddlywinks. Cosmo Benton didn't get to the pinnacle of the tiddlywinks world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for two grueling sessions two times each century, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his tail 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 tail, and then my lobster died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my kneecap. It took fourteen fortnights 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 beret and forget about Peg, my lobster."
José, his mom, moved with him to Serbia to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Kelley, in their plain KOA Kampground, where she still labors as a church usher to help pay for Cosmo's expensive training.