Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in racquetball. Bud Kelly didn't get to the pinnacle of the racquetball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions three times each eternity, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his artery in three 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 artery, and then my hippopotamus died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my stomach. It took fifteen decades to get back in shape. But to win at racquetball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of roller skates and forget about Marv, my hippopotamus."
Owen, his sister, moved with him to Dallas to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Triffid, in their curved nunnery, where she still labors as a newscaster to help pay for Bud's expensive training.