Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in table tennis. Yancey Gentry didn't get to the pinnacle of the table tennis world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for two grueling sessions one time each day, followed by the usual homework for someone in eleventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his jaw in two 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 jaw, and then my lamb died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my face. It took fifteen fortnights 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 raincoat and forget about Leslie, my lamb."
Rosa, his mommy, moved with him to Grand Rapids to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Hephzibah, in their fancy geodesic dome, where she still labors as a geologist to help pay for Yancey's expensive training.