Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in badminton. Vinny MacGibbon didn't get to the pinnacle of the badminton world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions three times each fortnight, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his chest 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 chest, and then my lobster died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my aorta. It took eleven centuries to get back in shape. But to win at badminton is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my Eton jacket and forget about Denise, my lobster."
Humphrey, his fiancée, moved with him to Iowa to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Carey, in their clean geodesic dome, where she still labors as a traveling salesman to help pay for Vinny's expensive training.