Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in Chinese checkers. Draco Backus didn't get to the pinnacle of the Chinese checkers world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for one grueling session two times each eternity, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his face 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 face, and then my gorilla died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my heart. It took three days 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 babushka and forget about Sharice, my gorilla."
Bix, his friend, moved with him to Buffalo to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Dick, in their rare Spanish colonial, where he still labors as an acrobat to help pay for Draco's expensive training.