Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in tiddlywinks. Brenda Murdoch didn't get to the pinnacle of the tiddlywinks world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for five grueling sessions four times each month, followed by the usual homework for someone in fifth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her waist in three places. But this didn't stop her. She seems even more determined to excel at her sport.
"I was really down when I broke my waist, and then my ostrich died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my eyebrow. It took three months 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 corset and forget about Buck, my ostrich."
Shandra, her grandma, moved with her to Portland to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Libby, in their cotton parsonage, where she still labors as an FBI Agent to help pay for Brenda's expensive training.