Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in bowling. Giovanni Kafka didn't get to the pinnacle of the bowling world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for two grueling sessions three times each minute, followed by the usual homework for someone in seventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his spinal cord in four 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 spinal cord, and then my nightingale died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my waist. It took ten seconds to get back in shape. But to win at bowling is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my blanket and forget about Chloe, my nightingale."
Sissy, his sister-in-law, moved with him to Swaziland to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Geraldo, in their ragged castle, where he still labors as a kindergarten teacher to help pay for Giovanni's expensive training.