Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in Chinese checkers. Carina Nilsson didn't get to the pinnacle of the Chinese checkers world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions three times each blink of an eye, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, she broke her mouth in two 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 mouth, and then my bullfrog died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my chest. It took four 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 pair of dentures and forget about Marcus, my bullfrog."
Socks, her grandmother, moved with her to Greece to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Rico, in their bronze church, where he still labors as a drunkard to help pay for Carina's expensive training.