CNN —There aren’t many world champions who didn’t know their sport existed a year before winning the title. Originally from Indianapolis, Banschbach moved to Suffolk, England, for work and took up the game entirely by chance last year. “Last fall, [I was] seeing all the conkers on the sidewalks and kind of wondering what they were,” she remembered. “It’s kind of funny because I had won on two separate occasions, and kind of joked that I was the reigning conker queen. But I specifically remember the commentator would say something like ‘Oh, we’ve never had an American winner,’” said Banschbach.

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Persons: didn’t, conkers, Banschbach, “ It’s, ”, “, “ Little, ‘, ” Banschbach’s, Sue West, George, William, we’ve, ’, ’ ”, David Hodson “, Mama didn’t, David Jakins, King Conker, Kelci, David, Kelci Banschbach, David Jakins ’, Jakins, I’ll Organizations: CNN, CNN Sport, “, tote Locations: Great Britain, Ireland, Indianapolis, Suffolk, England, Northamptonshire