Yet Cornell has one of the best teams in the eastern region, with both the men's and women's varsity teams frequently reaching the final round of the nationals. The men's team last won the national title in 1992. The balance of program expenses comes from endowments, fund-raising and some aid directly from Cornell. Banks joined the first-year instructional team in the fall of his sophomore year after taking a riding course with the physical education department the previous semester. Of a team's three players on the field, number one is the most offensive position, comparable to a striker in soccer.
Banks hopes to take up polo again one day.
He will continue studying physics next year as a graduate student at the University of California at Berkeley. I'm still undecided about what I want to do with physics. Polo is less of a time commitment than most sports, with two three-hour practices each week, but the season lasts nearly the entire year, with games from October to April. There are times when you would almost pinch yourself. I just couldn't believe I was a part of the whole program.