Myopia Polo Magazine

SPOT LIG HT Snow played polo in many of the places he lived or traveled, including: the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Egypt, Jordan, India, Pakistan, Iran, Kenya, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina. This summer, the Harvard team heads overseas, which means China and Mongolia are soon to be added to the already impressive list. Consummate Coach Crocker Snow has lived a life of epic accomplishments—the latest being Harvard Polo's resurrection at Myopia. / by Kiley Jacques crocker snow has a name and face readily recognized by many Myopia members. A former writer, editor, and foreign correspondent for The Boston Globe, Newsweek, and The World Paper, Snow now serves as the director of the Center for Public Diplomacy at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. As coach, he is also intimately involved in the remaking of Harvard's polo team. 88 myopia polo 2013 MP13_Spotlight.indd 88 This man of many hats harbors strong sentiments about Myopia that reach back to 1959. "I like being a small part of keeping polo going in what is now the oldest still-active polo club in the country," says Snow, who has been playing the game since he was a young college man traveling around the country with nationally ranked polo player Adam Winthrop. Snow's late half brother, Don Little, ignited his en- thusiasm for the sport when Little started playing while serving as an Air Force pilot in Tucson, AZ. Once out of service, Little headed east with three polo ponies in tow. Those traveling companions and Little's own mission inspired the young Snow, who says, "This youth interest was important in energizing the older pre-war players and thus getting the club going [again] after a hiatus during World War II." Snow's time at Harvard began as a student, when he played on the polo team "in between hockey games." It has long since led to a position coaching that same team, following its lengthy sabbatical. Thanks in large part to an endorsement from actor Tommy Lee Jones, himself a polo enthusiast, the team now includes 20 men and women players and an equal number of polo ponies, as well as a full schedule of home and away games (including games in China and Mongolia this summer). This burst of field activity is happening in concert with Myopia, where Harvard's home games are set to be hosted. Of coaching the Harvard team, Snow says, "[It is a] natural fit and an unexpected full circle." He likes the energy of new players and having a role in what he hopes will be a long and mutually supportive relationship between Myopia and Harvard Polo. The duo's vision stretches beyond current affairs to include the founding of a limited therapeutic riding program for Harvard students, faculty, and employees. After many years in the center of games and on the sidelines, Snow has countless Myopia memories. Ranked high among them are: playing in the 20-goal East Coast Open, which ended in sudden-death overtime; participating in the filming of the polo scenes on Gibney Field in the movie The Thomas Crown Affair; sporting with visiting teams from the UK, Argentina, Ecuador, Egypt, and the Philippines; playing in a wedding game with his sons and daughter the day after she was married; and, "perhaps most memorable is having played with one or more of my sons Adam, Andrew, Josh, Nick, and Connor in all kinds of practice and tournament games." photograph by adam detour 4/4/13 4:43 PM

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