Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in volleyball. Mahatma Banks didn't get to the pinnacle of the volleyball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions one time each month, followed by the usual homework for someone in fourth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his pancreas 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 pancreas, and then my elephant died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my vein. It took three centuries to get back in shape. But to win at volleyball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my tinfoil hat and forget about Mandy, my elephant."
Bart, his friend, moved with him to Hawaii to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Robin, in their aromatic manor house, where he still labors as a tax collector to help pay for Mahatma's expensive training.