Willie Banks representing masters track on USATF board
Willie Banks set a world record in 1985 — and again in 2001.
|
Yesterday’s track chatter was all about the new USATF Board of Directors. One name immediately leaped out: Willie Banks. Of course, I was thrilled to see my masters track friend and county neighbor named to the 15-member board. But then I gulped. “I hope he does well,” I thought. “If he doesn’t, I’m in deep doo-doo.” Why? Cuz I nominated him. Around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008, the USATF Masters T&F Executive Committee was meeting at the Reno convention and brainstorming folks to nominate to the new Board of Directors. (Update: See my comment below for timeline correction.) They’d submitted Rex Harvey’s name as a placekeeper, but they needed a couple formal nominees. Although I was attending the session as an observer, I couldn’t help myself. I threw in a few names. One was Willie Banks. Everyone was familiar with Willie the Triple Jumper, but they didn’t know his more recent credits. I explained that he had a lot of respect within USATF, had legal training (although he isn’t a practicing lawyer now), was an Olympic consultant and was active in the U.S. Olympians Association and USATF Alumni Association. (Check out his Web site.) Willie, a member of the National Track & Field Hall of Fame, has a special affinity for Japan (and he speaks the language). He even taught there for a while, according to this revealing interview in Osaka. In 2001, Willie discovered masters track. His comeback was spectacular: an M45 world record in his former open world record event, the triple jump.
Here’s what I wrote in The San Diego Union-Tribune in July 2001:
Willie Banks was raking the pit at a Long Beach track meet three weeks ago, watching a man his own age set a world age-group record in the triple jump. He thought: I could beat that.
So yesterday at the San Diego USA Track & Field championships at UCSD, the former Oceanside High star did — popping a hop, step and jump out to 47 feet, 8 3/4 inches to smash Dave Quick’s outdoor record for men aged 45-49 by a monster 10 feet.
Banks, wearing the same adidas spikes he used to make one of his three Olympic teams, was jumping in his first meet since retiring in 1992 — a career that included a world record of 58-11 1/2 that lasted 10 years.
“I’ve lost 6 pounds in two weeks,” said Banks, a Carlsbad lawyer with a sports consulting business helping Osaka, Japan, in its bid to host the 2008 Olympics. “If I lose another 14 pounds (from his current 194), I could probably jump over 50 feet.”
An intermediate goal would be to beat the best M45 indoor triple jump ever — 48-7 1/2 by fellow UCLA alum Milan Tiff in 1995.
Arnie Robinson, the 1976 Olympic long jump champion who is recovering after his car was broadsided by a wrong-way driver in August 2000, was thrilled for his longtime friend.
“I think it’s great,” Robinson said of Banks’ masters comeback. “It’s one of the most wonderful things I’ve seen since my accident.
That week, Willie was named USATF Athlete of the Week.
The Eugene Register-Guard also told his story.
Willie’s commitment to masters track is genuine.In 2005, he posted a review on Amazon for “Racing Against the Clock,” our masters track film. Willie wrote:
Racing Against the Clock is a wonderfully uplifting and inspiring film. I really enjoyed the film from beginning to end. The way they weaved in the background of the athletes and made them come alive during their competitions was awesome. Thank you for making this film. It has motivated me to try even harder in, not only my athletic endeavors, but in all areas of my life. To hear the stories about the obstacles these women had to over come just to stay alive is enough to inspire me to do more each day. Again, thank you for making this film and I hope it will be seen by as many people as possible.
The story behind Willie’s ascension to the USATF Board of Directors is a little involved, but essentially he was chosen by a Nominations Committee from at least four candidates proffered by the USATF Associations Committee and the USATF masters committees. Other candidates were USATF president runner-up Dee Jensen, Alan Roth and Sandy Pashkin, according to my sources.
When we first learned that the chairman of the USATF Masters Track & Field Committee was off the board, it was scary bad for our niche. Having a seat at the table is essential so we aren’t ignored, overlooked or compromised.
But the selection of Willie is wonderful. He won’t let the “Win-30-Medals-at-London” bus run over our interests. And he’ll be good for the sport overall as well.
Gary Snyder, our national masters track and field chair, updated his blog for the first time in nearly a month with the news that Willie was our Guy, saying: “USATF has announced the new Board of Directors which includes one (of) the Masters Track and Field Committee candidates, Willie Banks. Congratulation to Willie and we look forward to hearing from him soon.”
Rex Harvey, whose placekeeper name was withdrawn, told me: “Willie is good, and will be good!” on the board.
I feel better now about nominating him. Let’s all wish him well on one of the toughest assignments of his life.
17 Responses
This is a great pick to represent the interests of masters athletes.
I erred on when Willie Banks’ name was introduced. According to minutes of the 11 a.m. Saturday general masters session at Reno, Willie’s name was suggested (by me, I’m pretty sure) for the Board of Directors. The minutes were recorded by new Masters T&F Secretary Jeff Brower.
However, I vividly recall describing Willie’s bona fides at the Executive Committee meeting that afternoon.
Here’s a link to the MT&F minutes of the Reno meeting, which sets a record for speed of posting Masters minutes of the 2007 annual meeting STILL haven’t been posted.
http://www.usatf.org/about/committees/GeneralCompetition/MastersTrackAndField/minutes/2008.asp
Have worked with Willie in the 1990’s when I was at White House Drug Policy Office and Willie was supporting youth anti-drug efforts… he is terrific, dedicated, mission driven. Have also been talking with him for last couple months about possibility of his competing at upcoming indoor national masters in Landover…he wants to but is injured, and is looking forward to later masters meets. He cares a lot about MTF and it looks like we’ll all have opportunity to talk with him about our collective goals. He is warm and responsive, as well as well-informed. He is a hero and leader in our sport and is an excellent pick.
Bob Weiner
Dear Willie:
Please e-mail me your phone & address.
I was your Japanese Language teacher at
Palomar College. I would like to getting in touch
with you.
Irene Eiko Jones
Dear Willie,
I have just completed my requirements for EAGLE SCOUT, and found your name among the list of famous Eagles. I am a senior in High School, among the top six cross country and track runners of my team. I am also a member of the national honor society and will have an AP degree when i graduate. I am currently 16th in my class. I would love to have you join me and my family for my Court of Honor Ceremony on 12/4/11. I hope and am working to be as successful as you.
Thank you
Samuel Catalano
It is extremely essential for the team members of Pinoy TV to love their creation from the underside of their coronary heart.
Amazing things here. I’m very happy to look your post. Thanks so much and I’m having a look forward to contact you. Will you kindly drop me a mail?
I don’t know if it’s just me or if perhaps everyone else encountering issues with your blog. It appears as if some of the written text within your content are running off the screen. Can somebody else please comment and let me know if this is happening to them too? This may be a issue with my web browser because I’ve had this happen previously. Many thanks
Very good write-up. I certainly appreciate this website. Thanks!
This is my first time pay a quick visit at here and i am truly pleassant to read everthing at one place.
Completely influenced by Kavya Pakhi misbehaves with Anupamaa,Vanraj,Samar and Kinjal.
The Blue/Village path will begin operating July 17, 2021.
When someone writes an piece of writing he/she maintains the idea of a user in his/her brain that how a user can know it. Therefore that’s why this piece of writing is amazing. Thanks!
For camping on the South Edge, your best bet is to head 25 miles east of Grand Canyon Village for the treasured sundowns at Desert Sight Camping Site.
You’re by no means going to be in need of choices of various kinds of leagues to play. They have many several types of leagues, from head to head to long winding league. Meaning it’s important to make a minimum of £50 to be break even and since there will likely be dropping months, you need to be aiming at making one thing like £200-300 or it’s hardly value it. But betting on a future consequence is in style for Heisman Trophy odds, NFL MVP betting, which crew will win the SEC title, will the Patriots with the AFC East Again? Specifically, we consider tweets pertaining to particular teams and games in the NFL season and use them alongside statistical game data to build predictive models for future recreation outcomes (which team will win?) and sports betting outcomes (which group will win with the purpose unfold? will the full points be over/beneath the line?). If you have a DirecTV subscription, you’ll be able to integrate some very nice options into your experience when you’re watching the video games. If you’re actually serious about getting concerned, additionally, you will benefit vastly from checking out our American football betting tips which offers you a fair bigger advantage to your fantasy soccer selections.
I do consider all of the concepts you have introduced for your post. They are really convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are very short for beginners. May you please lengthen them a bit from subsequent time? Thanks for the post.
Many people want to lose weight, though don’t always see the best way to achieve that goal. Do not spend time your diets that say they can guarantee results, as there isn’t a plan around the that will be 100% effective. You’ll need research different methods and techniques of weight loss and judge what would work best in your personal program.
One pretty popular such theories is often a diet influenced by increasing protein and lowering carbohydrates in your meals (Atkins diet). Well known doctors use it themselves and highly recommend it. how to loss weight, by now I i do hope you know the cornerstone of a permanent HEALTHY pounds reduction is in increasing fat burning capacity.
Preventive healthcare saves both money and pain. It requires regular medical checkup, getting immunized against certain diseases, making necessary changes in one’s lifestyle, having a mind concerning health issues, and above all, eating a healthy diet. Preventive healthcare also involves striking an account balance in every aspect of your life, like spiritual, mental, emotional and physical wellness.
There undoubtedly few theories as to why child obesity is actually so common in today’s society. Genetics can are part, youngsters with obese parents have a higher likelihood of suffering from obesity problems later existence.
Including exercise in your Weight Loss program will anyone with that leanness to create your weight loss look good. Exercising for Weight Loss is usually as easy as 15 minutes a day, 3 times a number of. Cardiovascular exercises are not what you should want. You want to exercise in bursts. Burst training alternates between intense and low intensity intervals, forcing the body to burn more fat, making your training much is diminished. Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue. Offers you the opportunity burn fat even but you sleeping.
Weight loss, similar to fat loss, is even the process of your body losing fat, nevertheless only fat. A person’s body is composed not only of fat, but also of bones, muscles, tissues, organs, skin, and numerous other. Fat alone does not develop a body heavy, but all of the internal and external locations the body, as long as could attached to it, is why a body weigh visitors to does. Weight loss then, is the process in in which the body loses fat, or muscle mass, or bone mass, or organ weight, or skin weight, and a combination famous these.
All tend to be some the ways which let you how to reduce weight short. Mind you that extreme dieting all too often to an awful health tribulations.For that reason, it is advisable to have a hale and hearty balanced diet that promote weight loss. Please you must be stay removed from too much alcohol some form of. Since a positive outlook towards life promotes a living. So be optimistic and live a stress free life.
Leave a Reply