Masters Feature
SHAUN LEE WILLIE BANKS
Kirby Lee
For Lee, as he continues to get older, his goal is to break each age-group record along the way. And as he progresses, those goals eventually include the world record.
They are generations apart, but on that Saturday, the two were on an even playing field.
“I didn’t realize it at first that there was a ringer in there,” Banks joked. “We were jumping and this kid was keeping up with me. I thought, ‘wait a minute, this isn’t right.’ Each time I would look over at him and be like ‘can you do that?’ We just kept going up and up.”
The opportunities for the country’s top competitors in their respective age groups to face each other, especially separated by more than four decades, can only occur at an all-comers meet. That day the two exchanged blows like two heavyweight prize fighters in a classic battle of the new school versus the old school. Banks progressed through the heights using the traditional western-roll technique and Lee displayed flawless technique in the Fosbury flop.
“A lot of times I consider myself a representative of the old guys,” Banks said. “I use the old style western roll. The old guys get behind me and support me. They are trying to show that it is still a valid technique.”
Ronald Lee
The competition started quietly and with little knowledge by each competitor of anyone else. But eventually the field was trimmed to two.
As the duo continued to progress, the crowds began to grow. Eventually the bar was raised to 1.80m/5-11. After two misses by Banks, Lee cleared on his second attempt. When Banks was unable to clear the height on his final attempt, on this day it was a small victory for the new school.
When competition had concluded, the celebration wasn’t about another victory for Lee or even about the American age-group record Banks had set earlier in the day in the triple jump, which is his Olympic event. It was about celebrating the greatness in one career and the overwhelming potential in another.
“He is an impressive jumper,” said Banks, who is also a member of the USATF Board of Directors. “He is going to be a crown jewel. He already has fantastic technique. He is fearless and I think he is going to have the right stuff.”
“He is a hard little worker,” Ronald Lee, Sean’s father, said. “He is used to putting in 100 percent effort. He is pretty motivated and determined.”
And determination is at the forefront of Lee’s focus as he continues to grow in the sport.
“I want to set all of the age group records,” he said. “I want to go to the 2020 Olympics and I want to break the world record. I just need to keep working hard and to keep trying.”
SHAUN LEE Ronald Lee 23
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