Volume 25, Number 32
www.berlincitizen.com
Thursday, August 10, 2023
Masters athlete qualifies for world championships By Bryant Carpenter Record-Journal staff
Bottles of Advil might have been as ubiquitous as bottles of Gatorade. Knee and ankle braces were set along with the battle faces. But they were fixed firmly all the same at the 2023 U.S. Amateur Track & Field Masters Championships in Greensboro, N.C., where an elevated age bar did nothing to lower the competitive bar. In the mix at the July event was Jack Banks, a javelin thrower from Berlin. A career spent owning and running gyms,
including Powerhouse Gym in Webster Square, has Banks looking far younger than his 65 years — far fitter, too, even if his bone-on-bone right shoulder joint might beg to differ. Mounting his best performance ever at the national meet, Banks finished second in the 65-69 Division with a throw of 142 feet, 3 inches. It came on the third of his six attempts. Only Len Garza of the Greater Philadelphia Track Club, who landed 145 feet, 9 inches, threw farther.
Berlin resident Jack Banks, co-owner of the Powerhouse Gym in Webster Square, placed second in the javelin in the 65-69 age division at this summer’s U.S. Amateur Track & Field Masters Championships and qualified for next year’s World Championships in Sweden. Submitted photo
See Jack Banks, A9
Lee foundation closes in on $600K of charitable giving By Robert Mayer Special to The Citizen
If you ask people around Berlin what the Ryan T. Lee Foundation does, many would likely point to the charity golf tournament it hosts at Timberlin which is followed by dinner at the Aqua Turf. But the golf tournament is only one of the foundation’s annual fundraising efforts. Dedicated to honoring the enduring spirit of Ryan Lee, the non-profit actively seeks out opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others. Lee died in 2009 from injuries suffered when he was hit by a car in Brooklyn near his college, Long Island University. Lee was a star golfer The 13th Annual Ryan Lee Golf Classic was held Friday, Aug. 4 at Timberlin. The golf classic is just one of many fundraisers put on by the Ryan T. Lee Foundation each year. and basketball player at Berlin High School, and con- Above right: Dan and Amanda Lee. Photos by Robert Mayer tinued his golf career at LIU. Dan Lee said before the start ber] Jim McNair to get inour mission was going to be. Lee is survived by his faof the 13th Annual Ryan Lee volved because he was the None of that was easy. And ther Dan, his mother Teresa president of the Boys Club the whole time, we were still Golf Classic, held Friday, and his sister Amanda. Aug. 4. “Then we had to figand other organizations and grieving Ryan’s loss. But, I can say for me, it was helpful “We ran the golf tournament ure out what we really want- knew how to build a noned this thing to be. What did profit. Then we had to debecause it gave me and our that first year because his we want the foundation to family purpose and somecide who we were going to friends John McNair and be. We asked [board memgive the money to and what thing to look forward to.” Tim Cote refused not to,”
The foundation’s board of directors is made up of Dan Lee, Jim McNair, Rob Josephson, Mike Rugens, John McNair, Tim Cote and Mark DiLoreto, and each brings a different skill set to the table. “I got on board a few years ago because I’m retired and thought it was a great way to help out,” DiLoreto said. “I now feel like I am part of a family here. I have a whole new group of family members and what they do daily is nothing short of a miracle.” Here are some examples of the foundation’s work: On or near Ryan’s birthday in July, a parade of volunteers come together to hold a food drive to re-stock the Berlin Food Pantry. July and August are two of the toughest months for the pantry, so the timing of the drive is perfect. However, the weather could not have been much worse for this year’s drive, held on July 16. See Lee, A6