With no competitive outlet in youth, Lones Stern-Banks finds fulfillment as a CrossFit athlete.
When Lones Stern-Banks was in high school, Title IX didn’t exist.
“All we had was P.E.,” she said.
In her teenage years, she showed natural athleticism. But there were few ways for her to express it because the 1972 federal mandate—credited with championing equal opportunities, especially in sports, for girls and women—was not yet law.
More than 40 years later, at the age of 60, she’s deadlifting 295 lb., and on Thursday morning she knocked out 12 ring dips—12 more than she’d ever done before—at the CrossFit Games masters competition. Stern-Banks competed in the Women’s 60-plus Division.
“I’ve been feeling very moved by all the women my age,” said Stern-Banks, wiping away tears. “It’s just meant so much.”
Then she added with a laugh: “I’m working on my mental game. Obviously.”
Her husband, soon-to-be-retired firefighter Michael Banks, said the experience of competing at the Games as a master has been a goal finally realized.
“This is a really, really good thing for her,” he said minutes after she finished Thursday morning’s Down & Back Chipper.
And it provides an outlet for people over 40 to “finally kind of fulfill their dreams,” he continued. “People our ages still want to be involved in something competitive, and CrossFit provides that opportunity.”
Back home in Walnut Creek, California—about 16 miles north east of Berkeley—Stern-Banks is a court-appointed special advocate. She helps children who have been abused and neglected with everything from court appearances to obtaining psychiatric and medical care.
Her and her husband have three children—one of whom, Connor, won the CrossFit Total event at the 2007 inaugural CrossFit Games in Aromas. Those children, as well as her four grandchildren, are the reason why the couple continues to show up at CrossFit Sweat Shop’s 6-a.m. class. Stern-Banks’ parents died young: at 45 and 53. She thinks about that often.
“I want to be here for my children and grandchildren,” she said.
And being a Baby Boomer will not deter her, Stern-Banks added.
“We’re not gonna lie down.”
After starting CrossFit several years ago—she’s tried to qualify for the Games three times—she’s given up chocolate, bread, butter and rice. She’s lost weight and built “a lot” of muscle. Today, she weighs 138 lb. at 5 foot 3.
“I love the size of my body,” she said, smiling.
And her language has also changed over the past three days.
“I started out saying ‘shoot’ … and now I’m saying ‘shit’ and ‘fuck,’” she said, repressing laughter.
Stern-Banks was one of nearly 200 athletes who vied for three podium spots across five divisions each among men and women. During the three days, stands at the masters competition were filled more than ever before with families and friends of competitors leaning over railings and barricades to make the shouts of support seem ever closer.
Rafael Guijarro’s daughter held large, white poster board with the words, “Go Daddy We Love U!” painted in purple and orange. As the 40-year-old from Southern California made his way through the deadlift ladder, she screamed, “Come on, dad! You got this!” After he lifted 385 lb., she hollered, “Do it again!”
Even Bryan St. Andrews, owner of CrossFit Nittany in Pennsylvania, was yelling out to his mom, 60-year-old Cathie.
“Let’s go, mom,” he shouted as the 122-lb., 5-foot-7 athlete lifted 175 lb. And, “Light weight, mom,” after she lifted 195 lb.
Looking back to the first Games in Aromas—three years before organizers introduced the masters competition—it’s “mind boggling” to see the fitness of athletes over 40 and how much CrossFit has grown, Michael Banks said.
As he stood near his family’s small tent behind the StubHub Center’s track, where masters competed for three days, he surveyed the competition floor with a look of disbelief.
“Amazing to see, I tell you.”
Masters Men 40-44: Shawn Ramirez
Masters Women 40-44: Amanda Allen
Masters Men 45-49: Jerry Hill
Masters Women 45-49: Kim Holway
Masters Men 50-54: Will Powell
Masters Women 50-54: Mary Beth Litsheim
Masters Men 55-59: Steve Hamming
Masters Women 55-59: Susan Clarke
Masters Men 60-plus: Scott Olson
Masters Women 60-plus: Karen Wattier
For complete results, visit the Leaderboard.
