Posted: January 21, 2004

Athletics: Two Ottawa Lions Bound For World's

From Gilles Lamenoise:

Help Local Athletes Represent Canada at World Junior Cross-Country Championships

Ottawa distance runners Mike Woods and Katie Engels continue their training in preparation for the 2004 World Junior Cross-Country Championships to be held in Belgium this coming March.

The two Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club athletes qualified for the event based on their top finishes in the Canadian Junior Cross-Country Championships November 30th that were held in Sunnybrook Park in Toronto.

However, Woods, a Hillcrest high school student and Engel a student of South Carleton, must pay their own way to the event due to a lack of funding in amateur sports in recent years. In a

attempt to support their athletes the Ottawa Lions have developed a Championship Fund that provides much needed funding to its high-performance athletes on a per need basis for national and international competitions such as this.

"Our athletes should not have to pay to represent their country," said Lions Board member Scott MacDonald. "With programs like the Championship Fund we can help athletes like Mike and Katie live their dream of representing their country. It is an honour they have earned, and we hate to think of them missing that opportunity due to a lack of funding."

The Lions in conjunction with the Running Room and the Ottawa 67s, have organized an event to help raise money for Mike, Katie, and other Ottawa Lions high performance athletes.

On February 15th, the Running Room will host a group run at 8 am, followed by a bagels and juice at the store at 901 Bank Street and attendance at the Ottawa 67s game versus the Windsor Spitfires at 2 p.m. at the Civic Centre.

Tickets are available for the 67s for $13 with a portion going to the Ottawa Lions Championship Fund. The tickets are available at all Running Room locations, or through the Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club.

"Some of these athletes could be our future Olympians, so let’s help them get started," said MacDonald.

Profiles:
Mike Woods (17)
Hillcrest High School
Personal Bests
1500m-3:50
3000m-8:16
Accomplishments
4th Canadian Cross Country Championships
2nd Canadian Junior 1500m
OFSAA Champion
Pan-Am Junior Bronze Medallist
9th World Youth Championships

Katie Engel (16)
South Carleton High School
Personal Bests
800m-2:09
1500m-4:32
Accomplishments
6th Canadian Cross Country Championships
#2 ranked Canadian juvenile 800m
OFSAA Champion
Canadian Legion Champion
Fieldhouse Record Holder at St. Lawrence University for 1000m

For more information on the fundraising event please contact Scott MacDonald ksmacd@hotmail.com.

For more information on the Ottawa Lions, contact Hugh Conlin at 247 4886 www.ottawalions.com.