Posted: July 8, 2005

Athletics: McInnis back on track in Ottawa

OTTAWA - The Ottawa Lions Athletics (track and field) Club (OTTL) announced Friday that Andy McInnis has been hired as the new Director of Programs.

McInnis will officially start in his new role on November 1, 2005, however, he has also been given the mandate to begin drafting a new strategic plan as of August, 2005. He is no stranger to Ottawa athletics, as he was the main architect of OTTL programs throughout the 1990's that have helped the club develop into one of the most progressive and succesful in Canada.

With close to 30 years of experience from the grassroots to the highest international levels of track & field, McInnis brings a broad vision of sport to Ottawa. He has coached at over 20 major games, including 5 Olympic Games, and has organized over 200 Athletics competitions world-wide. He has the ability to see the sport on a life long continuum and understand the complete meaning of the word "development". For the past four years, he has been an associate coach at the University of Hawaii, establishing a program now respected in the NCAA system.

"We are confident that Andy's vision and creative approach to our sport will help us maximize the opportunities now available to us in Ottawa", stated OTTL co-President Colin Timm. "With the addition of the new indoor 400m facility, it was paramount that we develop this senior leadership position to effectively manage the integration of all our programs."

The OTTL, in partnership with the Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario (CEPEO) have recently opened the world's first 400m indoor multisport training facility, located at École secondaire Louis-Riel in Gloucester, Ontario.

"Frankly, I cannot see more potential for any job in our sport than the one in Ottawa", stated McInnis. "The potentials are limited only by effective staged delivery of well planned programs and the organization of human resources to complement them; a kind of "Field of Dreams" approach".

Andy will be attending the Canadian Junior Track and Field Championships in Montreal this weekend, assessing the potential of the 26 athletes who will be representing the OTTL. He will be available for interviews on site in Montreal, and in Ottawa as of Monday, July 11.

Website: OttawaLions.com.