Ottawa Lions win big at sports awards
Posted Jan 29, 2010 By Sheena Bolton
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Tweet ThisEMC Sports The Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club did well at the annual Ottawa Sports Awards, taking home the amateur sports club and male coach of the year honours.
"This is the second or third time we've won the club of the year award," said Andy McInnis, head coach with the Ottawa Lions and male coach of the year recipient. "It's a reflection on our efforts and the sacrifices everyone makes as we are a year-round organization."
During the spring, summer and fall, the club trains at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility at Mooney's Bay Park, and use the Louis-Riel Dome in Blackburn Hamlet during the winter.
Founded in 1973, the club focuses on various levels of track and field, including clinics with children, amateur athletes and Olympic Games participants.
Over the years, the Ottawa Lions has become one of the top national competitive clubs in Canada.
"Awards like this reflect the success we have, in that we don't just look at athletes in training and competitive results, we look at the whole picture," explained Mr. McInnis. "We look at development of officials, requirements of volunteers and coach education."
He added that another focus for the Ottawa Lions is to build strong relationships with many partners, including the City of Ottawa and school boards in the area.
"We are involved with everything from the bottom to the top in all aspects and that's a big reason our club is successful," he said. "We are really sensitive to all aspects of our sport and are pretty giving."
He said the award is an affirmation of a job well done and the club is currently continuing to develop more programs and looking to expand into the west end of the city.
This year's Ottawa Sports Awards marked the first time Mr. McInnis has been honoured for his efforts in coaching.
"I was completely surprised, I didn't even know I was nominated thanks to a sly group," said Mr. McInnis with a laugh.
While not sure who nominated him for the award, Mr. McInnis is modest about his win, saying he was just doing his job.
"I'm a paid professional and I've had the pleasure to do this for a living for over 30 years, so I guess I'm doing whatever anyone paid to do this job should do," he said. "This award is more of a reflection of all the volunteers who work with me and make everything possible."
Over the years he has won a handful of honours for his coaching, including the 1996 Olympic head coach award.
He started his coaching career at a time when coaching wasn't seen as a professional occupation.
"Back in those days you coached three sports depending on the season," he said. "The only thing in spring was track, so I volunteered to coach for the track team and ended up having a good group of athletes."
The Ottawa Sports Awards honoured athletes in 57 sports for their achievements in 2009 and presented 12 trophies, including lifetime achievement honours.
