Elaine and Ken Lake. Burlington's International Athletic stars! And yet they never run a relay, throw a javelin or jump a hurdle. Nevertheless, this Burlington couple have been an important part of local, National and International Amateur athletic programmes for over 30 years.
Elaine and Ken are Track and Field Officials and have officiated at Meets all over Canada, the US and in many countries around the world including the Montreal Olympics, the Brisbane Commonwealth Games and for over 10 years, the Hamilton Spectator Indoor Games.
Elaine is an International Track Referee. This means she is responsible for all aspects of Track events where she is officiating. This includes ensuring the event is correctly set up, confirming records, disqualifications, settling disputes and making sure the event meets the required standards and regulations of the IAAF (International Association of Athletic Federations - the World governing body for Track and Field).
Ken is an International Official Starter and Field Referee for events such as discus, hammer and shotput events. He has the same event responsibilities as Elaine when he is officiating.
For this couple it all started when their children were young and they were involved in skating and hockey. Their keen interest in being a part of their children's recreation has led to many years of service to Burlington, Canada and the International community.
They have won so many awards it is impossible to list them all. If you visit their home you will two walls of plaques, pictures and medals, illustrating their great success and the contribution they have made to Amateur Athletics.
Recognition of their efforts has come from around the world. In 1980 and again in 1993 they both received the A J Dunn Award for Sportsman of the Year in Burlington. In 2002 they both received Queens Jubilee Medals as recognition of their work.
There are only about 10 people in Canada who have similar expertise in Track and Field Officiating. Ken points out that it can take up to 15 years for an official to come up through all the levels and reach a point where they can officiate with the same responsibilities as Elaine and Ken.
They are both the only Technical Delegates in Canada appointed by the IPC (Internarnational Paralympic Committee) Federation in England, which includes Wheelchair, Amputee, Blind and Cerebral Palsy competitions.
Because of their considerable knowledge in Track and Field officiating they have been asked to be part of a seminar in Oklahama next year.
And this weekend at LaSalle Park in Burlington they will be officiating at the Ken Lake Cross Country Meet, sponsored by the Burlington Legion Optimists.
Elaine and Ken are great ambasadors for Burlington and certainly deserve all the recognition, accolades and awards they have received. It is also worth noting that every hour they have given over the years (and there have been lots!) is voluntary and they never receive any compensation for their work other than expenses when they travel on IAAF business.
Congratulations Elaine and Ken for the important work you have done for so many years.
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