Thursday, July 6 Inaugural event on ESPN/ESPN2 July 27 - Aug. 4
	June 21, 2000 Because the more than 200 competitors at the upcoming inaugural ESPN Great Outdoor Games are not as well known as top performers in more mainstream sports, here are short bios on 12 of the more intriguing personalities. Included on this list are two husband/wife competitors, mother/daughter Labrador Retrievers who are Flyball teammates, participants ranging from age 12 to 61 and a former minor league baseball player. ESPN and ESPN2 will combine for 17.5 hours of original programming from July 27 - August 4. Mark Malone will host the coverage from Lake Placid, N.Y. Sporting Dogs: Big Air - Renee Adsitt and Lazer, Holland, N.Y. Renee, Lazer's handler, is the youngest competitor in the ESPN Great Outdoor Games at age 12...has been a handler for Lazer since 1998 when she was 10 and Lazer was three...family has been breeding Labrador retrievers for 35 years...trains dogs all summer with her mother, conditioning the dogs for events...lists her mother as her coach and her mentor. Target Sports: Rifle Targets - Keith Atkinson, Edwardsville, Ill. A 61-year-old retired school teacher...has competed in rifle events for more than 20 years -- a hard-working analytical shooter who breaks down every aspect of competition...a self-taught shooter introduced to rifle competitions by his father-in-law. Sporting Dogs: Border Patrol Team A, Mt. Hope, Ontario, Canada The four dogs that make up Border Patrol Team A are: Quiver, the start dog, a four-year old Border collie whose biggest asset is her stamina and quick feet -- has been participating in flyball for three years; Timber, second, a veteran of racing at age six and father of Quiver -- a Border collie who has been competing in flyball for five years; Target, third, a 5 year old mixed-breed runs on a 10-acre farm daily as part of her conditioning program...speed and distance are her strengths; Copper, the anchor dog, a four-year old Border collie runs uses several 2 mile runs per week to keep him in shape. Fishing: One Fish Fly Fishing - Duke Brown, Bozeman, Mont. Moved with his family from Brooklyn, N.Y. to Bozeman at a young age...29 years of fly fishing experience... practices casting every day...serves as a ski shop manager -- is one of the Yellowstone River's most experienced guides. Timber Events: Dany Boulanger-Duperre & Gaston Duperre, Shipshaw, Quebec, Canada Gaston is the favorite to win the hot saw event...he competes in 20 contests per year...training consists of watching video tapes of his own practices and learning from his mistakes...he is a three-time World Champion in the Open Hot-Saw...his wife, Dany, is competing in the women's timber endurance event. Sporting Dogs: Agility (Small) - Karen Gaydos and Casey, Havre de Grace, Md. Karen is a 35-year-old pharmacist who has participated in dog agility competitions for five years...eight-year-old Shetland sheepdog Casey competes in more than 24 events per year and is a favorite to win his category at the ESPN Great Outdoor Games. Fishing: One Fish Fly Fishing - Terry and Wendy Gunn, Marble Canyon, Ariz. Wendy is one of two women competing in the One Fish competition... owns and operates a guide service on the Colorado River at the head of the Grand Canyon... hopes that the ESPN Great Outdoor Games will lure more women to fly fishing -- earned to fly fish from her husband, Terry, against whom she'll compete in the Games. Target Sports: Archery - Randy Hendrix, Clemmons, N.C. Joined an archery club as a child and has been hooked ever since...broke the world record in indoor archery twice...married and father of one...a three-time Buckmaster Outdoor Bow World Champion...serves as a field superintendent in his hometown...a clear favorite to take the gold in archery at the ESPN Great Outdoor Games. Fishing: Bass Fishing - Randy Howell, Trussville, Ala. Grew up fishing at his parents' marina in North Carolina...began guiding at age 11...became a professional fisherman at 21...runner-up for the 1999 FLW Angler of the Year...now 26 years old, he notes his dad as his mentor for the mental side of fishing. Target Sports: Shotgun Grid - Linda Joy, New River, Ariz. An artist by trade, is considered to be one of the top shooters in the world, winning many national and international titles...painting teaches her eyes to look at the negative spaces between the landscape and the sky, assisting her in locating the targets in shooting...admits that she has always been competitive...says, "Being competitive is just in you. Growing up with four brothers, we competed for everything...we even competed for the tuna sandwiches!" Timber Sports: Run, Roll and Drive - Shana Martin, Madison, Wisc. Began log rolling at age seven at her local YMCA...also competitive in gymnastics and track and field...a 20-year-old student at the University of Wisconsin and the first female pole vaulter at the college...competing in log rolling since 1987...holds a red belt in karate. Timber Events: Two-Board Jigger - Mike Sullivan, Winsted, Conn. A 39-year-old tree care expert and former catcher in the Cincinnati Reds organization...has participated in timber events since 1982...married with two children...loves the thrill of chopping...competes in 15-18 events per year. The inaugural ESPN Great Outdoor Games, created and organized by ESPN, will take place July 20-23 in Lake Placid, N.Y. and will feature more than 200 of the world's best competitors in outdoor sports vying for nearly $300,000 in prize money. The competition consists of 21 events in four sport categories.