Powered by the Planet: Cosmic Cookies Fuel Canadian Athletes

(Victoria, BC) - – Cyclist Zach Bell, who is competing in the Olympics in Beijing this month, and triathlete Kirsten Sweetland will both be fuelled by a Planet Organic Markets’ Cosmic Cookie Athletic Sponsorship.

The sponsorship provides organic groceries for one year to help propel the athletes on the road to victory. They each receive $400 worth of groceries every month from Planet Organic Markets so they can have a healthy and powerful diet while training.

“We couldn’t think of a better way to support these up and coming athletes than to provide them with a solid base of nutritious, organic food,” said Diane Shaskin, Vice-President of Marketing for Planet Organic Markets.

Zach Bell is on the men’s cycling team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Originally from Watson Lake in the Yukon, he started his athletic career as a freestyle wrestler. He switched to cycling while attending university and bought his first road bike in 2002. He didn’t let the fact that he got disqualified from his first race and then had his first crash get in his way. The determined young man went on to become a member of the Canadian team.

Kirsten Sweetland, a native of Victoria, ran her first triathlon at age six and hasn’t stopped since. A remarkable athlete, she is ranked third in the world as a senior competitor. She hopes to represent Canada at the Olympics in 2012 and is training with the 2008 Olympic team in Beijing. She will race at the senior elite level in World Cup triathlons around the world in the coming years.

What’s the cookie connection? The original Cosmic Cookie athlete was 2004 Olympic gold medal cyclist Lori-Ann Muenzer of Edmonton.

“Lori-Ann said Planet Organic’s Cosmic Cookie was the one treat she allowed herself,” Shaskin said. “She’s an inspiration, and we decided to name the sponsorship in her honour.”

The Cosmic Cookie is a Planet Organic Markets original recipe made with hemp seeds, flax, oats and Callebaut chocolate. A hot seller that’s been endorsed by both amateur and professional athletes – “we can’t bake them fast enough” – the cookies sell by the thousands each week in stores across the country. The recipe is available in the Planet Organic Cookbook – available through www.planetorganic.ca

For More Information, Please Contact:
Diane Shaskin
Vice-President, Marketing
Planet Organic Markets
Phone: 250-727-0867
dshaskin@planetorganic.ca
www.planetorganic.ca

Please click below to download a pdf of the release.