Story and Photo Courtesy of BASS
April 28, 2009
BASS Reporter’s Notebook: Women’s Bassmaster Tour Winner Takes Her ‘Victory Laps’ at Talladega
Women’s Bassmaster Tour angler Janet Parker of Little Elm, Texas, lapped the entire Academy Sports + Outdoors Women’s Bassmaster Tour field April 25 in Louisiana on the Ouachita River when she took her first BASS win by a margin of more than 8 pounds.
A scheduled appearance the next day in Alabama gave her the opportunity to do two more laps — victory laps, if you will — on the track at Talladega Superspeedway.
Parker led the parade lap at the April 26 Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. It was the third year in a row she led the race parade in her Aaron’s Dream Machine bass rig on behalf of her major sponsor, Atlanta, Ga.-based Aaron’s.
She also was at Talladega to accept a commendation given to her and Aaron’s by the U.S. Army Freedom Team Salute. The award was presented to Parker on the Talladega driver introduction stage.
The U.S. Army Freedom Team Salute is a program of the Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff of the Army. Founded in 2005, it recognizes “special supporters” of soldiers and the Army’s mission.
“We’ve raised in excess of $90,000 so far for the Armed Forces Foundation through auctions of a donated boat rig and sponsors’ products. All my sponsors have really stepped up,” Parker said. Aaron’s has donated thousands more to military and veteran groups over the years, she added.
She started her charity efforts soon after making an appearance to talk about fishing at an Air Force base and decided she wanted to do more.
“Although I can’t begin to comprehend the sacrifices the military and their families make for our country, I want them to know that it is appreciated,” she said.
About that second “victory lap” at Talladega: Parker was a passenger in a pace car.
“I wasn’t expecting to do that,” she said. “The G force at 150 mph is incredible. It was scary and very exciting at the same time. The adrenaline going through me was about the same as when I caught my largest bass of 12 pounds, 5 ounces.”
That bass, for the record, was not at a WBT event, but in Mexico at Lake El Salto last December.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Women’s Bassmaster Tour Winner Takes Her ‘Victory Laps’ at Talladega
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Kim Bain-Moore is Fast Approaching Her Biggest Challenge Yet, the 2009 Bassmaster Classic
Story & Photos Courtesy of BASS
January 28, 2009
Professional angler Kim Bain-Moore of Alabaster, Ala., hasn’t slowed down since Oct. 25, the day she qualified for the Bassmaster Classic and became the first woman to do so in the prestigious tournament’s 38-year history.
“Nonstop” was the word the 28-year-old Australian native used in a recent Bassmaster.com blog to describe her life since she won the Toyota Tundra Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year competition, her route to the Feb. 20-22 Classic out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La., on the Red River.
With so much going on in her life now, is Bain-Moore in danger of hitting the river running on empty?
No way.
“I think I function on the excitement,” she said Monday. “I just jump from one thing to the next, and I’m always excited to go to the next thing, and that keeps me pumped.”
She said she was on her way to Connecticut for a taping at ESPN headquarters.
“They’ve invited me to be involved in a special about women who have achieved important milestones in sports, and they think that my story and the Bassmaster Classic is an interesting angle,” she said. “I’m really excited to be a part of it.”
She was also excited about her win the day before in a pro-level kingfish tournament out of Key West. Bain-Moore teamed with three other anglers, including her husband, Andre Moore, to take the top overall prize, and Bain-Moore scored first place in the women’s division.
“We’ve been fishing (kingfish events) for a while, and to come through with the win was pretty special,” she said.
As much as that win meant to her, she said the Classic, now less than a month away, still counts as the biggest competition of her life.
One reason, of course, has to be the first-place prize of $500,000; no one forgets what winning it could mean. But the reasons Bain-Moore cited had more to do with the energy of the Classic.
“It’s an event I’ve been to as a spectator, and I’ve always been amazed at the crowd participation, the huge numbers it draws, and how exciting it is when the anglers drive in and their song plays. I’ve dreamed about being in the Classic my whole life, and now it’s really happening.”
She’ll be competing against the biggest names in pro fishing for a crown known to lead to lucrative sponsorship deals and a flurry of speaking engagements and public appearances. Not to mention instant fame.
The fame, Bain-Moore already has. It began to build in early 2008, her rookie year on the Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors, when she pulled off an upset win in the season opener. She kept up the pace, never finishing lower than sixth place in the tour’s other events. She wrapped up 2008 with a coup: same-day wins in the tour’s championship and points race that qualified her for the 2009 Classic.
And then the media really sat up and noticed Bain-Moore. She appeared on ESPN’s First Take, and the news of her Classic qualification was covered by SportsCenter and ESPNews. CBS Evening News with Katie Couric produced a segment on Bain-Moore for the Dec. 11 broadcast. Features on Bain-Moore have run in magazines and U.S. newspapers — USA Today and The Palm Beach Post, to name just two — as well as in the Australian media. An Internet search for her name produces scores of hits.
She handles the publicity well. Poised, well-spoken and sincere, she comes across as exactly who she is: a serious competitor who loves the sport. She is appreciative of those who have helped her. She readily acknowledges her debt to the women who pioneered the sport, paving the way for her Classic qualification.
Admittedly, her hectic schedule has put prep time for the Bassmaster Classic on the Red River on the back burner.
“I haven’t really done a lot in regards to getting my tackle ready,” she said. “Of course it’s been on my mind every day, and I’ve been thinking about it. Certainly, once I get back home to Alabama, which will be in about a week’s time, I’ll be doing nothing else but getting ready.”
She has been working on sponsorships. She said her new Legend-Evinrude rig with a Reaction Innovations wrap is almost ready to roll. She also has cemented first-time deals with Plano and Pflueger, strong additions to her sponsors lineup, as well as previous seasons’ supporters Hi-Seas/AFW, Minn Kota, Humminbird and PowerPole.
In a few weeks, Bain-Moore will be in Shreveport-Bossier City for official practice days, Feb. 13-15. She said only after those three days on the water will she have an idea of how she’ll attack the Red River fishery.
“I really just want to go out the first day of the tournament, put my head down and try to make good decisions,” she said. “Whatever (weight) I catch will be what I catch, and I’ll certainly be proud of it, whatever it is.”
The public is invited to daily launches presented by the Red River Waterway Commission at 7:15 a.m. CT, Feb. 20-22, at the Red River South Marina, Highway 71 South in Bossier City. Also free and open to the public, the daily weigh-ins will be at the CenturyTel Center, 2000 CenturyTel Center Drive, Bossier City. Doors will open each day at 3:30 p.m.
About BASS
For 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multi-media platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive Web properties in Bassmaster.com and ESPNOutdoors.com, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content – from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage – to passionate audiences.
The organization oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Women’s Bassmaster Tour and the Bassmaster Classic, the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS sanctions more than 20,000 events annually.
BASS also offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
51st Qualifier Highlights Women in Bass Fishing
January 20, 2009
Story and Photo Courtesty of BASS
BASS Reporter’s Notebook: ESPN2 Show 51st Qualifier Highlights Women in Bass Fishing
When Kim Bain-Moore of Alabaster, Ala., became the first woman to qualify for a Bassmaster Classic, she joined an exclusive club whose pioneering members include Vojai Reed, who in 1991 was the first woman to compete in a BASS event, and Sugar Ferris, who in 1976 founded the former Bass’n Gal circuit.
Ferris and Reed are two of the people featured in 51st Qualifier, a programming short that debuted last Saturday morning on ESPN2 that traces how women broke the glass ceiling in competitive bass fishing.
“To be the first woman to fish a Classic would really be overwhelming,” said Reed, who hails from Broken Bow, Okla., and is the wife of 1986 Bassmaster Classic champion Charlie Reed.
Also interviewed for the piece was veteran pro Kathy Magers of Waxahachie, Texas, an early advocate of women’s bass fishing. In 2005, Magers helped BASS establish the Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors, the avenue through which Bain-Moore earned an entry into the 2009 Classic by winning the 2008 Toyota Tundra Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year title.
51st Qualifier will be broadcast four more times before the Feb. 20-22 Bassmaster Classic, in which 51 anglers — including Bain-Moore — will compete on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La., for a $500,000 first-place prize.
To see the segment again before the Classic, fans can tune in at 7:26 a.m. Jan. 31 and Feb. 7; and at 5:26 and 7:26 a.m. Feb. 14. It’s also scheduled to be shown at 5:26 a.m. Feb. 21 and 28, and in the same time slot March 14, 21 and 29.
All times are Eastern.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Alabama’s Kim Bain Becomes First Woman to Qualify for Bassmaster Classic
Story & Photo Courtesy of B.A.S.S.
October 25, 2008
Kim Bain has been to the Bassmaster Classic as a spectator and an ESPN2 analyst and now in four months, the Alabaster, Ala., pro will attend the Classic as the first woman competitor in its 39-year history as she secured the ultimate prize Saturday, earning the Toyota Tundra Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year and the subsequent Bassmaster Classic berth with a dominating season-long performance.
In her first year competing on the Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors, Bain has been cool and collected throughout, fighting the significant nerves in trying to accomplish the historic feat. The 28-year-old broke down Saturday after finishing first at the Women’s Bassmaster Tour Championship presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors on Arkansas’ Lake Hamilton, her second victory of the five-event season. Bain scored bookend victories in her banner season sandwiched around two second-place finishes and a sixth.
Bain left her birthplace of Brisbane, Australia, when she was 19 to pursue a career in professional bass fishing, which was a tough decision at the time. The AOY, Classic berth and Championship win have cemented her reputation as one of the top women anglers in the world and validated her decision.
“I truly have come full circle. I grew up watching the Bassmaster Classic and reading about it and have experienced it on many levels” said Bain, who was presented the Classic invitation by Bobby Murray, the 1971 and first Bassmaster Classic champion. “Qualifying is a dream come true. Hopefully, I can make female anglers everywhere proud.”
Despite Bain’s dominating regular-season performance, she entered the tournament within striking distance for the AOY. Cindy Hill of Smyrna, Tenn., and Juanita Robinson of Highlands, Texas, failed to leapfrog Bain at the Championship and Bain seized the momentum on the second day of competition, taking home a $55,000 boat package and $5,000 with the victory.
Bain now has four months to experience the publicity onslaught sure to follow her to the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, set for Feb. 20-22 on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
“I had a big dream as a kid to fish in the Bassmaster Classic,” said Bain. “Anytime you accomplish something that you have put a lot of work and time into, it is pretty special.”
The full list of AOY standings can be found below.
The Championship event closed out the WBT season, which Academy Sports & Outdoors supported as a presenting sponsor. Jerry deBin, outdoor marketing director for Academy, reflected on the history-making season.
“Academy Sports & Outdoors is excited to be sponsoring another women’s sporting event” said deBin. “We are especially pleased to partner with BASS in creating an environment where the first woman angler will qualify for the Bassmaster Classic.”
Sponsors of the Women’s Bassmaster Tour include Academy Sports & Outdoors, Toyota Tundra, Advance Auto Parts, Lowrance, Mercury, Skeeter, Yamaha, OPTIMA Batteries, Triton Boats, Legend Boats, MoGills and Mustang.
About BASS
For 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multi-media platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive web properties in Bassmaster.com and ESPNOutdoors.com, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage to passionate audiences.
The organization oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Women's Bassmaster Tour and the Bassmaster Classic, the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS sanctions more than 20,000 events annually.
BASS also offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
2008 TOYOTA TUNDRA WOMEN’S BASSMASTER TOUR ANGLER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS
1. Kim Bain Alabaster, Ala. 1200
2. Juanita Robinson Highlands, Texas 1140
3. Cindy Hill Smyrna, Tenn. 1133
4. Pam Martin-Wells Bainbridge, Ga. 1097
5. Lucy Mize Ben Lomond, Ark. 1073
6. Angie Douthit Clewiston, Fla. 1070
7. Sheri Glasgow Muskogee, Okla. 1055
8. Patti Campbell Waxahachie, Texas 1038
9. Debra Petrowski Arlington, Texas 1030
10. Audrey McQueen Eagar, Ariz. 1017
11. Lisa Sternard Clarksville, Tenn. 1013
12. Jan Heavener Sherwood, Ark. 1006
13. Bonnie Johnson Weatherford, Texas 1002
14. Laura Gober Pendergrass, Ga. 1000
15. Dianna Clark Bumpus Mills, Tenn. 978
16. Kat Ealey Moody, Ala. 975
17. Tammy Richardson Glenwood, Ark. 972
18. Mary DiVincenti Clinton, La. 957
19. Kathi Hurst Ripley, Miss. 950
20. Helen Gordon Flower Mound, Texas 948
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
BASS Reporter's Notebook
October 8, 2008
Jan Heavener of Sherwood, Tammy Richardson of Glenwood and Lucy Mize of Ben Lomond are looking forward to representing their home state at the event on Hamilton, a 7,200-acre impoundment of the Ouachita River on the southern edge of Hot Springs.
“It’s a beautiful lake with a big population of spotted bass,” said Heavener, who is a first-time WBT Championship qualifier. “I fished it a few years ago, but I really don’t know the lake. I was there in the hot summer just to learn my way around, and I’ve been back to practice the past few weekends.”
Mize, a one-time WBT event winner who has qualified for all three of the circuit’s championships, said she’ll scout Hamilton for a few days before the cutoff, a practice approach with which she’s most comfortable.
“I have fished Lake Hamilton, but not for several years,” said Mize, who lives more than 100 miles from the championship fishery. “I have some areas in mind that I’ll concentrate on. I think the lake plays to my strengths, but Hamilton is going to be a tough tournament.”
Richardson, also a championship qualifier since the WBT's inception, spent about a week scouting the lake.
“I have so many other lakes closer to me — Ouachita, De Gray and Lake Greeson — that Hamilton isn’t one I’ve fished a lot,” Richardson said. “But I have competed on Hamilton in team tournaments. This time of year, the fish are in transition to fall patterns, and you can catch them deep and you can catch them shallow.”
All three home-staters said a win in Arkansas would be the icing on the cake of the WBT Championship title, which includes a Triton/Mercury boat rig valued at $55,000, plus $5,000 cash.
The competition will be the biggest event of the WBT season on another count: It will result in the first woman to qualify for a Bassmaster Classic. The Toyota Tundra WBT Angler of the Year, the pro who has amassed the most points through the season, will qualify for the Classic. She will be up against 50 other anglers in the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, set for Feb. 20-22 on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
The points leaders going into the Lake Hamilton event are Kim Bain of Alabaster, Ala., who has 890 points; Cindy Hill of Smyrna, Tenn., who has 876 points; and Juanita Robinson of Highlands, Texas, with 855 points.
While one of the points leaders could score both the Classic berth and the championship title, it’s possible that the championship winner will be among the other 17 qualifiers.
The three pros from Arkansas know they are perhaps too far behind to catch the points leaders, but they’re more than happy to be able to focus on taking the WBT Championship trophy.
“All I can do is get out there and try to win it,” Heavener said. “Winning would be the highlight of my career, of anyone’s career. To have it happen in my home state would be even more special.”
For more details on the event, click here.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Oklahoma Angler, Denese Freeman Qualifies for Women’s Bassmaster Championship
Championship qualifiers were announced September 20th following weigh in of the fourth and final event of the 2008 season held in Appling, Georgia on Clark's Hill Reservoir.
The top twenty pro anglers and top twenty co anglers accumulating the most points, after fishing all four qualifying events, made the final cut.
Freeman was stunned when her name was announced. She started the year right by winning first place in the co-angler division on Lake Lewisville (Texas,)receiving a 2008 Skeeter boat package valued at $25,000. But Freeman struggled at the remaining three events and worried that her goal to qualify for the Championship might be unattainable.
But her one fish catch at the September Georgia event gave her the points needed to place 17th in the final standings, going into the Championship. First and second place Pro Division finishers at the Championship will receive two fully rigged Triton boat packages valued at $50,000 each. In the Co-Angler Division, first and second place finishers will each receive a boat package valued at $25,000.
Also, for the first time in history, the Pro division Angler of the Year (determined at the championship) will earn an automatic berth into the Bassmaster Classic - considered by most to be the "Super Bowl of Bass Fishing." This prestigious event will be held on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana in February 2009.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Woman To Earn Berth in Bassmaster Classic
BASS Reporter’s Notebook:
Who Will be the First Woman to Qualify for the Bassmaster Classic?
The chance to make history by being the first woman to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic has motivated every pro who’s competing this year on the Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors.
For the first time, the winner of the Toyota Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year points race will receive a qualifying berth into the Classic. As the first woman to qualify for the Classic, the angler will earn a place in the record books, no matter how she fares against the other 50 contenders in the Feb. 20-22 event on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
WBT rookie Kim Bain of Alabaster, Ala., has held the lead in the AOY points race since she pulled off an upset win at the 2008 season opener in Texas. Gunning for her top spot are formidable competitors, including Juanita Robinson of Highlands, Texas, who is just 23 points behind, in second place.
Robinson, a one-time WBT winner who has finished in the top 10 in every event this season, will try her best to overtake Bain at next week’s Clarks Hill Lake tournament in Georgia.
“I’m not paying attention to the numbers, I’m just working as hard as I can,” Robinson said. “I’ve been coming in earlier to events all season, spending a ton of time on the water practicing. I got to Clarks Hill Wednesday night (Sept. 3), and I’ve been out on the water every day since.”
In third place — 65 points behind Bain — is the reigning AOY, Sheri Glasgow of Muskogee, Okla., who has a win and 10 other top-10 finishes in her career on the women’s tour. Like Robinson, she isn’t obsessed with crunching numbers to work out possible points scenarios.
“I have a ballpark idea of where everybody’s sitting, but if you allow the points thing to get in your head, you can’t concentrate on fishing, on what you need to be doing at the lake,” Glasgow said. “I keep busy with my job when I’m not fishing, so I don’t even think much about a tournament until I’m physically there. I think there’s an advantage in that because, in the sport of fishing, you can overthink and mess yourself up.
“Don’t get me wrong, I talk to people about it. The Classic spot is as big as it gets for women in fishing.”
And then there’s Patti Campbell of Waxahachie, Texas, 92 points behind Bain. Not to mention Pam Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, Ga., 94 points out. Martin-Wells’ record could give anyone reason to pause: she has won a multitude of bass tournaments in her career, including three WBT events: the preview event of 2005 before the tour officially kicked off, the 2006 championship, and a 2008 tournament in Alabama.
A new twist to the WBT points system this year — what’s known as “the drop” — might help some and might hurt others.
Here’s how it works: Pros compete in four regular-season tournaments (Clarks Hill being the final one), earning points on a sliding scale according to finishes. After the Sept. 18-20 Clarks Hill event comes “the drop”: Each pro’s lowest tournament finish will be dropped from the points tally. The resulting top 20 in the standings earn the right to compete in the fifth 2008 event, the Women’s Bassmaster Championship presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors on Lake Hamilton out of Hot Springs, Ark.. Points earned at that Oct. 23-25 event will top off each pro’s total.
That’s when one pro will emerge as the points race winner to be the 2008 Toyota Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year, and thus the historic Classic qualifier.
About BASS
For 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multi-media platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive Web properties, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content – from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage – to passionate audiences.
Monday, August 4, 2008
WBT Pro Sheri Glasgow Get's Keys to Toyota.
Story Courtesy of ESPN / BASS Communications
Photo By Kathy Magers
Reigning Toyota WBT (Women's Bassmaster Tour) Angler of the Year Sheri Glasgow just picked up her prize, a 2008 Toyota Tundra CrewMax 4x4 Limited with all the extras.
“It is gorgeous, I mean gorgeous. You name it, this truck has it. They let me load it up, and it’s tricked out,” said Glasgow, who earned the vehicle by winning the 2007 AOY title in the Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors.Toyota of Muskogee — the dealership in her Oklahoma hometown — handed the WBT pro the keys in a ceremony that marked the conclusion of several months of arrangements to build the truck to her specifications.
“The dealership and Toyota did everything they could to get the truck just right,” Glasgow said. “It’s such an unusual truck, the guys at Toyota of Muskogee were as excited as I was to first see it.”The four-door truck has a beige leather interior with ostrich leather insets on the doors, console and headrests, a creation of the custom boot maker Lucchese.
The exterior has a two-tone custom paint job, a combination of “super white” with “desert sand mica” along the bottom. Other extras include 20-inch alloy wheels, matte-black running boards, a backup camera, built-in GPS navigation unit, moonroof, power-adjustable tow mirrors and a sound system with 12 speakers.
Among those on hand to witness the handing over of the keys was 9-year-old fishing fan Riley Hamm, daughter of Toyota of Muskogee’s general manager, Rick Hamm. She had asked her father if she could meet Glasgow and get her autograph.
“He had mentioned that his daughter loves to fish with (Zoom) Brush Hogs in ponds, so I brought her some,” Glasgow said. “I walked in and heard her say, ‘Look, Dad, Brush Hogs!’ and I hadn’t even gotten over to her yet.”