TSN today confirmed that Rod Smith and Kate Beirness are hitting the road for the Kraft Celebration Tour, as the anchors will team up to host live broadcasts of Canada’s most-watched sports news program, SPORTSCENTRE, on this summer’s cross-country tour fromAugust 16-25.
This marks Smith’s first time on the Kraft Celebration Tour, while Beirness returns after being on the tour for the past two years. Smith and Beirness join fellow TSN anchors Darren Dutchyshen and Jennifer Hedger to lead the special SPORTSCENTRE broadcasts from winning communities across Canada.
Also joining the Kraft Celebration Tour again this summer is RDS, as the network’s daily sports talk show, SPORTS 30 LE MAGAZINE, with anchorsMarc Labrecque, Luc Bellemare, and Valérie Sardin, broadcasts live from winning communities in Quebec.
“Having watched the Kraft Celebration Tour change communities these past four summers, it is truly gratifying to join the magic,” said Smith. “As a proud Canadian, I love to travel across this country and see great places I’ve never seen and meet great people I’ve never met. I can’t wait to sit at theSPORTSCENTRE desk with Kate on what I’m sure will be a trip of a lifetime.”
Rod Smith Biography
Smith currently hosts the 6 p.m. ET edition of SPORTSCENTRE, where his recognizable voice and trusted smooth delivery have been a staple of the program since 1995. In addition to hosting SPORTSCENTRE, Smith provided the play-by-play commentary for Long Track Speed Skating at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and delivered the play-by-play for Aquatics at the London 2012 Olympic Games. For his work on London 2012, Smith was honoured with the first-ever Canadian Screen Award for Best Play-by-Play Announcer in 2013. Smith hails from Nepean, ON and is a former offensive guard for the Queen’s University Golden Gaels.
Kate Beirness Biography
Beirness anchors the weekend edition of SPORTSCENTRE alongside Bryan Mudryk. During the London 2012 Olympic Games, Beirness hosted Olympic Morning on TSN. Prior to joining TSN, Beirness was the sports anchor and videographer for the network’s sister station, /A\ Barrie. Born and raised in Port Perry, ON, Beirness is a graduate of the University of Ontario.
Nominate a Community for the 2013 Kraft Celebration Tour
There is still time for Canadians to nominate their city or town for the chance to win $25,000 towards a community project that improves an existing space or helps create a brand new one. Each winning community will also host one of 10 live broadcasts of SPORTSCENTRE. Canadians can nominate their community online at kraftcelebrationtour.ca and tourneedecelebrationkraft.cauntil June 7.
The Kraft Celebration Tour recognizes the passion and community spirit that brings people together and promotes healthy active lifestyles. Since 2009, theKraft Celebration Tour has helped hundreds of thousands of Canadians in 40 deserving communities with a total of $1 million towards community projects.
