Itâs a sports world after all at Walt Disney World when ESPN The Weekend takes center stage Feb. 25-27, and BASS and ESPN Outdoors will be a part of it.
From live BassCenter tapings on Saturday morning at 7:00 and 10:30 a.m. ET to the CastingKids interactive display that will be open all three days to a bass fishing demonstration on the lake at the MGM theme park, visitors will have every opportunity to get a feel for what bass fishing and the great outdoors have to offer.
âLater this spring, BASS will relocate to nearby Celebration, Fla.,â said Christine Godleski, Vice President and General Manager of ESPN Outdoors. âWe thought this would be a great opportunity to introduce new fans to the excitement of bass fishing and ESPN Outdoors.â
BassCenter debuted on New Yearâs Day as the first derivative of the SportsCenter name. The show covers all aspects of bass fishing, including the BASS and FLW Tour tournament trails.
The program is anchored by John Kernan, formerly of ESPNâs RPM2Night. Kernan is joined by studio analyst Byron Velvick and field reporter Trey Reid. Velvick recently starred on ABCâs popular reality show, âThe Bachelor.â Reid is a highly respected outdoors journalist and former columnist for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
BASSâ CastingKids program began in 1991. Since that time, more than 1.5 million children have participated in the program, and more than $2.9 million in scholarships and prizes have been awarded.
At ESPN The Weekend, CastingKids will have an interactive display where children can pick up a fishing rod with a lure (without a hook) and cast to a target. The target is marked so that the more accurate the cast, the more points are accumulated. The child is awarded points for casting (pitching, flipping and casting) accuracy.
Every child who participates will leave with a âgoodieâ bag that includes a Jr. Bassmaster magazine, temporary BASS and ESPN Outdoors tattoos, a BASS sticker and a CastingKids certificate of completion.
The CastingKids interactive display will be set up within the MGM theme park and will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET all three days.
In addition to the BassCenter taping and CastingKids display, there will be a bass fishing demonstration on the lake in front of the MGM theme park. The demonstration will feature CITGO Bassmaster Tour pro and BassCenter analyst Byron Velvick and BASS Youth Manager Stacy Twiggs.
Bass fishing seminars will be scheduled throughout the day, and a seminar schedule will be posted at the event site.
BASS is the world’s largest fishing organization, sanctioning more than 20,000 tournaments worldwide through its Federation. The CITGO Bassmaster Tournament Trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite 50 series, is the oldest and most prestigious pro bass fishing tournament circuit and continues to set the standard for credibility, professionalism and sportsmanship as it has since 1968.
Since its inception in 2001, ESPN Outdoors has strived to inform and entertain anglers, hunters, campers and people of all ages who enjoy the outdoors. ESPN Outdoors is committed to increasing awareness of outdoor activities, a direction best exemplified by daily television programming totaling nearly 1,000 hours annually on ESPN and ESPN2.
Each year, ESPN Outdoors stages more than 30 marquee events including the CITGO Bassmaster Classic and the ESPN Great Outdoor Games. ESPN Outdoors comprises BASS, the worldwide authority on bass fishing that sanctions more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation. ESPN Outdoors also features Bassmaster.com, ESPNOutdoors.com, a weekly outdoors show on ESPN Radio as well as a growing array of promotions and activities that deliver a clear message of conservation and ethical sportsmanship.
For more information, contact BASS/ESPN Outdoors Communications at (334) 551-2375.
