| Alabama's Kim Bain Becomes First Woman to Qualify for Bassmaster Classic! |
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.
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.
| Kim Bain wons the 2008 WBT Championship and the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year title, earning a berth in the Bassmaster Classic this February. |
 |
This coming February, Kim Bain will join the ranks of Annika Sorenstam and Danica Patrick as a
female competing against the men on her sport's biggest stage. The sport, in this instance, is
bass fishing.
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.
female competing against the men on her sport's biggest stage. The sport, in this instance, is
bass fishing.
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.
| 'I can do us all proud' says Kim ... |
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.
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.
| Copyright © 2006-10 OutdoorEnvy.com All Rights Reserved. Site Design & Programming by Outdoor Envy |
 |
| Visit www.bassmaster.com for full coverage of the Women's Bassmaster Tour Championship from Lake Hamilton, Ark., Oct. 23-25, 2008. |
| You've made it Kim ... Now get out there and WIN it for all Women who Love to FISH! |
 |
January 27, 2008 ... Kim Bain-Moore, the 28-year-old Alabaster, Ala., pro who is the first woman to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic in the event's 38-year history,
won a kingfish tournament last weekend in Florida.
She competed as a member of a four-angler team that included her husband, Bassmaster Open pro and team captain Andre Moore. The team took the top prize in the
first 2009 event of the Southern Kingfish Association's Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour. Bain-Moore also scored first place in the women's division.
"We're so excited," Bain-Moore said the day after the team won with a two-day, two-fish weight of 92.03 pounds. "We've been fishing these tournaments for a while,
and to come through with the win was pretty special. It was an aggregate tournament - we had to catch big fish both days. We were able to do that. It was a good
start to 2009."
Their "Team Crikey" bested a field of 129 teams. Bain-Moore landed their Day 1 fish, a 36.68-pounder.
Next stop for Bain-Moore is the Feb. 20-22 Classic, where she will look to carry forward the momentum from this victory.
won a kingfish tournament last weekend in Florida.
She competed as a member of a four-angler team that included her husband, Bassmaster Open pro and team captain Andre Moore. The team took the top prize in the
first 2009 event of the Southern Kingfish Association's Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour. Bain-Moore also scored first place in the women's division.
"We're so excited," Bain-Moore said the day after the team won with a two-day, two-fish weight of 92.03 pounds. "We've been fishing these tournaments for a while,
and to come through with the win was pretty special. It was an aggregate tournament - we had to catch big fish both days. We were able to do that. It was a good
start to 2009."
Their "Team Crikey" bested a field of 129 teams. Bain-Moore landed their Day 1 fish, a 36.68-pounder.
Next stop for Bain-Moore is the Feb. 20-22 Classic, where she will look to carry forward the momentum from this victory.
February 2, 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.
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.
®
