Kraft and TSN discuss "incredible " Kraft Celebration Tour victory

Representatives from Kraft and TSN were thrilled after Barrhead was named winner of the 2014 Kraft Celebration Tour on Monday, August 25.

TSN SportsCentre anchor Kate Beirness shared her thoughts on Barrhead’s victory.

“I thought it was incredible. We had to tape that congratulatory message right before the announcement and they told us it was Barrhead it was awesome and we were so happy,” said Beirness.

Beirness recounted her experience of the Barrhead stop on the Kraft Celebration Tour.

“The great thing about the Tour is there is something I could pick out about every stop that I loved, especially something about the community, but when we arrived in Barrhead the local organizing committee blew us away. They treated us so well and we knew how much this meant to them so when I heard it was them (Barrhead) all I could do was smile because I knew how much they deserved it. They really do and I know that $100,000 will go so far for them,” added Beirness.

After TSN announced Barrhead as the winner, local organizing committee chair Patty Storseth-Wierenga received a phone call from Beirness.

“It (hearing Barrhead won) was the best and that was why I immediately asked Dimitri for Patty’s phone number because the first thing I wanted to do was congratulate Patty personally,” added Beirness. “When you go as far as to make a connection in 48 hours with someone that means so much. That is not to discredit any of the other communities because they worked really hard as well but there was something unique about Barrhead, I will admit that. At the end of the day, these are just a bunch of down to earth people who really care about having a place where people can go and socialize and be a bigger and stronger community.”

Beirness then discussed the job the local organizing committee did, especially Storseth-Wierenga.

“Patty was so impressive. This was my fourth year on the Tour and if I were to sit here and tell you people that stick out in my mind, it would be people like Patty. I grew up in Port Perry, Ontario and I know people like Patty and I know how hard they work.

“I just know in my position, and maybe it is for a short period of time in my career or my life, I feel that if I can do good or help something along the way, I am going to,” said Beirness. “I will tell you this, I respond so well to people like Patty who work so damn hard for what they want. I will tell you this, straight up, I have Patty’s number and I will be calling her and literally watching that curling rink along the way.”

Kelly Fleming, Kraft Celebration Tour Brand Manager, said Kraft received 519 nominations for this year’s Tour and 1.4 million votes during the 48-hour voting period a month ago. Fleming couldn’t release the number of votes Barrhead received but did say it was a staggering amount.

“You had a lot of votes, you blew the competition out of the water. It was unbelievable in terms of what Barrhead managed to accomplish during the voting period. It was such a short voting period and they did a fantastic job of working with people, young and old, to complete the voting. They really enlisted support from Albertans, residents across the country and even across the globe, quite frankly,” said Fleming.

Fleming shared her thoughts on Barrhead’s victory.

“The Barrhead community embodies everything that Kraft Celebration Tour stands for. That passion for the curling club was unparallel. They demonstrated fantastic community spirit in their quest for the grand prize and really gained the support of the entire country in this victory,” said Fleming.

Fleming shared her thoughts now that another Kraft Celebration Tour has come to an end.

“The Tour was fantastic. The passion Canada had for all of the sports and communities across this country was really outstanding. The top ten finalists now have the funds to help upgrade their local sports and recreational facilities. I couldn’t be more pleased that Barrhead won the grand prize. I think everyone across Canada sincerely congratulates Barrhead on winning the grand prize and we know that extra $75,000 will go a long way to helping the curling rink,” Fleming said. “I think the passion Canada has for sports and recreational facilities and allowing us to lead this program and movement across Canada really makes it all worthwhile. To see people rally together to support the local communities and facilities is so rewarding for Kraft Canada and I hope, it is rewarding for the people that rally together and benefit from this great initiative we are able to support.”

Beirness also discussed the large number of votes Barrhead received during the contest.

“I met someone in town that voted 4,000 times alone. 4,000 times a single person. That’s mind-blowing! Seriously, if everyone is sitting on a computer for however many hours straight and voting galore that’s amazing. That tells you right there, that hands down, you deserve it,” said Beirness.

Beirness explained that one of the benefits of the tour is traveling to small towns.

“Dutchy and I are both from small towns so when we go to a community like Barrhead, I literally feel like I could go and live in Barrhead and I would be so content with my life because the people are so amazing and so welcoming.”

“I also know what a curling club means to a community like that,” she said. “I am glad to see that people in Barrhead realized we are regular, small-town people as well and we just want so much for these communities. We were there for a very short period of time and I felt bad for our crew because I wanted them to experience what we experienced but in our 48 hours in your town, we had just an amazing time.”

Even though this year’s tour is over, Beirness is hoping to make another stop to Barrhead in the future.

“I do take a couple of trips to Edmonton so the minute I can get back there (to Barrhead) and see the progress or see the final product I will make a stop in the next couple of years to see what is going on. To be quite honest with you, I really do hope I can visit Barrhead again to see the final product because that would mean the world to me,” she said.

Beirness went on to share her thoughts about the Kraft Celebration Tour and all of the hard work that goes into making the event a success.

“The tour, in my opinion, was one of the best. It was very diverse this year. The east is a bit of a slower pace and the travel is a little bit easier. The west was a little more difficult, especially the travel from Nanaimo to Barrhead, was incredibly logistically challenging but our crew, this year, and every year, don’t get enough credit. They roll into these towns on four hours sleep but are able to set up the stages and everything is flawless. When it is show time, it is show time,” Beirness said. “In my opinion, it is the sixth year of the tour and the fourth for me, I just think it is a well-oiled machine right now and it was my favourite to date.”

Beirness, once again, reiterated her favourite part of the tour’s stop in Barrhead.

“The best part about Barrhead, hands down, was the people. Patty, everyone at the golf course, and everyone we were with on show day. They were a very interactive crowd too, which we loved so much. I had a great time dancing and singing with everyone,” she said. “I got off the stage at the end of the show and two girls approached us and one of the girls started crying. I could barely contain myself. I didn’t even know how to react to that but it was just because she was so excited and so happy. That pretty much explains everything you need to know about the town. I would say, 100 per cent, the people were the absolute best part.”