Tucson, AZ — Freelance journalist Beverley Smith spoke Tuesday in the Race Track Marketing and Media Relations class as well as in the Hirsch Speaker Series on Wednesday.
Beverley is one of two Canadian members of the National Thoroughbred Writers and Broadcasters, which sponsored her visit to Arizona to share her knowledge with RTIP students. She has covered pretty much every sport, focusing on horse racing and figure skating and attended many Olympics. She has won four Sovereign Awards for outstanding writing in Canada on horse racing.
In the Race Track Marketing and Media Relations class, she spoke about how she first became interested in both journalism and horse racing. She also told the class how she broke major stories at the Olympics, and the way journalism has changed throughout the years.
In the Hirsch Speaker Series, Beverley spoke passionately about her partnership with Woodbine Racetrack to ensure that Canadian racing’s rich history will not be lost. What began as a tribute to a deceased jockey has parlayed into a ten story series to celebrate Woodbine’s 60th anniversary by highlighting the careers and accomplishments of Woodbine’s most seasoned horsemen. Trainers like James “Mort” Hardy have shared decades’ worth of experiences with her to preserve their stories as well as bring them to life for new audiences. Beverley described her efforts as more of a passion rather than work and confessed the greatest struggle is narrowing down the stories she can tell.