Trace Worthington and Sean Smith call Agility Dog National Champs

Dock diving dog. Photo: Chuck Eldredge

ST. LOUIS, Misso. — Olympians and Parkites Trace Worthington and Sean Smith may have forged their friendship while competing in the freestyle skiing events of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics but they’ve kept the chemistry strong as world-class sports announcers. Commentating Saturday’s national agility dog championships on tv was their latest event.

The Purina Incredible Dog Challenge showcased regional-winning canine athletes from around the country as they competed for the titles of national champions in the categories of agility, dock diving, pole weaving, wave surfing, flying disc catching, and running races.  

Worthington and Smith’s voices are familiar to fans from hearing the dynamic duo team-up on other NBC sports events. Trace is a mainstay in the commentating booth for multiple Olympic freestyle aerials and moguls events as Smith is more often the venue P.A. announcer and/or field announcer. The dog competition on Saturday was no different.

They’ve had repeat performances on the microphones for decades at the Deer Valley Freestyle World Cups.

Worthington, when not working closely with the Youth Sports Alliance, founded the Flying Ace Freestyle Shows in the pool at the Utah Olympic Park.

Below are the results of the agility dog championships where Sounders, with his owner Laura Behnke, dove off the dock and into the record books with a distance of 36 feet. Behnke said to Smith in the post-podium interview, “Even though my throw was terrible, he just blew past it, so it was great.”