Abby Hornacek
Abby Hornacek
Abby Hornacek is also known as the host of Fox Nation's "PARK'D". She is also well known as the daughter of American professional basketball Coach and former player, Jeff Hornacek. [6]
Education
During high school she was a star volleyball player and third runner-up for Miss . [2]
When she graduated from the University of Southern California as a Limbda Pi Eta National Honors Society Member, USC Phi Sigma Theta Honors Society, Gamma Sigma Alpha National Greek Academic Honors Society, and the Order of Omega, in addition to being in Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. [4] She majored in Broadcast Journalism and minored in Sports Media.[23]
Career
Currently, Hornacek serves as a host of Fox Nation's "PARK'D", "American Arenas" and "Ride to Work" series. She joined the subscription streaming service in 2018.[9]
In making the announcement about signing Abby Hornacek as a travel and lifestyle host, John Finley, Senior Vice President of Development and Production of Fox Nation said, "Abby brings an energetic and unique voice to the table with her sense of adventure and her ability to entertain. We are looking forward to having her as part of the FOX Nation team."[24]
On "PARK'D," Hornacek takes fans behind-the-scenes of the United States' national parks, showcasing the nation's most captivating landmarks while spotlighting various adventures along the way. In "Ride to Work," she conducts interviews with various Fox Nation hosts and Fox News personalities as she drives them to work. [9]
In addition, she was hosting the red carpet at the Fox Nation Patriot Awards, which honors everyday heroes, first responders, veterans and others who have shown incredible acts of heroism.[15]
Prior to joining Fox Nation, Hornacek served as a Television Host at Stadium and Reporter at The Drone Racing League. From 2014-2016, she worked at Fox Sports San Diego, firstly as a Production Intern, and later as a Feature Reporter and Co-Host of San Diego Prep Insider. Previously, she was a NBA Summer League Correspondent and Sports Reporter for NBA. Prior to that, Hornacek was a Multimedia Journalist at Annenberg TV News and Anchor and Producer at Trojan Vision Television.[23][25]
Social Media
As of December 2019, Hornacek has over 52,000 followers on her abbyhornacek Instagram account. She usually posts photos with friends and family, as well as travel and work photos. She also has over 25,000 followers on her abbyhornacek Twitter account. Hornacek mainly uses her Twitter to share her Instagram posts.[6][16]
Personal Life
When Abby Hornacek was growing up she dreamed of becoming a marine biologist.
Working as a host on TV was something she never considered as a career path until she was much older.
"I was extremely show growing up," Abby says.
"… I played sports from a young age and through college.
One day I started thinking, 'If I’m not going to play sports for a living after I graduate college, then why not talk about sports for a living?'"[25]
Abby credits her mom and dad for helping her follow her dream job.
"My parents were influential in encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone and embrace the challenge of doing something I was passionate about, even if it made me uncomfortable."[25]
Abby likes listening to country music, and she also likes to stay sharp with podcasts.
Sometimes she is listening to the news of the day or indulge in a few sports podcasts.[15]
Her favorite NBA player is Giannis Antetokoumnpo.[15]
Abby plays the banjo.
In an interview with The Spun.com she said:
The banjo is coming along.
My neighbors probably don’t like me much, but hey, a girl’s gotta practice somehow!
I started to learn the guitar awhile back and have wanted a banjo since I was in high school, so my first “splurge” after I started working took me to Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, IL (where I was living at the time) and I fell in love with the instrument.
It’s a little trickier than I thought, but YouTube has been a huge help![15]
Samantha Ponder and Robin Roberts were Abby's inspiration:
Some of my role models are Sam Ponder and Robin Roberts.
Both have exceeded in their careers while remaining humble and maintaining their values.
I grew up watching both and as I got older, I followed Sam Ponder closely because of her ability to be natural and showcase a wealth of knowledge.
She’s the type of person who makes you feel like you’re friends even when you haven’t met.
That’s a skill I really want to hone in on, so she has been the perfect role model.[15]
Trivia
Being a student, Hornacek has been appointed as an anchor for Trojan Vision which is a student-operated TV Station however she had to quit it because she decided to play volleyball and represent their university team in May 2012.[28]
Abby ended up being at 3rd runner up spot in the Miss Arizona USA pageant in 2014.[28]
Coronavirus Outbreak
Hornacek launched a new campaign called #BringTheBlood, which encourages people to address the blood shortage by donating their own.
She recently revealed her experience on her new Fox Nation series "Tales of Social Distancing." In the episode, Hornacek talked to viewers about her experiencing donating blood. She said:
"There are still people that need this blood to survive — that is why I started this #BringTheBlood challenge to hopefully inspire our people to where you can go to donate blood and then challenge five more people to do the same and my goal is to get more people out there."