Could she be Canada’s next sports broadcaster?
If you didn’t know Jayne Erickson before, you sure do now. The Bedford, N.S. native and fourth-year St. Thomas student is competing to become Canada’s next sports broadcaster with The Score in Toronto. The competition is called Gillette Drafted: The Search for Canada’s Next Sportscaster.
When asked how this opportunity came about, Jayne replied with a laugh and a big smile.
She said she was working at the Fredericton golf course this summer and got a call from her mom, reminding her that today was the final day to send in an application form.
“I was on the beverage cart when my mom called me and she mentioned that today was the last day to submit an application online for the show,” Erickson said.
She went home, put in an application form and linked it to her third-year journalism class website, which had a few of her stories on it, which she says “weren’t any good.”
The next day, she got a phone call from one of the producers at The Score asking her to go to the auditions in Halifax, along with 60 other people from Atlantic Canada.
“I got through round one, then round two, then round three and then found out that I was selected as one of the final two from Halifax,” Erickson said. “Ironically, the guy who was the other half of the final two in Halifax – Paul Brothers – he’s part of the final five as well.”
Halifax was the first audition city, and the producers told Erickson that if she were chosen to be a part of the final five, then they would call her sometime in June.
“I didn’t really expect much. The whole time I just tried to keep my expectations low ‘cause, whatever, if it didn’t go anywhere it was a fun experience.”
The day had come and gone and the producers hadn’t called to let her know if she had been selected.
“I didn’t get a call so I thought okay no big deal, that’s fine. The next night, I got a call and they invited me to the final five in Toronto. I went there at the end of July and I was there for ten days. We went up there and it was amazing and we shot a bunch of challenges,” she said.
Erickson and the rest of the contestants competed in a number of challenges, and she said she met with a lot of interesting people at The Score.
“We met Derek Snyder, head producer of the show,” she said. “Of the challenges that have already aired we met James Sharman, Simon Bennett and Cabbie. We just shot a bunch of challenges and shot a bunch of promotional things, like the rap (song) and did a photo shoot.”
Erickson mentioned that she was the youngest of all the contests and the only girl in the challenge.
Everyone in the contest had there own specific “style,” she said. Andrew Phung was the funny guy, being that he’s a comedian. Paul Brothers was the rocker, because he was a Much Music VJ. Andy McIssac was the big goofy guy who stuttered and mumbled his way along. Sean Menard was the cocky guy, the Torontonian with the tie.
When asked about her own style, Erickson said “that’s the thing, I couldn’t really have that, and I was the token girl. I think I’m kinda funny, maybe even witty, but you can’t be the funny girl. People don’t like funny girls.”
“I’m not going to go out there and be that stereotypical girl, because that’s just not me and I don’t want to misrepresent myself,” she said. “I’m not going to go out there and try and be really funny or skanky, but I’m also not going to go out there and pretend that I know everything about sports, ‘cause I don’t.”
She said she feels she has certain qualities to bring to the table that the other guys don’t have.
“I just came into it being genuine, and try and represent myself well and sound like I knew what I was talking about. Not like I was pretending to know all the stats and details, because I don’t and people will see right through it. People are really critical of female sportscasters and rightfully so, there aren’t a lot of them out there. You have got to be good and have got to be on your game.”
Erickson said the experience has been amazing.
She had made tons of valuable contacts and learned a lot about the industry.
“It has pretty much been a huge job interview, since June until now,” she said. “The winner gets a contract with The Score as the next sportscaster and becomes a spokesperson for Gillette.”
“It’s difficult since I don’t really shave my face that often. I don’t know how that will pan out.”
