Top Canadian Female Sportscasters

Still waiting for baseball to figure out who will make the playoffs and see how the new Wild Card system will work. No pro hockey of yet and no sign that we will be seeing it anytime soon. I figured that this would be a good time to give a look and a look back at some of the faces that you may see feeding you the scores, the highlights and the video and the audio of whatever sports or teams that you follow here in Canada. I did a list back in 2009 and you will see some familiar names on that one that are still on the list today and some that have been bumped. It is becoming more regular that you can find a  female anchor on a sports show and that is good. It helps that most that are on air are good at what they do and cover sports and present them well. Here is what Canada is bringing to this party.

Because this is a Canadian list there is a small sample size to pick from. It seems that it is much easier to find good pictures of their American counterparts. Partly because the number of woman with big time duties on TV in the USA have gone up, but the skill level is better then ever. In addition, the limited number of national sports channels limits the scope of this list. The one good thing is that for the most part the 10 is a very solid top 10 so that says something for the quality of the depth.

This is a very subjective list as there is no specific criteria for the ranking system. I am factoring in their physical appearance. Superficial, absolutely, but they are on TV, a visual medium so that counts for a lot. Also there is little worse then a badly called sports highlight (And...Boom goes the Dynamite) so ability carries some hefty weight as well.

And right off the bat we have a tie for 10th -  I didn't want to have to do this but I could not justify leaving either of these ladies off. So without further Ado, let's do this thing.

10 Sophia Jurksztowski - The Score
Although I have only seen her set up a Live update She makes the list if not strictly for good work but I dig the cool name.

10 Alyonka Larionov - TSN
Alyonka is only on every now and again for special coverage and very less important features. She is not a regular and is probably not as polished and will not be seen on the 11pm SportsCenter anytime soon. The Daughter of former KLM line member and Red Wing Igor Larionov may not be at the level of an anchor person but it would be wrong to not allow her onto this list.

9 Sara Orlesky - TSN
Sara is not on the desk very often and is more a sideline-field reporter. She does a good job and is very knowledgeable. She has fallen back after being on the podium in my original list but that is mainly due to he not being as front and center and not getting as much face time.

8 Laura Diakun - The Score
I like her work on the updates. She too has a cool name. Seems to know her sports well and of course fits the other criteria that allows her to excel on TV as opposed to radio. Pretty much everything on her profile on The Score website impresses me as well. I too agree that even though Jim Thome is a sure bet Hall of Famer he is still under rated and he was the first baseball player to send back an autographed card that I sent him

7 Holly Horton - TSN
I still concider Holly as the dark horse in my list. When she had just started, she very raw and her ability was questionable. Over time she have become a first rate anchor, her delivery and knowledge is top notch and she managed to get more attractive which is a nice bonus.

6 Martine Gaillard - SportsNet
Martine has fall on the list pretty much for 1 reason. Haven`t seen her on TV in a long time. When on camera she is top of the class but when MIA she has to expect to be knocked down a peg. She was great at the Score oh so many years ago and did a good job on SportsNet even when the failed loosey goosey hip approach they tried on Connected. Get he back on the anchor desk and she will be promptly promoted. Knows her sports and seems to be a legit fan of sport.

5 Jennifer Hedger - TSN
Jennifer was off for a bit so that didn`t help her. She is still top of the class and her too, like Martine can move up given more airtime and given the freedom to flex her sports knowledge and delivery doing highlights and news.

4 Natasha Staniszewski- TSN
Natasha is the newbie but had cracked the top 5 earlier then I would have thought. She is a very beautiful lady but also does a good job calling whatever sports highlights she is given. She seems to be getting more airtime and that is only helping her case for this type of rating. I am a big fan of her work.

3 Evanka Osmak- SportsNet
Evanka has come a long way from her start and has become a solid sportscaster in her own right. She has dropped a bit but it was nothing that she did. It just came down to a numbers game and she was forced out. Still there is no shame with a podium finish. Bronze is nothing to shake a stick at.

2 Renee Paquette- The Score
This was a tough one as her body of work is still a little raw but natural ability has vaulted her into a silver medal. The work she does on Aftermath is the main reason she is as high as she is on this list. Renee is very attractive and like I said on a superficial list like this counts for a lot but the fact that she brings legitimate interest and knowledge to such things as WWE wrestling gives some major bonus points. It is one thing to be hot, another to be hot and like sports but to do both and add to that an interest in wrestling...rare and impressive. Renee is now doing Score Live and does a good job, especially when forced to work with that Cam Stewart guy ( I am not a fan, kinda wish he was still just on the radio that I did not get and has since stopped broadcasting). For that, even more bonus points are awarded. I am sure ones Rogers takes over she will continue to see good on camera roles.
UPDATE: Renee is leaving the Score and is joining the WWE - Still not going to change the list, she earned the silver and there she stands, With that said she will be missed and I am thinking that I will not be watching Aftermath too often anymore.

1  Kate Beirness - TSN
The true underdog story, and I kind of surprised myself when I was ranking each on the list. At first glance I would not have had Kate this high but the more I thought of it the higher up the rankings she went. Perhaps more of a Mary-Ann type (Gilligan`s Island reference for those who may have missed it) but pulls it off admirably. A very attractive looking lady but the real reason that she is where she is is her on air ability. That put her over the top. She does a great job on the anchor desk and is pretty entertaining as well. A great combination and worthy of the crown.

Top Canadian Female Sportscasters

Before the NCAA tournament begins and the networks will have plenty of coverage of the favorites, all the Mid-Majors and the Cinderella's. I figured that this would be a good time to give a look at some of the faces that you may see feeding you the scores, the highlights and the video and the audio. There was a time where you would almost never see a female on a sports show, maybe on the sideline but even that was a stretch. Now there are many female sportscasters not just sideline reporters but also in prominent and even head anchor spots. The best part of it is that yes they are attractive that is a huge bonus but they are also very talented and knowledgeable. I have chosen to give a quick look at what Canada is bringing to this party.

Because this is a Canadian list that is part of the reason why there are only small head shots. It seems that it is much easier to find good pictures of their American counterparts. In addition the limited number of national sports channels limits the scope of this list but to be able to make a list of 10 with so few options says something for the overall depth.

10. Jody Vance - Leafs TV
Jody was at Sportsnet for a while before moving to Leafs TV. That may play a role on why she has slipped to #10. Also without the national platform she isn’t in plain view anymore and that seems to have cost her a few positions.
9. Christie Chorley - The Score
Not sure if she is still there but seems to be deserving of a top finish. Lesser role and smaller network may hold her back.

8. Daru Dhilon - Roger's Sportsnet
Limited in her role on the network doesn’t work in her favor and doesn’t allow her sports knowledge to be shown.

7. Chantal Machabee - RDS
Basically the only female on the french sister network to TSN. Can’t understand french but I will presume that she is good and is a true professional.

6. Cassie Campbell - CBC Sports/ HNIC
Cassie is a former captain of the women’s national hockey team and not does games for Hockey Night in Canada. She doesn’t do much colour work in the booth but is actually very good when she has and does a great job whenever else she is on camera.

5. Jennifer Hedger - TSN
She should be higher on the list but seems to have slipped. She has done nothing to fall but credit the others on earning a promotion. Some ahead have matured in there roles and Jennifer seems to be a little over tanned.

4. Holly Horton - TSN
She is the dark horse in my list. Back in the day when she had just started, she very raw and her ability was questionable. Over time she have become a first rate anchor, her delivery and knowledge is top notch and she managed to get more attractive which is a nice bonus.

3. Sara Orlesky - TSN
Sara is still finding her voice but does a good job in whatever assignment she does. On screen she is easy on the eyes and that has vaulted her into a top 3 finish.

2. Martine Gaillard - Roger’s Sportsnet
Martine was good on The Score but was notorious for her looks changing on a weekly basis, you never know what look she would throw at you from week to week. Now on Sportsnet she has been stable and always looking top notch. Her ability is top notch and I would give her the nod as the #1 female sportscaster in Canada. It is also an advantage that Sportsnet does a better job of getting their people out to be seen in other forums. Getting time on the FAN 590 (A Rogers station) helps.

1. Evanka Osmak - Roger’s Sportsnet
Evanka has also come a long way from her start and has become a solid sportscaster in her own right. Still a small step behind Martine in overall ability but continually getting better. This is clearly just a shallow, physical reason why she get top billing but still very deserving. Also working in her favor as with Martine is that she has more exposure and I know more about her background and more behind the person info then just in front of the camera.

At this point I will mention to all those who remember Hazel Mae and think that she would be at the top of this list had she not left for NESN (New England Sports Network), she would not! She actually would be lucky if she even makes my list. I didn’t like her doing the morning update show, didn’t like her style and didn’t care for the overall presentation. I just didn’t find her that attractive either. I was glad that she opted to move on.