Joy Drop: Big week for Canadian women’s soccer

Friends, the long weekend is here and while there are some very real reasons to be frustrated, I’m going to use this space to offer joy, joy, and more joy.

First of all, celebrating Eid ul Adha with my family was something that brought me immeasurable happiness. I love moments of being together with the family and especially enjoy seeing the little ones enjoying the day and getting to know the family traditions.

Here is my favorite photo from Eid of my two and a half year old nieces Ayral and Ayzal in their beautiful yellow ghararas. Ghararas are a traditional clothing from South Asia.

They are precious and I take great pleasure in spoiling them. I like seeing them in their traditional clothes, even when they are playing football or hopping around.

In more football joy, it was announced that Cloe Lacasse has been signed with Arsenal FC. She joins Canadian goaltender Sabrina D’Angelo with the Gunners. It’s great to see Canadian players at the best clubs in the world.

And Ashley Lawrence joins Jessie Fleming and Kadeisha Buchanan at Chelsea FC.

And while we love Canadians playing in elite leagues, it’s great to see them having fun together at camp in Australia. The team is already training on the Gold Coast.

Another example of great sportsmanship was Jolien Boumkwo (shot putter) who ran the 100 meters hurdles for her team. If she hadn’t done that, Team Belgium would have been eliminated from the European Championship. Boumkwo finished last, but her perseverance and team spirit are incredible. It was great to see a competitor give her a high-five after the race.

I also want to offer this great victory of the Canadian women’s volleyball team over Brazil. Canada beat the Olympic silver medalists in FIVB competition for the first time. It was a fantastic game. Head coach Shannon Winzer is the only female coach in the Volleyball Nations League. We’d love to see it!

At CBC Sports, we work hard to bring you excellent sports coverage, and this clip from Soccer North (hosted by the great Andi Petrillo) is a lot of fun. I am so excited to report to you from Australia. It’s something that brings me A LOT of joy and excitement.

I am so proud to work at CBC Sports and would like to highlight one person in particular: Anastasia Bucsis. She is a broadcaster, presenter and host of Player’s Own Voice podcast. She is someone I respect immensely and her contributions to Canadian sport are immeasurable.

It’s been a tough week for many, so I’ll remind everyone of a simple yet profound statement: All You Need Is Love.