OPINION | Joy Drop: Celebrating Caroline Ehrhardt’s awesome leap of faith | CBC Sports

Friends, what a week of joy! There has been history made on the ice by formidable women lately and I can’t wait to start there, then move to the pitch, then to the track, and then to the toy box.  I’ve got a plethora of happiness to share with you. 

Raphaëlle Tousignant is the first woman to play for Canada’s mixed gender Para hockey team at a major international tournament, suiting up in the world championships being held in Moose Jaw, Sask. It is so important for young players to see Tousignant on the ice and carving space for their dreams. 

Congrats to Hilary Knight, who was named the Female Hockey Player of the Year. This is the first iteration for that award and it deservingly went to the American player who captained this year’s world championship team. 

FORE! Earlier this week, 100 golfers from 80 First Nations across British Columbia competed in the first Indigenous golf tournament. There are barriers for Indigenous youth in entering the sport and events like this are necessary for them to build confidence and thrive.

Christina Proteau is the chair of the event, which was co-hosted by the provincial government and the Osoyoos Indian band, who also own the golf course.

“To have us all gathering together as a group doing this … to me that’s reconciliation,” Proteau said, adding the tournament will be a legacy event hosted by a different nation each year. Austin Krahn, 15, of Christina Lake, won the tournament. 

Canada’s women’s rugby team will play New Zealand and Australia in a series of friendly matches at TD Place on July 8 in Ottawa. For anyone familiar with rugby, this is important considering New Zealand are the reigning world champions, and it has been eight years since Canada was awarded an international hosting opportunity for the women. 

Rugby Canada is offering free tickets to all school-age children in the Ottawa region. So make sure you get yours before June 4th! There will be several grassroots initiatives including opportunities for kids to try rugby to gain an entry point into this growing sport. 

On the track, Canada’s Caroline Ehrhardt broke the women’s national triple jump record with an astounding 14.03-metre leap. This is a tremendous feat from an athlete whose career has spanned more than 18 years. Her story is incredible and I wanted to share this moment because in 2021, Ehrhardt created a mock CBC article to inspire and motivate herself. 

This is a lesson in elite vision-board planning and also joy. What a wonderful moment for Ehrhardt and her team of coaches. Her crying at the end and being enveloped in love from her teammates and then husband is brilliant. Her message to her younger self is so important to share. It’s a full circle moment for her success.

I was delighted to see Our Game Australia, featuring my dear friend Assmaah Helal in a wonderful spot describing her love for the beautiful game and how she came to be working full time in sport. She is a legendary changemaker in the soccer ecosystem.

I love LEGO and was delighted to see that the toy company revealed a special set called Icons of Play for the Women’s World Cup. It features Megan Rapinoe (USA), Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria), Sam Kerr (Australia) and Yuki Nagasato (Japan). The promotional video is so much fun and I think this is a fantastic way to build excitement —literally — about women’s soccer. The best thing about LEGO is that there is no age limit. And that works great for me!

I hope you build lots of happiness into your weekend!