Joy Drop: Canadian trio kick off Women's History Month with some glorious gold

Friends, we have begun Women's History Month and what a time it is! March is the month where women are recognized, histories celebrated and our possibilities expanded. I enjoy sharing art, writing and content from women all year round. As part of her She/He series, artist Karen Hallion designed a beautiful piece to honour this month. 

When we speak of joy, I love watching my sister-friends thrive in what they do, and that applies to the women I work with at CBC Sports. Two of my buddies, Anastasia Bucsis and Signa Butler, have been calling the speed skating world championships in Heerenveen, Holland for CBC Sports. They called an amazing gold-medal win for Canada in team sprint and their voices and energy made this ice sport so fiery! 

Their professionalism coupled with their enthusiasm is incredible. The championships are all weekend so make sure to catch them on CBC Gem and CBC Sports. And here's some footage of them in the booth. I could watch them all day.  

Power on the ice is something to celebrate and Kwame Mason's latest film, Ice Queens, will premiere on March 8. It features Sarah Nurse, Angela James, Blake Bolden, Saroya Tinker, Mikayla Grant-Mentis and many more legends and hockey phenoms. It's an important film that highlights Black women and girls' contributions to the game. It's a part of our history, our present and the future. I can't wait to watch it. 

The show will debut on Sportsnet 360 at 7:30 p.m. The full film also will be available to stream on ESPN+ starting March 8 and on TVA Sports, NHL.com and YouTube.com/NHL  for viewers worldwide.

The month of February was very hard in parts of the world. A horrific earthquake in southern Turkey, Syria and parts of Lebanon devastated so many lives. Footage of trauma was too much for me. It is heartbreaking.

I have traveled to Turkey and it is a marvelous country. The events that took place are unfathomable. But watching the world embrace and support the victims has been inspiring. Soccer players from around the world — including Canadian men's team players Atiba Hutchinson and Sam Adekugbe, who both play professionally in Turkey — have pulled together to support victims of the quake. 

The Turkish Federation hosted a fundraiser and Kylian Mbappe surprised viewers and pledged to help those affected.  

At a match in Istanbul (a region that was not affected by the earthquake), the supporters of Besiktas threw teddy bears on the pitch for the families who have lost everything. The match was paused at the 4:17 minute mark, the time the earthquake struck. It made my heart swell that we can use sports to amplify important humanitarian issues and campaigns. I saw a story that a dog has been rescued after 22 days under rubble. After I stopped crying I thought about resilience amidst the devastation. And the stories of strength we will see. 

And a downpour of beautiful stuffed animals onto a pitch is not only a reminder that some things are more important than sports, it's a reminder that there can be moments of joy after enormous struggle. 

I hope we continue to work together to provide relief to those who need it. Let us amplify those whom we love and even those we don't know. 

I leave you with this beautiful homage to the friendship between Jamie Lee Curtis and Michelle Yeoh. Their friendship was put on a pedestal last month at the Golden Globes. But it reminds me of the women in my life I am privileged to know, love and root for.