Sports·Opinion
CBC Sports Senior Contributor Shireen Ahmed’s weekly roundup of the things that struck her from the week that was.
CBC Sports’ senior contributor Shireen Ahmed on the week’s happier moments
Shireen Ahmed · for CBC Sports
· Posted: Jan 26, 2024 12:11 PM EST | Last Updated: 1 hour ago
B.C.’s Betty Brussel broke three world records in swimming. (Anne Penman/CBC)Hi, Friends! I have enjoyed one of the most magical weeks of my life! I have a wonderful tale to tell. As you know, it was my birthday and nothing brings me more joy than my birthday.
It’s right up there with sports, coffee and cats. I traveled to London, England to participate in a panel discussion with other phenomenal South Asian women who work in sports and/or sport media.
My dear friend, Miriam (Mim) Walker-Khan is the genius behind the award winning Brown Girls Sport, which organized the entire event at Chelsea FC’s home ground, Stamford Bridge.
But the day before that, Mim told me she got me tickets to see Hamilton, the musical in London’s West End. I was excited. Little did I know that it was a ruse.
My husband, Mark, flew over for one day to surprise me and celebrate a beautiful day with me before flying back early on Sunday for his own work commitments.
Mim captured the moment of surprise on video.
I am still reeling from that moment. Have you ever had a surprise like this? I would love to hear about it. Speaking of wonderful things, a 99-year-old B.C., swimmer named Betty Brussel broke three world records in swimming. She turns 100 this summer. She’s an absolute dear and I’m so happy to know of her story and of her resilience in the water. She’s pushing back at stereotypes and I love all of it. There was a lovely interview of her on CBC’s The Current with Matt Galloway. Have a listen to be inspired.
99-year-old Swimmer Breaks 3 World Records on Same Day: ‘I Just Do the Best I Can’ https://t.co/yGrKoCxo43
—@peopleIt’s in the record books! Stanford women’s coach Tara VanDerveer got her 1,203rd career victory. With that win, she passed former Duke men’s coach Mike Krzyzewski for the most college coaching wins in NCAA history.
For Power Plays, I wrote (/repurposed) a newsletter about an often overlooked part of Tara VanDerveer’s legacy: Her dedication to hiring women coaches.
In 46 years, she’s only hired one male assistant coach. She’s had an all-female staff for 39 years. https://t.co/xR5iwBjDZB
—@linzsportsTo make a phenomenal week even better, I jumped on a VIA train and went to Ottawa with colleagues and friends, Devin Heroux and Ben Steiner, to watch a PWHL game of Ottawa against Boston.
TD Place was electric and I was so thrilled to see friends and fans in the arena. The game was incredible and Boston scored in the last minute of regulation time to make it 3-2. Kanata’s hometown girl and Canadian hockey legend, Jamie Lee Rattray, scored and she later said her parents were in the stands watching. What a moment for her!
Kanata’s Jamie Lee Rattray says her parents were in the arena tonight and watched her score. She says goalie Aerin Frankel is a big reason they won tonight – and win in general. pic.twitter.com/gSRo1nzkN6
—@_shireenahmed_Perhaps the most important joy drop of the week is the news that Paralympians will be paid. Devin Heroux did tremendous amounts of work on this story, how it unfolded, and what it means to players and Para sport in Canada.
‘FINALLY’
Aurélie Rivard, 10-time Paralympic medallist, says she’s relieved and proud of her country in the wake of today’s money for Paralympic medals announcement.
We talked about what it means to her and so many other Para athletes. pic.twitter.com/kAQO1yPlX8
—@Devin_HerouxIt’s another week ahead of gratitude, appreciation and more gratitude.
I hope you are thrilled with the big and the small joys around you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shireen Ahmed is a multi-platform sports journalist, a TEDx speaker, mentor, and an award-winning sports activist who focuses on the intersections of racism and misogyny in sports. She is an industry expert on Muslim women in sports, and her academic research and contributions have been widely published. She is co-creator and co-host of the “Burn It All Down” feminist sports podcast team. In addition to being a seasoned investigative reporter, her commentary is featured by media outlets in Canada, the USA, Europe and Australia. She holds an MA in Media Production from Toronto Metropolitan University where she now teaches Sports Journalism and Sports Media. You can find Shireen tweeting or drinking coffee, or tweeting about drinking coffee. She lives with her four children and her cat.