After grieving the death of her mother, a Prince George roller derby player is lacing up her skates to take the world’s stage once again as she competes for Team Indigenous Rising at an upcoming competition in New Orleans.
Sasheen Wesley, who’s derby name is Bash-Full, will be competing at the Y’all Stars Southern Showdown competition in New Orleans in February.
She’s a part of Team Indigenous Rising, which is made up of Indigenous roller derby players from Canada and the U.S., and aims to show other athletes and community members what is possible for Indigenous sports across tribes, borders and nations.
Wesley is Tsimshian from Kitselas First Nation and Lax Kw Alaams, B.C. and comes from the house of T’ax’ayee and her tribe is Gisbutwada (Killerwhale).
A mother of six, Wesley first started playing roller derby when she was living in Terrace where she got a flyer for a “fresh meat” session and decided to try something new.
“I just wanted to challenge myself because I was a stay-at-home mom at the time, and I wanted to try something different just for myself,” said Wesley. “I fell in love with it right away and never stopped skating.”
She then played with the North Coast Nightmares from 2013 until 2020, when she lost her mother to cancer.
Wesley said she became depressed as she struggled with grief, as she not only lost her mother, but also an uncle and her grandparents.
“I felt lost like I lost my compass, wandering around aimlessly. I had no idea what to do.”
Her depression caused her to give up her commercial cleaning business and roller derby, but she eventually moved to Prince George hoping to start a new life.
Not long after, Wesley was invited to practice with the Rated PG Thrashers, and despite wanting abandon the sport, once she put on her skates she knew her roller derby career wasn’t over.
“I was in my depression and thinking about retiring, but as soon as I went to one of their practices and seeing how open and welcoming they were, I knew I didn’t want to give up roller derby.”
She then applied for Team Indigenous Rising for a second time, and her application was accepted despite being out of roller derby for two years following the death of her mother.
“It gave me something to look forward to and focus on again.”
Wesley competed for Team Indigenous back in 2018, when she travelled to Manchester U.K. for the Roller Derby World Cup and she also went to RollerCon Convention in Las Vegas with Team Indigenous in 2019.
“My first experience with Manchester, I was nervous and excited. I had never been away from my kids that long and I had never been out of Canada, so to experience all that was a dream come true for me,” said Wesley.
“To be back at it again, I definitely want to go to World Cup for the second time and push myself a little bit further than I did last time.”
She’s now the only player from British Columbia on the 2023-2024 roster and one of just four players from Canada on the team.
“I believe with my mom being sick with cancer I let a lot of my anxiety get the best of me and this time around I think I have more control over things with coping. I can push myself to play better.”
As roller derby is a self-funded sport, Rated PG Roller Derby and Wesley are now fundraising to first help the costs associated with sending Wesley to the New Orleans tournament and then onto the 2023 RollerCon in Las Vegas.
She’s hoping to raise $4,000 towards New Orleans and the Rated PG Thrashers started a bottle drive fundraiser as well as launched a GoFundMe campaign to help Wesley reach that goal.
“I am more focused than ever. I am more determined, I am more clearheaded than I have ever been before,” said Wesley. “I’m rebuilding my life and I’m making my foundation stronger than it’s ever been.”
Those who are interested in supporting Wesley can make bottle donations at the Prince George Return-It Centre or cash donations through GoFundMe.
