At Southridge, we are proud to have an incredible number of passionate, driven and talented young people in our midst – students who regularly inspire us with the things they are achieving both in, and outside of the classroom – students whose ‘spirits are soaring’.
And while we don’t have a hockey program here at Southridge, you might be surprised to know that we do have one of the best young female hockey players in Canada walking our halls!
Meet, Jessie Sanghe…
At first glance, you probably wouldn’t expect Jessie to be a competitive hockey player; in fact, you likely wouldn’t think she plays hockey at all.
“Most people look at me and they’re like, ‘you play hockey?’” Jessie laughs, unbothered, “I don’t look like it, but on the ice, I’m really aggressive.”
Hockey came into Jessie’s life at an early age. You could say that the sport ‘runs in the family’. Her mom grew up in Ontario playing boys hockey competitively and had Jessie and her siblings out on the ice at only two or three years old. However, it wasn’t until Jessie’s brother started playing hockey that her interest in the sport really piqued, prompting her to join her first team – she was eight years old.
In hockey terms, this is considered a late start, but with Jessie’s competitive personality, starting behind only fueled her desire to catch up (and eventually, surpass) her teammates in both skill and ability.
“I remember when she joined her first team through the Surrey Female Hockey Association, the Surrey Falcons,” says Jessie’s mom, Alison. “She started playing once a week, but it quickly became clear that she wanted more. I think hockey tapped into Jessie’s competitive side. She has always been really, really competitive, even as a young child. We could see, even then, that she was going to go far.”
Jessie agrees, “When I first joined, I wasn’t very good but I always kept pushing – I always wanted to be the best, to make the top team. I definitely had Team BC in the back of my mind.”
Fast forward to Spring 2016: Jessie’s dreams were about to come true. After a grueling tryout process, in which she suffered a concussion and missed a month of play, Jessie received the news that she had been selected (from a pool of 80) to be one of 20 players who would make up the BC Women’s Under-18 Team.
“It was really suspenseful – they were cutting 25 down to 20. They moved us around from room to room, and eventually, a big group of us ended up together. Finally, the coaching staff came in and so casually said, ‘Okay…this is Team BC’. My first reaction was to just start crying! I was so overwhelmed with it all.”
In November, Jessie travelled to Regina with Team BC to compete against seven other teams from across Canada in the 2016 National Women’s U-18 Championship. With a 5-3 win over Ontario Blue, the team captured only its second medal in tournament history, proudly bringing the bronze back to the West Coast.
“Going to Nationals was amazing from start to finish – being treated like professional players, my whole family flying out to watch, going up against the best in the country, and a full arena of cheering fans – it was exhilarating,” she says, smiling broadly.
Jessie isn’t shy about sharing some of the challenges either, “The whole experience was crazy. I’ve never been so nervous. We had to have such a mental toughness throughout – knowing we were going to miss two weeks of school, trying to get as much done as we could beforehand, and then, during the Championship, not letting the crowd distract us and staying focused on our game – it’s a lot of pressure. It’s just such a short competition and there’s almost no room for mistakes.”
If you’re wondering how Jessie manages to balance playing such high-level hockey with the demands of Grade 12 at Southridge, she attributes her success to the flexibility of the faculty.
“I’m grateful because the teachers here are super understanding of it all. As long as I tell them in advance, they’ll reschedule tests, or prep things for me to do on the road. They’re always really encouraging.”
Jessie’s mom agrees, “The School has been amazing in supporting Jessie! The teachers are so accommodating – they’ll make special arrangements to work around her hockey schedule, particularly where there’s travel involved. But they still hold her very much accountable – it’s a balance. I think it helps that several teachers have played competitive sports themselves, they understand what it’s like.”
Myrna Lew, Jessie’s advisor since Grade 8, provides further insight.
“As a faculty, we always try to be there for Jessie; there are definitely occasions where we need to spend extra time with her outside of class. But, I think she’s always known we’re behind her as a school community. It’s hard to explain, but it’s a quiet support – the very nature of our school, that says, ‘let every spirit soar’ – find what you’re interested in, do your absolute best, and we’ll be there to support you.”
Without a doubt, Jessie’s story is just beginning. She plans to play hockey at the varsity level next year and has already received offers from a number of Universities. She also hopes, with a little more experience, to be scouted to join Team Canada one day.
All we can say, is GO JESSIE GO!
Rebecca James
Specialist, Communications & Marketing