TALL FERN ASHLEIGH 'I NEVER DREAMED I WOULD MAKE IT'

The basketball star coped with a new baby, top-level sport and a tragic accident

- Eva Bradley

Tall Ferns star Ashleigh Udesike is one of those people who firmly believes women can do anything. But even she was pushed to her limits this year when top-level sport, motherhood and a tragic accident all came at once.

The 31-year-old basketball player (née Kelman-Poto) from Auckland’s North Shore had been married a little more than a year and was focused on her newborn daughter Nauvoo when she was unexpectedly selected to join the Ferns on their European tour in June. 

Despite having dreamed and trained for this since first picking up a basketball at age eight, the Northern Kāhu player hadn’t expected the international call-up to come so soon after giving birth.

“It was a pinch-myself moment to have finally made it after so many training camps,” Ashleigh admits.

Feeling daunted but determined, she and husband Meka worked out a plan that allowed him to stay at home to care for new baby Nauvoo and her six-year-old brother Jai. Everything was slotting into place – until tragedy struck.

While enjoying a family day out trail biking in March, Meka decided to do a couple of laps on a motocross track and didn’t land a jump right.

“I was waiting with the kids and when he didn’t come around the track after 30 minutes, I thought he might have hurt himself, but I didn’t realise how bad it was until the ambulance came,” recalls Ashleigh.

“I called his cousin who was with him and he told me everything was fine, but I didn’t have a good feeling. I insisted he told me and he said Meka was on the ground unconscious.