Houston All-Star skater, Windigo was recently featured in her hometown newspaper, The Manitoulin Expositor, which is based in Little Current, Ontario in Canada.
The article, titled "First Nation Heritage Inspires Derby Girl," features Windigo’s roller derby endeavors and the significance of choosing her skater name.
Windigo's roots are on the Island of Wikwemikong, where her mother lives "as well as First Nation communities in the United States, where she was primarily raised."
In the article, she explains that she wanted to be called something that represented her Anishnaabek people.
The name 'Windigo' is "the name given by Anishnaabek people to the evil spirit that consumes human flesh, or possesses others to do so. The wiindigookaanzhimowin, a ceremonial dance, was held to warn against the spirit’s hungry ways."
"Ms. Fox Bennett has been featured in the media recently due to her performance at the first World Cup in flat-track roller derby, which was held December 1-4 in Toronto. The sport has seen a surge in popularity in the past decade and though it’s strongest in the United States, other countries are taking note," the article said.
Windigo explained that after going to her first Roller Derby game in the mid 2000's, she was sold on the sport and recalled going out to buy her first pair of skates.
"'There’s not a lot of full-contact sports for women out there,' Ms. Fox Bennett said. 'I think that’s why roller derby appeals to some women. It’s no-holds-barred,” Windigo said in the article. 'That ‘no-holds-barred’ aspect of the sport tends to attract 'unconventional' women, she added. 'They are all so strong,' Ms. Fox Bennett said. 'It develops into a real sisterhood.'"
Windigo conveyed that at first, she was a "slow learner," but said she refused to give up.
“'Don’t ever give up,' she fervently recommended. ’I tell that to everyone starting derby. Tenacity gets you everything and everywhere,'” Windigo said in the article.
This past December, at the World Cup, Windigo played for Team Canada, which won the Silver Medal.
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