More Than a Fan
At CSU, you’ll hardly find a more devoted Ram
Audrey Neale
What makes a Ram?
It could be generations of families who bleed green and gold, a jersey with your name on the back, or maybe it’s simply the love of the game.
For Ashley Wessel, it’s the latter.
A Fort Collins native, Wessel has spent more than a decade of her life turning Colorado State athletics beyond a collection of games attended, but a community for which she can rely. From personal relationships to a safe environment, the Rams have truly become a second home.
“I'm just a big old CSU fan,” Wessel said.
Wessel’s love for sports came long before her love for CSU. Participating in Special Olympics since she was 8, she developed a deep passion for the game.
“I didn't think Ashley was interested in sports other than playing them. She did swimming and baseball, but her younger brothers were involved in sports, she used to have to go to all of their basketball and baseball games. One day we had a game out there at the same time the Foxes were having a game on the other field,” Ashley’s mother Shawna Wessel said. “She went over there and she fell in love. They had a mascot, they had music, they had games and it was kind of her first introduction to all of it when she was still a teenager.”
Experiencing that ambiance, from the fateful day at the City Park baseball fields, a zeal formed in Ashley which has never left.
Sports became more than something she participated in. They became something she wanted to be around, a passion which eventually brought her to CSU.
Through Special Olympics, Ashley was introduced to CSU’s program. Her mother said the connection gave Ashley another opportunity to participate in sports while also building relationships with CSU athletes.
“I was just like, my brother goes to that school, so I was like, ‘hey, is it OK if I join you guys?’ Because I'm brand new and I haven't played football in a while,” Ashley said. “These guys were so super, super nice to me and they were like, ‘hey, we want you to come join us.’”
For Ashley, the invitation was more than an opportunity to play another sport. It was her first step into a community which would eventually become a major part of her life.
What started through the Special Olympics soon turned into a love for CSU athletics, where she found athletes who welcomed her, teams who knew her and a place where she belonged.
The welcome became the beginning of something much bigger. Her brothers went to CSU, urging Ashley to attend women’s games.
“So my brothers were like, ‘hey, you should try to go to more women's sports at CSU,’ and I was like, all right,” Ashley said. “I told my brother, I love doing this. I was like, this is the school I am going to be a part of. This is the school.”
The more she attended games, the more she fell in love with CSU. She started meeting athletes from different teams and before long she started to become a familiar face within the athletic community.
Through Special Olympics, CSU athletes have had opportunities to work with Ashley and other athletes at camps and events. For Avery Boulom, the connection reflects something she sees in herself.
“Whenever we have camp, she's super hard-working,” Boulom said. “Rams, we work hard, we're relentless, and we go after things, and definitely whenever she's out there on the field, she works hard and goes after it.”
A true mark of a Ram, Ashley has it all. Devotion to the team, a positive attitude, and a true love.
Hardly anything stops her from making it to a game -- rain or shine she’s there -- developing a rapport with everyone. Players, coaches, staff, and fans, one thing is for sure, Ashley will be there and they’ll know her.
“She's a freaking rock star. I don't think she's ever missed a game. Every time I think when she has missed a game, everybody's kind of like, where is she at?,” volleyball player Kekua Richards said. “She truly is such a big rock a lot of people don't notice. She's done nothing but bring joy to this entire team and be such a big supporter, we love her so much.”
Her positivity, her love for Colorado State, our program and the other programs, she's just always very joyful. That's how I know Ashley.Ryun Williams
For the past 15 years, Ashley has rarely missed an opportunity to cheer on the Rams. Whether it is women's basketball, soccer, volleyball or another CSU team, she is there.
For those who have been around CSU athletics long enough, her presence has become part of the experience.
Women’s basketball coach Ryun Williams remembers it like it was yesterday, from his very first home game he can recall meeting Ashley for the first time.
“Ashley's been coming to our games for … I'm going on my 15th year. It was after my first home game the time I met her. For as long as I can remember, she was always down on the floor right after the game asking for autographs, congratulating players,” Williams said. “She is a Stalwart Ram fan, win or lose, she is always there and congratulating you and wanting autographs. I don't know if I can remember, to be honest with you, a game where she wasn't there. It’s pretty impressive.”
Ashley’s relationship with the CSU players is much more than another fan, and her work with the Special Olympics has become part of her life.
Over the years, those connections have turned into friendships which reach far beyond game day. She has found a community in CSU’s athletes, and the athletes have found a familiar face who is always ready to support them.
“It's her social life. That is her social life. She loves it. She goes to everything she can go to,” Shawna said. “Then what will happen because CSU started the Special Olympics program is one of the teams will show up, either the track team, swim team or the tennis team. They've all shown up.”
A relationship which has been ongoing requires a lot of dedication and consistency. Ashley shows up for the athletes, and the athletes have found ways to show up for her.
“To know we have constant support from her whether we're away or home, we know she's always cheering us on, so it's awesome,” Boulom said. “She supports us, so why not support her? She's a great person. Whenever we're losing, I can go to the sideline, and she's always there to cheer us up.”
Supporting the Rams never depended upon the scoreboard. When times were tough, she never walked out. Her loyalty does not change with a win or a loss, and neither does the way the athletes welcome her.
Rams show up for Rams. For the athletes Ashley supports, it means making sure their biggest fan knows she has a team behind her too.
“Her positivity, her love for Colorado State, our program and the other programs, she's just always very joyful,” Williams said. “That's how I know Ashley.”
Her exuberance has become one of the most recognizable parts of Ashley’s presence around CSU.
She is an established part of the Rams’ fabric, and while not being a CSU athlete, she has made a name for herself.
“I remember she went to a men's basketball game, probably 10 years ago. The young star at the very end of the season gave Ashley his elbow sleeve that went over his arm and she brought it home and was very excited,” Shawna said. “Then one of the basketball girls gave her a jersey and I think even one year, one of the teams invited her into the locker room with them. They throw her the ball, she gets an autograph after every game, she loves sports, absolutely loves it.”
The jerseys, autographs and gifts may seem like small moments, but to Ashley they represent the relationships she has built over years of showing up.
Relationships stretch far beyond the athletes themselves. A talker, she will create a relationship with anyone.
“She's best buds with the President, Amy Parsons. Amy Parsons has had her sit with her up there and of course she loves talking with CAM. She loves talking with cheerleaders, loves talking with anybody in a uniform or a costume,” Shawna said. “She talks to the ticket office, to the janitors, the people who are regulars, the door holders, you know, the ticket checkers, all of those people.”
Even when CSU sports have slowed to a stop, Ashley still finds ways to catch a game.
There is no offseason when it comes to loving sports. If there is a game happening somewhere in Fort Collins, she wants to know about it.
“If there's no games going on, she always calls Rocky Mountain High School to find out if they have any games going on,” Shawna said. “So she'll go over to the high school games. The gals in the front office know her well.”
For Ashley, sports have never been about a final score, they are about the people she meets, the relationships she builds and the feeling of being part of something bigger than herself.
And at CSU, the feeling goes both ways.
Ashley has spent 15 years showing up for the Rams. Now, the Rams show up for her. Whether she is standing on the sideline, sitting in the stands or waiting at the end of a game for another autograph, she has become a familiar part of CSU athletics.
She may not wear a jersey or take the court, but she has found her own way to be a Ram.
Support Colorado State Athletics: Tickets | Ram Club | CSU NIL Marketplace