11/18/2022 10:19:00 AM | Women's Rugby, Peak Performance
Share:
By: Justin Lafleur
The last message Dartmouth rugby standout Ariana Ramsey ever received from her father was about the 2020 Olympics.
"He told me he was buying his Tokyo ticket," said Ramsey. "He said he knew I was going (even though the United States' roster wasn't selected yet)."
Tragically, Ramsey's father, Andrew, passed away suddenly not long after.
Ever since that day in January of 2020, Ariana has dedicated her rugby career to her father, who was so influential in her life.
Ariana with her father Andrew
"I do play with him in my heart," she said. "I've noticed over time that me pushing through adversity seems to be the best way for me to succeed. When I have these hardships, it makes me want to succeed even more. It makes me want to do better for the people who aren't here right now.
"It makes me want to live my life to the fullest and do everything I'm set out and meant to do."
When Ramsey says hardships, she's also referring to what happened in those 2020 Tokyo Olympics (which were held in the summer of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
"I tore my ACL in the game against China," she said. "That was the first time I had a leg injury, which was really scary. I had told myself if I ever tore my ACL or did anything to my legs, I wouldn't play rugby anymore."
As everything unfolded, Ramsey was obviously devastated, but also inspired to play again.
"I just didn't feel finished," she said. "I got surgery of course and pretty quickly knew I wasn't finished. I wanted to go to the Olympics again; I knew I could be better and could score more the second time around."
Ramsey was committed to her recovery. She wanted to come back, not only for herself, but also for her late father.
"I definitely play with him in my heart at all times, dedicating all my games to him," she said. "Everything I do is for him. He used to come to all my games."
Dartmouth head coach Katie Dowty will never forget how proud Ariana's father was of his daughter.
"His favorite color was green, and he was so proud of her being at Dartmouth," she said. "It was as if it was all meant to be.
"He knew she would take full advantage of every opportunity she could seize here, and I'm sure he sees her now," Dowty continued. "A thriving entrepreneur, a major in Economics and minor in Chinese, team captain and Olympian.
"And she's just getting started."
Video by Jen Chick-Ruth
In her childhood, Ariana's father's support was present no matter the sport or activity.
"He was always supportive whatever I was doing," she said. "If I wanted to wrestle, he didn't care. He was at every meet, at every game. If I wanted to do anything out of the ordinary, he was backing me… Anything."
Anything for Ramsey has encompassed everything from modeling to cheerleading to wrestling, rugby and more.
"Every sport I've played has brought out a different personality in me that is prominent," she said. "Cheerleading is the root of my sports athleticism. I was 10 years old and modeling at the time, but my cousins were about to go cheerleading and I wanted to go."
Ramsey went that day, and went on to pick up the skills very quickly.
"The intensity was there in the gym," she said. "People were doing the counts and they had the music blasting. I loved it so much. I learned how to flip very quickly, I learned how to tumble and I could jump high. Everything was there."
Ramsey cheered for six years, which was a good fit for her, especially as such a naturally outgoing person.
"The thing I like about cheerleading is you can be pretty and still be an athlete and perform at the same time," she said.
Then in middle school, Ramsey wrestled.
"This shows the other side of me," she said. "You don't just have to be a pretty cheer girl. You can be a wrestler if you want. I wrestled against guys; the first match I ever wrestled, I beat a boy.
"I felt like I started breaking barriers early on," Ramsey continued. "I started to realize I could be a cheerleader and could be a wrestler. None of those things defined my femininity."
Ramsey also has experience in basketball and track and field.
"Track was part of the reason why I'm so fast," she said. "I was really good at track, but it wasn't dynamic. I wasn't into it. I didn't want to go to college for it, even though I could."
Rugby, which Ramsey stumbled upon, was a combination of Ramsey's interests, and talents.
"In cheer, we did line outs and lifted people up, like in rugby," she said. "With wrestling, there's the tackling aspect of rugby, and then you get the track aspect because I literally sprint up and down the sideline in rugby. Then you also get the ball aspect of rugby, which is so much fun.
"I fell in love with the sport."
Rugby brought Ramsey to Dartmouth's newly-varsity program (in 2015) that is quickly on the rise and has won National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) Championships in 2018 and 2021. The Big Green find themselves back in the title game on Saturday, hosting Harvard at 4:30 p.m. at Burnham Field.
Ramsey knows her role as a wing on the Big Green, and with Team USA, is to score points. She entered the USA Rugby pipeline by attending various camps.
"They send us to different camps throughout the year, and they take a look at how you play and your skills," she said. "If someone gets injured, someone gets hurt or they need someone to come in, they just pull from these camps of people."
It began for Ramsey in 2018 when she attended the Junior Olympic Trials.
"We just kept coming back to camp," she said. "I feel like I was a perfect match. I was already on sight for a camp (at its training site in Chula Vista, California) when they called me in."
Ramsey ended up taking the 2020-21 school year off from Dartmouth to train for the Olympics, a decision made easier considering the atypical nature of the school year due to the pandemic (no college season and most classes being held remotely).
"There were 20 of us and we were all competing for a spot the entire year to try and make the Olympic team," said Ramsey.
Ramsey made it to the team, as one of just three NIRA players to make Team USA… like her father knew she would.
But Tokyo is where she suffered her torn ACL.
Flash forward to a little over a year later, as Ramsey practiced for the first time at Dartmouth before making her return to game action on Oct. 15 against Harvard.
"The process was really hard and long," said Ramsey. "This was definitely the hardest injury I had to overcome, but I knew what I wanted to do as an end goal – which is go back to the 2024 Olympics. I knew each day was going to be hard, but I knew I was going to only get better as long as I kept working at it."
Ramsey did get better and better. It wasn't easy, though. Far from it, but Ramsey's support at Dartmouth helped her get through a challenging time.
"When I was injured, I always felt pretty isolated from my team and tended to distance myself a lot," she said. "It was harder for me to connect with my teammates without having the experience of playing with them. But I had some close friends on the team who were always there to talk when I needed some encouragement, saying this was just a bump in my journey."
Ramsey also greatly values Dartmouth Senior Athletic Trainer Yuri Fujioka.
"Yuri is absolutely phenomenal," said Ramsey. "She pays very close attention to the athletes who are injured and tries to make sure each and every one of us gets the best care. She not only offers physical help, but she also helped me build the mental confidence I needed in order to return to sport with a clear mind. I had access to the resources that Dartmouth provided (through Dartmouth's DP2 program), and Yuri was a huge part in my recovery process."
When Ramsey came back to campus for the 2021-22 academic year, teammate Aleemah Williams admitted it was as though nothing changed.
"She welcomed everyone with open arms and it was like she never left, despite all of us following her journey as she trained in Chula Vista and represented her nation in Tokyo," said Williams. "We were always in her corner."
Another thing stands out to Williams about Ramsey's recovery.
"Ari always had a smile on her face, no matter how hard it got, and was always cheering everyone on while she was on the sidelines," said Williams.
It came time for Ramsey to return to practice. What was going through her head?
"In my first tackling session back, I was super hesitant," she said. "I thought, I actually hit people for fun? It was all starting to come back to me.
"After my ACL injury, I started to really appreciate the grind more and realize how much work I'm actually putting in to get back."
Ramsey got back against Harvard in mid-October, when the Big Green erased a 16-point second-half deficit to defeat the Crimson, 31-29. The rematch comes in Saturday's NIRA Championship Game at Dartmouth.
Ramsey is back, smiling while also immensely focused at being her best.
"Everyone in the league knows her, respects and admires her," said Williams. "She is a class act, both on and off the field. If she tackles you, she'll help you up, and quickly look for extra work on the field. Additionally, all of the coaches know her and check in with her because not only is she such a talented athlete, but she's also an amazing person.
"Ari juggles so many other things on top of being a varsity athlete and still continues to put a smile on her teammates' faces," Williams continued. "Regardless of how her day is going, she always brings positive energy to the locker room and pitch."
Along with that energy, Ramsey brings a confidence about her abilities. But she isn't content and is motivated to keep learning, growing and improving.
"People may expect me, as an Olympian, to know everything about rugby, but it's just not the case," she said. "I feel like I'm a good player, I'm fast and I score, and that's what I do, but I'm still learning the game."
Dowty admires Ramsey's ability to take everything in stride.
"It is her superpower," said Dowty. "She doesn't get derailed. Tough feedback from a coach, a challenge, an injury, personal loss, she never takes it personally and keeps living as best she can. She's got perspective and purpose. She can so gracefully handle the perceived pressures of being an Olympian, because there is so much more to her."
Ariana Ramsey is defined by much more than a game, a season or a sport.
"I believe my role on the Dartmouth team is to make sure everyone is comfortable and feels welcome, making sure everyone feels like they have a space to be their full selves," she said.
Being the best version of herself is exactly what Ramsey's father, and mother, allowed Ariana to grow into.
"My dad always allowed me to be me," she said. "Both my parents did that, and I appreciate them for that.
"I hope every parent lets their kids find themselves."
Ramsey has found herself on the international stage, excelling, with her father always in her heart.
"When Ari's dad passed, I assumed she would take some time away to grieve," said Dowty. "But she explained that's not what he would have wanted. The most meaningful thing she could do was to live her life now, in honor of him. It was so powerful to witness.
"I am still simply in awe of the strength and grace of it all," Dowty continued. "And to see how much she has grown and thrived since then, what a testament to his life and their love."
