Big Green to Paris: Ariana Ramsey

Interview conducted by: Dan Richael and McKenzie Yi

HANOVER, N.H. - Ariana Ramsey is returning to the Olympics on the Team USA Rugby 7s team, playing as a wing.

A two-time Olympian, Ramsey's sights weren't always set on rugby.

At the age of 10, Ramsey started competitive cheerleading. She said tumbling and flipping allowed her to understand her body, how it operates, and how to use it to maximize her sports performance.

In middle school, Ramsey wrestled, played basketball, and field hockey. She tried every sport she could think of and realized she excelled in track. Finding her speed, Ramsey was one of the fastest girls on the team. Thinking about the future, she thought about how she could get a scholarship to run in college, but she realized the sport wasn't dynamic enough for her.

One day, Ramsey and her friend were at a club fair searching for clubs to join at her high school. Looking at all the different stands, Ramsey and her friend were greeted with excitement and enthusiasm.

"We had no idea what rugby was, but we put our emails down. This one senior was adamant about us coming, she asked us every day if we were coming. Then one day, my friend asked if I brought my rugby stuff today. I was like, 'oh, we're going?' So, I go home, got my stuff and then we went to the practice. We just had so much fun, we just kept coming back."

Ariana Ramsey olympics story

Ramsey's coach saw how easily she could score tries, move past people, and how quick she was. Her coach invited her to national tournaments where college and USA coaches scouted all athletes. From there, Ramsey described that it started a snowball effect on her career.

Representing Team USA, Ramsey found herself at the Tokyo Olympics as one of the youngest players on the rugby 7s team.

"It was an exciting experience, but it was very different because it was still COVID."

With little to no fans, and restrictions with travel, Ramsey said Tokyo was not the best experience for her. On top of the strict guidelines due to the pandemic, Ramsey tore her ACL against China just six plays in. After her recovery, Ramsey had her eyes set on the 2024 games.

Now that the games are here, Ramsey is excited to "get the full experience in terms of like getting to see everyone and talk to people without masks on. We're able to attend more events, everything is more open, we can go into the city, we can go to other events. So, there's just so many more things that I'm excited to do this upcoming Olympics."
Ariana Ramsey olympics story

In addition to the fun activities, Ramsey hopes to continue to build her brand through networking.

"There's going to be so many types of people. There's so many brands, so many opportunities, like it's just going to be a world of opportunities for athletes."

Team USA hits the field on Sunday, July 28 at 10:30 am EST. Fans can watch on Peacock.