After her historic Olympic bronze medal in rugby, Philly’s Ariana Ramsey hopes to grow the game
"Even after I retire, I still want to come to these schools and inspire students and kids because their reactions are just unmatched," she said after speaking to students at Norwood-Fontbonne Academy.
Ariana Ramsey already had the room of Norwood-Fontbonne Academy students engaged on Friday afternoon because of the fact she was an Olympic rugby sevens player. The kids lost their minds when she pulled out her bronze medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Some were even climbing over each other for the chance to see it and were in awe of Ramsey’s achievement. She spent 10 minutes after finishing her talk to take pictures, sign autographs, and let the kids get a closer look at the bronze.
Rugby is not the most popular sport in the United States, but it changed Ramsey’s life, and she’s hoping to draw more eyes to the sport and be an inspiration for kids, especially young women. She is using her growing platform to make that difference, starting with events like Friday’s at Norwood-Fontbonne Academy in Chestnut Hill, which serves kids from age 3 through eighth grade.
“This is really what it’s all about for me,” Ramsey said. “The more I [speak to kids], the more I realize this is exactly what I want to do. Even after I retire, I still want to come to these schools and inspire students and kids because their reactions are just unmatched. … It shows what I’m doing matters, what I’m doing means something, and what I’m doing is actually inspiring people.”
» READ MORE: The U.S. women’s rugby sevens shocked the world, and an Upper Merion grad lent a key hand | from 2024
Ramsey started playing rugby as a sophomore at Upper Merion High School after one of her friends insisted she come to a practice with her. The Philadelphia native was quickly hooked by the physicality of the sport and earned a spot on the team at Dartmouth.
Injuries hampered the start of Ramsey’s rugby career as with torn labrums in high school and tore her ACL in 2021-22 as a senior at Dartmouth.
Before that, though, Ramsey qualified for the United States Olympic team for the Tokyo Olympics played in 2021. The United States finished sixth, and rugby remained widely unknown. However, the bronze finish in 2024 is what really caught people’s attention.
Ramsey got a hero’s welcome upon returning home, with people lined up to greet her with signs of support. The celebration helped Ramsey realize that she was among the best in the world at her sport.
“You go home, and the community appreciates [the achievements] for you,” Ramsey said. “They are the ones who help me have it settle in. Bridgeport had the fire department, and my family was all there.”
With a medal in her back pocket, Ramsey has turned her attention to inspiring kids, while planting rugby seeds in their heads. Rugby is not as popular as sports like football or basketball in the United States, so Ramsey wants kids to realize how much fun it can be.
She showed the kids at Norwood-Fontbonne a video on the rules of rugby sevens — a variation of 15-a-side rugby — and then her own highlight reel. Then came some interactive fun.
The teachers selected kids from each class to learn how to throw a rugby ball from Ramsey. They did target practice with their new skill, and the last kid to miss the target took home a Ramsey-signed ball. While Ramsey wants to keep inspiring all kids, she especially wants to be role model for young girls.
“Even today when the teacher asks, ‘Who wants to go up and play against Ariana Ramsey?’ I saw lots of boys and very few girls who raised their hands,” Ramsey said. “That is why I’m here. I want to change that perspective. I want them to know they can be strong too.”
» READ MORE: Rugby is taking this student-athlete from Downingtown to Dartmouth
Rugby has made her stronger off the field, especially after getting tackled time and time again. Ramsey knows she can handle any challenge thrown her way because of what she has to face in rugby.
Ramsey also started a brand called Women Play Rugby. It’s small right now, with just merchandise, but she hopes to develop it into a nonprofit that can host camps and bring rugby to more schools. She’d spoken at a few school events through family connections previously, but Friday’s event was the first in which she didn’t know anybody.
The goal for Ramsey is to continue to try to bring eyes to rugby. Her brand and speaking at schools is a start, and Ramsey knows she wants to keep doing it to hopefully make a difference in someone’s life.
“[My message] really will be just don’t give up, which feels really basic, but I think it’s so easy to give up,” Ramsey said. “It’s so easy to just jump to something else. It’s so easy not to work through the kinks and the hard things about something new you’re learning. I would definitely say work through that.”