2017 All-SCV Track and Field
Girls Athlete of the Year: West Ranch’s Natalie Ramirez
When she’s not focused on West Ranch track and field, Natalie Ramirez likes to play guitar.
“I’d say my top two favorite guitarists are Carlos Santana and Eric Clapton,” Ramirez said.
“‘Tears in Heaven’ is like, my No. 1 song. I love that song. I’ve been trying to figure out how to play it completely, but it’s such a beautiful song, you just can’t get it right.”
Just as she’s chasing perfection in a musical sense, she’s striving to be the best in shot put and discus. A characteristic that, in part, earned her the All-SCV Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year award.
Ramirez’s dedication to her craft brought her success at every level this season, including at her first CIF state meet, where she placed ninth in shot put with a throw of 40 feet, 8.75 inches.
She had the farthest throw in both shot and discus in the Foothill League in 2017, with 44-1 in the former and 148-2 in the latter.
Her discus throw is also a new Foothill League record, beating out Courtney Maduike’s 2013 distance of 146-4.
It’s a lot of individual accomplishment, but Ramirez knows that a chord makes a stronger sound than the plucking of an individual string.
“All my PRs were great and everything, but I still think that my highlight (this year) was winning league because it was such an amazing
feeling to do it with my team,” she said.
After beating the Saugus girls team in the final league meet of the season, the Wildcats took home their first-ever Foothill League crown.
“That was the winning meet, so we had to cheer each other on,” Ramirez said. “That was the biggest thing, to make sure everyone was doing what they needed to do and make sure everyone is making an effort to cheer that person on.”
Ramirez is currently training for the upcoming season by lifting, throwing and drilling. All in preparation to strike a new chord in league.
“I think people are going to actually say, ‘Oh, look out, there’s West Ranch,’” she said.
“People need to know that we are coming back strong, just as strong as we did this year.”