August 27, 2024
Ruby Ray had a unique summer vacation.
While many of her fellow St. John’s University students took on jobs or internships, Ruby, from Port Jefferson, NY, competed for a spot on the United States Olympic team.
A novice race walker, Ruby finished ninth at the US Olympic Trials in Springfield, OR, in June. Her time in the 20-kilometer (12.5-mile) race of one hour, 54 minutes, and 15 seconds was 17 minutes behind winner Robyn Stevens.
A promising effort for a 19-year-old sophomore who turned to track and field two years ago after Earl L. Vandermeulen High School, where she attended, eliminated its field hockey program.
“The school did not have enough field hockey players; I didn’t know what to do as an athlete,” Ruby recalled. “I picked up race walking to help the track team and, surprisingly, I turned out to be good at it. I come from a Swedish background, and many Swedes are good at it. Maybe it is in my genes.”
Race walking has been a medal sport at the Olympics since 1908. Originally known as pedestrianism, it has roots in Victorian England, where footmen used to walk distinctively alongside expensive horse-drawn carriages.
The rules may seem quirky to the uninitiated. Unlike running, race walkers must always have one foot in contact with the ground. Also, the knee of a race walker’s leading leg cannot bend, and that entire leg must straighten as the competitor’s body passes over it. Teams of judges ensure rules are enforced and walkers are penalized for infractions.
“For people who don’t do it, it can be a little difficult to understand,” Ruby explained. “The technique is challenging, and you must build up your endurance. You also have to lean into your mental discipline. You have to envision that you can compete over 12 miles.”
In addition to finishing among the top walkers at the Olympic trials, to qualify for the games, competitors must meet an Olympic standard time. For the first time since 1908, no Team USA walker met the standard, leaving the country unrepresented in Paris, France.
Ruby is hoping to change that ahead of the 2028 games in Los Angeles, CA.
“That’s the goal,” she said. “I want to bring my family, coach, and friends to LA to watch me represent the country as a St. John’s alumna.”
Meet Ruby Ray, Race Walker and Top Student at St. John’s University
So how did a potential Olympic race walker find her way to St. John’s? The story dates to 2022, when Brian Snow, Head Women’s Track Coach at Vandermeulen High, asked Ruby to give the sport a try. In a brief time, she was excelling at high school meets en route to being named USA Track and Field’s 2022 Athlete of the Year among race walkers under 20.
Ruby later medaled at the 2022 Junior Olympics in Sacramento, CA; won the 1,600-meter walk at the 2023 Adidas Indoor Nationals in Virginia Beach, VA; and won the 1,500-meter walk at the 2023 Joe Brandi Relays in Bohemia, NY. Those performances caught the eye of Gary Westerfield, the Hall-of-Fame coach of Long Island-based club team WalkUSA, who was eager to work with her.
“She was so strong, you could see it,” Mr. Westerfield said. “I had not seen someone at 19 years old without any genuine experience perform as well as she did. She had this intense desire not to let other people beat her.”
Unrecruited out of high school, Ruby wanted to attend college close to home, where she could continue to work with Mr. Westerfield. She also wanted a high-quality, liberal arts education to support her goal of becoming an attorney, like her father, John.
St. John’s was the ideal destination. “There are so many opportunities here, so many great teachers at St. John’s,” Ruby said. “I also loved the Vincentian community and its commitment to serving others.”
Majoring in English as part of the University Honors Program at St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Ruby completed her first year with a 3.97 grade point average. She also joined the Red Storm Battalion, the University’s Army ROTC chapter, fulfilling a spirit of military commitment that dates back to her grandparents in Sweden.
Ruby Ray: Athlete and ROTC Cadet at St. John’s University
Up early most mornings to complete her cadet training, Ruby got a taste of the discipline required to compete as an Olympian, where races are contested at more than 12 times the high school distance. “It’s a different race from high school,” Mr. Westerfield explained. “You have to be totally disciplined to race walk for 90 minutes.”
Growing more comfortable with the distance, Ruby recorded her best-ever 20-kilometer time in March, 1:47.44 in a meet at El Cajon, CA. Hopes were high in the weeks before the Olympic trials, but on competition day, she awoke with a fever and cold. Rather than withdraw, she did her best under less-than-ideal circumstances.
“It was disappointing. I had all these people who were supporting me: my coach, my family, and several St. John’s people who were expecting me to do well,” Ruby recalled. “With all the training I put in, I could not withdraw because I was sick. I had to try.”
If anything, the disappointment of the Olympic trials left Ruby more determined to succeed in four years. That is true to her character, according to Lt. Col. Cole M. Therkildsen, Professor, Military Science, and head of the University’s ROTC program. He called Ruby “an incredibly determined cadet” whose commitment to excellence is demonstrated on the track, in the classroom, and at ROTC drills.
At St. John’s, Ruby is also a member of Campus Ministry, a choir singer at St. Thomas More Church, and a member of the Constitutional Law Society.
“Ruby is a great athlete and is going to be a great officer,” Lt. Col. Therkildsen said. “She is a well-rounded person with goals and structure in her life. She is quite a role model. Hopefully, we see her in the Olympics in four years.”