RIA RAMNARINE
A Petite Powerhouse

Ria Ramnarine is “strong woman”. Her famed resilience is rooted in her childhood; she and her siblings all had to do their part to make ends meet at home.

“My parents worked very hard,” she said. “And my siblings stayed out of school a lot to work in the garden. We sold fruits and vegetables on Uriah Butler Highway. But being the youngest, I got some opportunities that they [my siblings] didn’t get. I was lucky that way.”

After graduating from Holy Faith Convent and then John Donaldson Technical Institute, she joined Fine Line gym, much to the chagrin of her father. She says, “I was awed by fitness and muscles”. Ria’s trainer found that she had professional athlete potential. She effortlessly applied to her fight the sacrificial determination she learnt during childhood and excelled at both kickboxing and karate. As for boxing, the sport she is known for, she fell into it quite by chance. Later, she would go on to become the first World Boxing Female Champion from Trinidad and Tobago.

CB: You say that your boxing career began when you joined Fine Line Gym. So many people join the gym, but they don’t end up being world boxing champs!

Ria: (laughs) Well, you are quite right. Thing is, I am strong with my hands. I rely on them more than my legs. My gym coach asked me to try boxing to keep me occupied - and it [my boxing career] just took off.

CB: Did you envision boxing as a career then? Or were you just having fun?

Ria: All I dreamt of was competing at Jean Pierre Complex…just once. I never envisioned that I would compete internationally or that it would go this far. All I wanted was one fight in my home country. Just for the fun of it.

CB: When you started to win fights, how did you feel?

Ria: When I think of it, I feel myself blushing. It’s indescribable. I spend tons of money on training camp; boxing is not really funded the way I’d hoped. So, the money isn’t balanced. What’s in it for me? The win. That feeling is worth it.

CB: So, you’re heading to Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow to prepare for a fight?

Ria: Indeed. It’s been postponed a few times already, but seems on schedule now.

CB: What do the next few weeks, prior to the fight, look like for you?

Ria: When I’m in Floida I’m away from the ‘rat race’; I get up early, go to the gym, train, and head home. I try to get lots of rest. There are no distractions. No time for anything else.

CB: So what do you eat?

Ria: (laughs) I love food! And I eat just about anything. There is only so much your coach can do [to restrict you]…he can’t go home with you. But when I have an upcoming fight, I’m more particular. It’s important to manage your weight when you fight by weight division.

CB: How do you mentally prepare for the ring, knowing that you can get hurt?

Ria: Boxing is a ‘hurting’ sport. No matter how good you are, you’re going to get hurt. But if you step into the ring thinking about it, you’ll get pummeled.

Good coaching prepares you mentally and physically and gives you the confidence that you can handle the fight.

CB: What’s the worst injury you’ve gotten?

Ria: I have a shoulder injury that I got last year after a fight with Etsuko Tada at Jean Pierre. It cost me a fortune. I’d gotten a head butt in 2009, and I was worried it would impair my vision, but it was my cheekbones that took the brunt of it.

CB: When you get back home after a fight, and you’ve been beaten… what do you do to recuperate? Curl up in bed? Drink soup?

Ria: Yes. And my Mom comes with the ice packs. But the day after, I put on my dark shades, and go about my business. I don’t let that stop me.

CB: What do you suppose your female opponents have taught you?

Ria: I look at their technique. They always bring something new to the table. I train with a lot of world champions and ex-world champions in various parts of the globe.

My coach in Florida has an exercise where she draws a line on the ground; you and your opponent are on opposite sides. You have to hit, defend and counter. But you cannot cross the line. My female opponent noticed that I was out of sorts that day. She told me, “The same way you work the line on the ground, work it in the air”. I wrote that on a sticky note and stuck it on my mirror. That piece of advice helped me to improve my game.

Another time, an athlete I was training with told me, “Forgive yourself and move on”. That made sense to me. I didn’t want to hold on to the past; that wasn’t going to help my career or me.

CB: What do you think makes the coach-athlete dynamic work?

Ria: I think the coach’s job is harder than the athlete’s. The coach has to know his or her students intimately. Know their psyche and what makes them tick.

Between both, there must be trust, understanding and belief. If I don’t think my coach can take me to the next level, I’m wasting my time. If he does not believe in me, he’s wasting his time.

The relationship is so fragile and solid at the same time. It’s harder to maintain than a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. If my coach, for one minute, does not believe in me…that would throw me off completely.

CB: How do you deal with fame, in particular, public pressure and scrutiny?

Ria: Being “famous” has its perks. You know, the special treatment at banks and preferential parking in the car parks. One of the drawbacks is that people say things about you that you know aren’t true.

But, I think you must acknowledge both fans and critics. Sometimes you can learn something from your critics…not all the time, but sometimes. My coach says, “A broken clock is right two times a day”.

CB: Do you think of having a family of your own? Do female boxers have time to have kids?

Ria: If I had a baby right now, at thirty-two, I wouldn’t be able to go back into my sport. You can’t do that unless you’re very young. It’s so competitive now. By the time I have the baby and get back into shape, the younger athletes would have caught up with me; those on par with me now would have surpassed me.

CB: Do you think people gloss over your feminine side?

Ria: When people see me, they are usually surprised and say, “But you don’t look like a boxer”. They think I should look big, bad and tough. It’s because of how the media portrays me most times.

CB: Are you a ‘girly girl’ beneath it all?

Ria: I wore a pink dress to a wedding once. Does that count?

CB: Would you kick back with friends and have a mani or pedi?

Ria: Never had a manicure or pedicure; don’t think I’d have time for it. And I don’t particularly like make-up either. As you see, I’m not wearing any now. But, I can get dolled up in front of the cameras once in a while. I like to take pics and show them to the guys at the gym. There!

I mean, it really depends on your definition of ‘girly girl’. I do like teddy bears, hugs and flowers. I am feminine. I’ve just learnt to be tough at the same time.

CB: How do the men of boxing relate to you as a woman?

Ria: Just like a colleague. One of the boys. There’s a sign at the entrance to our gym that says, “Leave your ego at the door”. When you understand the sport, you see that there’s no space for discrimination.

CB: How has boxing changed you?

Ria: I have gone through a lot of changes. It’s taken me through a roller-coaster ride. At times I can be a real baby. I’d have a horrible session and go to the bathroom and cry, or have a good one and be on top of the world.

But I think it has all made me stronger and really helps me to deal with many ‘out of the ring’ issues. It’s all intertwined with my identity.

- Karen Adam