Ramos Makes Mark by Owning the Moment
‘Me Time’ has become a vibe for CSU throwers
Mike Brohard
In track and field, you get your slot. A lane assignment. A position in a flight.
They aren’t always guaranteed. A meet, even a season, can become a victim of circumstance. So those slots become precious, even more so for Colorado State’s team this week.
Welcome to the NCAA West First Round, held Wednesday through Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark. Throwers and jumpers get three attempts. Runners get at least one prelim, then hopefully a semifinal. In and out.
No winners, just advancers, with the top 12 in each event moving on to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., June 10-13. So those slots are precious for the 26 Rams who will compete 34 times. And brief.
Just a blip, really. A precious moment where Leonardo Ramos exits and someone – something -- else takes center stage.
“It's just an alter ego. So when you see me at practice, I'm kind of, let's say, a big cat. I'm pretty quiet. I'm reserved,” Ramos said. “I just get my work done. But when something happens, when my team's getting around, I'm happy to see them. I let a big yell –'hey, let's go. Let's do it. Like, let's get the energy going,’ this and that. Now I go back into the little conserved person I am, and then when it's competition, obviously my alter ego comes out. It's showtime.
“Same thing in the weight room. When I'm hitting a big lift, I've got to let it out. I've got to let it be known. You can't be loud and expressive 20%. That would get annoying. But honestly, I do it for myself. I am really proud of where I came from and what was built on top of it. And I kind of just carry it on as we get to high-end events.”
It is not performative theater, it’s personality. Also performance enhancing, and not just for him, but as it turns out, his throws teammates of both genders. Part endearing, part enhancing for all, this is who Ramos has become, and he has a coach in Brian Bedard who allows his athletes to embrace who they are, as long as it’s helpful, not a distraction.
He’s had successful throwers who were introverted and stoic in competition. They were more successful inside their own head. Others, like Ramos, occasionally enter the circle loud and proud, looking to coax that little extra out of a throw.
“He is, and he's at his best when he's in that place. Like even last year, there were times he was kind of letting it come out a little bit, and I noticed good things happen every time he did that,” Bedard said. “Some people, they try to be a showman, and they fall apart. He embraces that moment. And it was kind of like, okay, ‘OK, you get a mark, we're going to turn you loose and let you be yourself and let you be a showman. And it just kept playing out that he would perform extremely well in that.
“So I've given him the green light to go there when he wants to. He doesn't do it all the time. He wants to make sure he takes care of his business, gets to the finals, and all that stuff. He's got to do his stuff for the team, and then at a certain point, he's like, ‘OK, I'm going for it now.’ I allow it because he supports his teammates as much as they do him. He's all on board and pumps them up, even before they go in and throw positive self-talk. So it's important to have those guys on the team.”
Not simply because it’s entertaining.
The throws group is a community at Colorado State, men and women supporting each other as they continue to fly the banner for the Rams on every stage. The Rams’ reputation proceeds them at meets, be it a midseason invitational, the conference championships or the national showcase.
At the most recent Mountain West Championships, the women claimed all three titles in the ring throws, collecting 14 of the 24 overall placings. The men, in aiding a repeat of the team title, placed 10 times. The group thrives on energy and encouragement, which Ramos is more than eager to supply.
When conference started, not a single CSU male thrower had qualified for regionals in the discus. By the end of the event, four Rams had made the mark.
“It's cool because he comes from a background like I come from. He comes from team sports, football, and being more extrinsic with your competition,” said Makayla Long, who won the shot put title at conference and ranks in the top 15 nationally in the event. “So being able to feed off his energy is really helpful.
“You can see he's one of the heart and souls of the guys' team for sure, and it helps the women as well to watch him perform and show up in big competitions and just show it's possible -- that it is possible to have fun and enjoy and compete hard with still remaining within yourself and remaining in your technique.”
They absorb what that meaning is. And there's weight to it now.Leonardo Ramos
Which he did aptly at conference. He placed in all three of his throws – second in the spot put, third in the hammer, fourth in the discus. He recorded personal bests in both the shot put and discus, his 62-1.25 in the shot ranking third in CSU history. His 189-6 in the discus ranks 10th, and at the Beach Invitational, his 214-11 in the hammer placed him sixth in the program’s books.
Not out of the question, considering he qualified for regionals last year in both the shot and hammer, but it did come out of a space where there were most definitely questions being asked. Namely, what’s in store for the outdoor season.
They stemmed from the fact he practically missed the indoor campaign, save for one meet. He went through two surgical procedures – one on his foot, the other on the opposite ankle – one each on either side of that lone meet.
There was time lost training. There was technique and foot work to polish and rebuild. Bedard has seen the script multiple times in his career, but it comes with alternative endings; no one recovery is the same. He talks variables. Reactions, both emotionally and physically. Setbacks are not uncommon. It will test patience and the strongest of wills.
“I was encouraged by the way he came back from his first injury and how methodical he was with that and how mentally tough he was with that, that he could do it again. But that's asking a lot,” Bedard said. “He was really frustrated and hurt by the second injury. That was tough.
“That was late fall training when he broke the side of his foot; he had to get a screw put in that. Then he recovered really well. It was just getting rolling. And I'd see you collapse and mess up his ankle,” Bedard said. “So it's not been an easy go for the guy. So for him to be in this position, and he's starting to be at his best right now ... He's peaking at the right time. So it's good for him. And that's just his mental makeup.”
Historically, Ramos has been good finding alternate routes.
He went to Colorado State-Pueblo out of Montbello High School as a wrestler and a football player. An issues keeping his electrolytes up led to him looking at having to give up one or the other, while also being offered a bridge to return to track and field. For health reasons, his best avenue was to head back to throwing.
Once he was back in the ring and having a bit of success, he sought more and the guy he figured who could get him there.
Bedard. The man who has guided a plethora of conference champions, a myriad of All-Americans, national champions and Olympians.
“I had heard of his success. It's right down the road, close. I love Colorado,” Ramos said. “Green looks good on me. So I was like, ‘hey, I'm going to make it my goal, see if I can hit some marks, see if I can get his interest.’ I actually planned that out at the beginning of my sophomore year, and I finished my sophomore year really strong. We gave him a call, and he considered me. He was like, ‘you know what? I'll give you a roster spot.’”
Between indoor and outdoor, he’s scored seven times as the Rams’ men keep collecting conference championships. He’s helped by consistently climbing the ladder, stringing together seasons and throws which have bolstered his confidence and thus his outlook.
Might as well enjoy it, too. Share the joy as well.
He gets a boost from the fact his teammates vibe off his emotion, but word is getting out. On his Instagram page, he posted a video which is really easy to find, especially with the title “Glaze Me” in big, white letters.
Celebrate and lavish praise. Soak it in and let the chosen device fly. The video is from a smaller meet in Colorado, but a few weeks later in California a fellow competitor came up to him and said, “you’re the ‘Glaze Me guy, right?’
Damn straight. The alter ego.
“I introduced it to the team, to the throwers, and it's called, ‘Me Time,’” Ramos said. “So when you go in the ring, I like to whisper it to myself. I'm like, Me Time. Come on. It's showtime. My time.
“It's my moment, and I love to implement it to my teammates also. I'm like, Me Time. Let's go. I yell it at them when they're getting their warm-ups in, and they absorb that energy. They absorb what that meaning is. And there's weight to it now. So every time there's a throw, it's like, let's say, it's the final throw, and in a meet you get the girls yelling, ‘Me Time, Leo. Let's go.’ Or we got Daniel Baroumbaye throwing. You got Alex Jensen, Adam (Hellbom), help him, screaming it to Daniel. I'm not even in the picture, and they still use that phrase. So that's what I love. The culture just gets reinforced with certain stuff like that.”
Because the slots aren’t guaranteed, which Ramos learned from the indoor season. If you have one, own the moment. The way he sees it, he has about a minute in the circle, from entrance to exit.
The time in between, he’s proud to let others know that period belongs to him.
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