By Corey Modeste
After profiling Martha Kelley in this space last month, the MSRA received so many requests to get the other half of the Kelley Sister story that I had to give Ruth a call. Interestingly enough, we probably spoke more about soccer and other sports than we did about squash. In fact, I was so amazed by how active Ruth is in all aspects of her life that I had to drop my pen and count on my fingers to see if there were, indeed, enough hours in the day to accomplish all that she did.
Ruth grew up an active soccer player and played from adolescence through the end of high school. She simultaneously played on three different soccer teams and most days involved double practices. After soccer in the fall, squash in the winter and track in the spring rounded out the sports trilogy.
Ruth grew up an active soccer player and played from adolescence through the end of high school. She simultaneously played on three different soccer teams and most days involved double practices. After soccer in the fall, squash in the winter and track in the spring rounded out the sports trilogy.
Ruth initially intended to focus on soccer in college, but by the time she was a high school junior and had achieved a top 10 national squash ranking, she realized that she could be even more competitive in squash in college. At Yale she was a member of the varsity squash team as it built toward an eventual national championship in 2004, but also found that there was more to college than competitive squash. She backed off squash commitments in her junior year, which allowed her to take studio art classes and direct advertising design for the Yale daily paper. Fitness and competition were never far, and if it wasn't squash then intramural soccer provided the team spirit and fun.
Easing off from squash at the end of college may have been one of the best things for her game today. Unlike many other talented junior players, who play all through college but burn out by their mid-twenties, Ruth was eager to pick up the racquet again when she moved to New York City after Yale. She didn't get much squash time as an investment banking analyst, but a more predictable schedule in her current job gives her the chance to get on court three or four times a week at the Yale Club. Ruth has been instrumental in not only organizing the Yale Club team, and in getting more top collegiate women into the MSRA.
She played through the summer for the first time this year and reports feeling fitter (and hitting the ball better) than in college when she was playing considerably more. She lines up this year as captain of the Yale Club Women's 5.0 team and is set for a strong performance in this year's league and tournament matches. I asked her how she would feel about having to player her sister Martha in a league match when the Yale Club plays the University Club this year (Martha holds a 1-0 record in the official Kelley Sister match count) and while these were not Ruth's exact words, I did hear elements of "bring it!"
Ruth lives in Manhattan and works as an analyst for the finance department of Columbia University.
Easing off from squash at the end of college may have been one of the best things for her game today. Unlike many other talented junior players, who play all through college but burn out by their mid-twenties, Ruth was eager to pick up the racquet again when she moved to New York City after Yale. She didn't get much squash time as an investment banking analyst, but a more predictable schedule in her current job gives her the chance to get on court three or four times a week at the Yale Club. Ruth has been instrumental in not only organizing the Yale Club team, and in getting more top collegiate women into the MSRA.
She played through the summer for the first time this year and reports feeling fitter (and hitting the ball better) than in college when she was playing considerably more. She lines up this year as captain of the Yale Club Women's 5.0 team and is set for a strong performance in this year's league and tournament matches. I asked her how she would feel about having to player her sister Martha in a league match when the Yale Club plays the University Club this year (Martha holds a 1-0 record in the official Kelley Sister match count) and while these were not Ruth's exact words, I did hear elements of "bring it!"
Ruth lives in Manhattan and works as an analyst for the finance department of Columbia University.
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