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When Heidee Ruiz tells her athletes at Westmont about the sacrifices and hard work necessary to make it to the state high school track and field championships, they listen to what she has to say. They've heard that their coach knows what she's talking about—from personal experience.
It seems that Ruiz the coach has been there as Ruiz the athlete. And she's been there more than once.
Heidee Ruiz is a two-time state placer who qualified for the state track and field finals in all four of her years at Los Gatos High School. What's more, her marks in the shot put, discus and heptathlon were among the best in the nation during her time as a Wildcat.
For her outstanding accomplishments as a Wildcat, Heidee Ruiz will be among the first 14 athletes recognized with induction into the newly created Athletic Hall of Fame at the high school during ceremonies to be held May 1 at the La Rinconada Country Club.
Los Gatos track and field coach Willie Harmatz knew a pretty special athlete was headed his way when he got a look at the successful eighth grade athlete in the summer of 1984. Not only was she a junior high school county champion, Heidee Ruiz was a Junior Olympic champ in the 1415 age group that summer, winning the shot put and javelin and placing third in the long jump. She went on to finish second in the nation in the heptathlon (a grueling seven-event competition over two days that includes the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 meters, long jump, javelin and 800 meters).
That was only the beginning for the talented Los Gatos athlete.
She had potential as a basketball player, playing as a freshman and sophomore and winning the Most Valuable Defensive Player award for the Wildcats on the junior varsity squad. But it was on the track where she really had a future.
She starred right from the beginning as a freshman on the Gatos track. Competing in the long jump, shot put, 4x400 relay and 4x100 relay, she accounted for 18 of the Los Gatos team points to help the Wildcats win the Central Coast Section championship.
Ruiz qualified for the state meet in the shot put in each of her four years at Los Gatos, and also competed in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays as a freshman, sophomore and junior and in the discus as a junior and senior.
She won the CCS shot put title three years in a row, finishing third in the state in 1987 and second in the state in 1988. Her best mark, a 44-9 effort that still stands as a school record, ranked seventh in the nation. She also threw 145-7 in the discus, another school record that ranked fifth in the state and seventh in the nation.
As a senior, she scored 26 points at the CCS meet, competing in the long jump, shot put, discus and 100-meter hurdles. That year, she scored 261 points for the Los Gatos track team, the most in school history. She was the Most Valuable Athlete in the field events in each of her four years as a Los Gatos athlete.
Ruiz was ranked second in the nation in the heptathlon while at Los Gatos and was invited to the Olympic Training camp in Colorado Springs in the summer of 1988.
She was in the top 10 on the national list for the most highly recruited athletes in 1988 and opted for Cal State Long Beach. She attended Long Beach from 198890 before attending Azuza Pacific University from 199093. As a collegiate athlete, she was an indoor-outdoor college All-American in the shot put and heptathlon and qualified for the 1992 Olympic Games in the heptathlon.
Ruiz graduated from San José State University in 1997 and is now a successful teacher and coach at Westmont High School.
And when she talks to her Warriors about what it takes to be a championship athlete, they just might want to pay attention to what she has to say. After all, she knows what she's talking about—and if they don't believe it, they can just take a look at her scrapbook.
Los Gatos High School Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will on May 1 at the La Rinconada Country Club in Los Gatos. Tickets for the Hall of Fame dinner are priced at $75, and those attending the dinner will have the opportunity to nominate former Los Gatos athletes for induction in 2005. For ticket information, call the Los Gatos Athletic Association at 408.395.2002, Doug Ramezane at 408.354.2730, ext. 213, or Mark Magagna at 408.354.2730, ext. 320.
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