WEBSTER GROVES – Throughout the remainder of the 2020-21 school year, the Webster University Athletics Department will feature Gorlok senior student-athletes. The senior student-athletes were asked 21 questions about their time at Webster, which will help everyone get the chance to know them as individuals and how much they've grown during their time as a Gorlok student-athlete.
The Senior Spotlight feature is scheduled to run every Monday and Friday until all the senior student-athletes have been profiled.
Our 26th and seventh Senior Spotlight of the 2021 calendar year features senior competitive cheerleader Raven Ritrovato (St. Clair, Mo./St. Clair)
- What is your name? What sport(s) do you play? Raven Ritrovato, Competitive Cheerleading
- What is your major? Graphic Design.
- How many years have you been a student at Webster? This is my fourth year at Webster.
- What attracted you to attend school and compete in athletics at Webster University? Webster University was the best art school closest to home that had competitive cheer. I cheered since I was 5 years old, so I attended some open gyms at Webster and got sought out as a recruit.
- What are your plans after graduation? As I recently became engaged, I plan to move down with my fiance and find a job.
- What has been your favorite class at Webster and why? My favorite class at Webster has been figure drawing as it grew my knowledge on the human form, as well as, my love for fine art.
- What is your most memorable athletic moment at Webster? My favorite moment so far is heading to competition my sophomore year and being stranded at Cracker Barrel for hours with the whole team. It was kind of crappy being late to practice that night, but that controlled chaos is some of the most fun to go through as a team.
- What is your most memorable/best academic experience at Webster? Being added to the Dean's List for the first time in the 2020 spring semester during a pandemic was pretty nice.
- Outside of sports, what is your favorite hobby or activity? Art is my life as I grow in my freelancing, as well as, I spend a lot of time with my amazing dog outside or hiking.
- What is your favorite food? Movie? Book? TV show? My favorite food is any type of pasta or Thai. My favorite movie is Hairspray and I don't have a favorite book since I don't read much and my favorite television show is Avatar: The Last Airbender.
- What is your pet peeve? Nail biting, people not cleaning up after themselves/dishes and getting hopes up to just be let down.
- Would you consider yourself a morning or a night person? I am a morning person.
- What is your typical pre-game meal? Subway or a wrap of some sort.
- What are your typical game day rituals? Good sleep, morning routine of vitamins and apple cider vinegar, stretching and a good meal.
- What Webster University faculty or staff member has had the greatest impact on you and why? Justin Barton and Noriko Yuasa. Justin (Barton) started as my cheer coach, then my boss for connection leaders, then someone I consider my family. He has helped me a lot through my years at Webster, even when I felt like leaving. He has gotten angry with me, but only ever wants to see me grow. Noriko (Yuasa) is someone I've known these past few years, but I have recently been getting to know her more as I switched to her as my advisor. She has grown to be my favorite professor at Webster as she pushes us to our limit, but it still there with compassion.
- What do you enjoy most and least about practice? What I like most is building a family and my strength, while I don't like 6 a.m. workouts and lipstick.
- What advice would you give to underclassmen at Webster University? Get out and get uncomfortable so that is helps you grow comfortable.
- If you had to listen to one song on repeat forever, what would it be and why? Dancing Queen by Abba. It is not my favorite song, but always gets me in a good mood.
- What is a funny story that you can tell about your coach or about your team that people might not know? One Valentine's Day, our coach decided to bring in a heart-shaped balloon for an aid in learning basket tosses. It was supposed to help you keep your chest up and reach high. The string was too short, however, and one of the girls had to then be stunted up and was given two poles to try to get it. It floated at the top of the gyms for weeks and we always just saw it and started laughing.
- What is something that people may not know about you, but should? I really want to become friends with a lot of people, but have issues connecting for some reason. It hurts not to be included in things, but I never let people know when I'm upset because I like to be a strong person. I also am very big headed and find a lot of good traits of myself, but don't know how to express it without feel like "oh look at me, I'm so great."
- If you could spend an hour with three people (past or present), who would you choose and why? The three people I would spend an hour with are my brother, as I lost him when I was 11 years old and he was 19 years old, Jim Carrey and Stan Lee.
