Background
Richie was born in Geraldine, New Zealand.
Richie was born in Geraldine, New Zealand.
Ritchie attended Linwood High School before transferring to Rangi Ruru Girls" High School in Christchurch New Zealand for her final years of High School.
Ritchie is a graduate from University of Washington, United States of America, and also have a law degree from Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand. She has 2 siblings. Ritchie"s extended family also includes representatives on the international stage in hockey, umpiring, equestrian/horse racing and golf. In 1995 Rangi Ruru Girls School U17 four crew (Ritchie, Ross, Hunt and Gardiner) were selected to compete in the New Zealand U19 rowing team against Australia.
In 2001 Ritchie was named Public Affairs Committee-10 Newcomer of the year following the conference championships.
The crew remained undefeated during the 2002 season, and held onto the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship title for the second year in a row. The Husky crew had a star-studded lineup, including Athens Olympic Silver medalists and Beijing and London Gold medalists Mary Murray (nee Whipple) and Anna Cummins (nee Mickelson) (United States of America), and Olympians Rika Geyser (South Africa) and Canadian Nicole Borges.
Ritchie has given back to sports, coaching at Rangi Ruru, Street Peters School and Wakatipu High. In 2014, Rtchie was given life membership honors to the Wakatipu Club in recognition of her contributions to high school program (having coached boys teams to 3 National School titles, 1 silver and 3 bronze medals - and 19 South Island Secondary school medals in four years).
She currently resides in Queenstown, and works as an Environmental lawyer at Andersons Lloyd.
She is actively involved in community activities and youth mentoring. In 2009 Ritchie and fellow lawyer, Katy Baxter, and ASB representative, Joel Peasey, started a networking group for young professionals in Queenstown
In 2013 Ritchie was registered as an independent New Zealand marriage and civil union celebrant.
In 1996 Ritchie and Ross combined with high school rivals Rose Wallace and Stacy Worsnop (Gisborne Girls High) to make the New Zealand U19 coxless four to compete at the Junior World Championships, Scotland, where the Jude Hamilton coached crew won a bronze medal. The at the age of 20 she moved to the University of Washington, United States of America, and was part of the crew which won back-to-back gold medals at Pac-10 Championships and Varsity 8 at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Rowing Championships.
