No Shortcuts To Success For Stubbs


Name: Rylan Stubbs

School: Campo Verde HS

PRs
1600m - 4:12.94 @ Arizona Meet of Champions
5km - 15:25 @ Desert Twilight XC Festival (2017)
Rylan Stubbs is the 3x State Champion for Campo Verde with one D2 State Title for cross-country, and is the returning D2 Boys 1600m and 3200m State Champion from last year. He holds 4 Individual School Records in the 800m, 1600m, the 3 mile and the 5km. Just a few weeks ago he signed his National Letter of Intent with Grand Canyon University and will join the Lopes this coming fall.
What was your most memorable race to date?
My most memorable would definitely have to be the 3200m at Meet of Champions my sophomore year. I found another level of confidence in myself during the race and came out with a nice PR. That race taught me to never doubt yourself, because you are always capable of more than you think.
Do you listen to music before competing? If so what's on your playlist?
Occasionally. There are three songs in particular that I listen to: Zombie by The Cranberries, Patient by Post Malone, and Heads Will Roll by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. They're all super random but seem to get me in race mood haha.
(Two years ago, Stubbs placed 2nd in the D2 Boys 1600m, behind Manny Olivo Quiñones (right). - photo by John Hays)
You are friends with a lot of your rivals within the community. Who among them would you consider your biggest competition over your running career?
I would have to say Manny Olivo-Quiñones (Buena, 2017) because he always pushed me in every single race that we were in together. I only ever beat him once but many of my breakthrough races came from racing him.
If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
I would definitely not have been so hard on myself in my first couple of years. My freshman and sophomore year, whenever I had a bad race or didn't hit my goal, I would take it super hard and let it eat me away. I have learned over time that a race is just a race, and that when it's over, the only thing to do is learn from your mistakes and move on. Once I started adopting this, racing became a lot less stressful and the sport became a lot more fun.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
Last year, I got stress fracture in my hip right before the track season began and I was out until about the beginning of April. I was really upset, since I was in the best shape of my life at the time. After talking with my coach, we decided that I would go to the gym 1-2 times a day to hop on the stationary bike to try to keep at least some of my fitness. When I got back on the track, my mileage was only at about 20 miles per week and I only had a short time left before the season was over. My coach prescribed me specific workouts that would still give me all of the training that I needed without a lot of volume. I ended up finishing off my track season really strong and learned a lot about myself in the process.


What will you miss the most about competing for your team?
I will definitely miss the family atmosphere of the team, we are all very close and have accomplished so much together. It's crazy how fast it all went by.
What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?
Coach Applebach has really taught me that nothing comes on a silver platter. You have to be willing to put in the work if you want to achieve your goals, there are no shortcuts in life.
You at first made your verbal commitment to the University of Oklahoma, but then upon further review decided to sign with Grand Canyon University. What was the deciding factor that made you choose GCU?
From the moment I stepped on campus at GCU, I felt very welcomed. I really like the team atmosphere and I have a lot of confidence that Coach Slattery will help propel me to another level. On top of that, it's a lot closer to my family and friends so that's a little added perk.


What do you like about Coach Slattery's coaching philosophy?
I like how she focuses a lot on cross training and incorporates it often in the training. Cross training plays a big role in my training at the moment, so I think it will be a very smooth transition.
What do you think your event specialty will be at the collegiate level?
Most likely the 1500/mile.
What are your college plans? Have you decided on a major?
As of right now, I will be majoring in Sports Management, but I am also very interested in Computer Science as well.
Who would you like to thank for your success in high school?
Definitely my parents. They have poured countless hours into supporting me and are at every single one of my meets. Whenever I walk up to the line, you can hear my dad screaming my name like a mad man from the stands.
Are there any other shout-outs you'd like to give?
Yes. Everyone, go check out my boys and their band "Gone Before Us."

Fun Stuff!

If you could have any superpower what would it be?
I would have to say the ability to stop time.
What's your favorite vacation spot?
I really like Big Bear, California. It's nice and quiet, up in the mountains, but you can also drive to the beach in just a couple of hours.
What's the last movie you watched?
Wreck It Ralph Breaks The Internet, and I highly recommend it.
What's your favorite sports team?
Arizona Cardinals
If you could have dinner with any three people who would you invite?
Des Linden, Boris Berian, and Mo Farah.