For Pacific Beach resident Ryland Rubens, there is nothing much better in life than catching a wave. This month, Rubens has been spending time Down Under surfing in the World Junior Championships.
In winning the North America junior tour crown last year, Rubens (who grew up on Mt. Soledad) qualified to head to New South Wales, Australia and compete against some of the top junior surfers in the world. According to Rubens, his dad (Peter) still surfs pretty much every day. Meantime, his sister (Cheyenne) surfs with the family while attending a local college. As Ryland notes, “It’s great to catch some waves with them both.”
The Beach & Bay Press recently caught up with Ryland (who attends Audeo Charter School, where he will graduate this year) for an email chat as he looks for more surfing victories. BBP: How long have you been into surfing and how did you get your start?
Rubens: I stared surfing when I was 3. I used to go to the beach with my dad and sister all the time and it became a natural evolution. BBP: What are you doing in Australia right now as far as competition?
Rubens: I’m currently in Australia for the World Junior Championships and having a blast exploring new areas on the down days between the competitions. BBP: Do you feel surfing here in San Diego gives you any advantage over surfers from other parts of the country and world?
Rubens: I personally enjoy the waves in San Diego because they’re fun and pretty consistent year-round. Every country has different kinds of waves, which makes them all unique. I don’t see myself as having an advantage. BBP: What are your long-term goals with surfing?
Rubens: Long-term would be to keep improving and aim to be on the WCT (World Championship Tour) 2-3 years from now. It will take a lot of hard work and I will need to earn the points to qualify. BBP: Any plans for college?
Rubens: Yes, college is in the works. Most likely going to start with online courses as I will be doing a lot of traveling in 2018. BBP: For any San Diego area kids wanting to take up surfing, what advice would you have for them?
Rubens: I would say just to have fun and enjoy what the ocean has to offer. Competing or not, just being in the ocean is great for many aspects of life and just to take baby steps, because nothing happens overnight.
