- Favorite school subject: Science
- Favorite place in Livonia: Phoenix Theatre
- Favorite school lunch: Pizza subs
- Role model: His brother Landon who has Down syndrome, because he always has a smile on his face and always perseveres.
Ryland Hughes from Livonia Stevenson is the winner of two awards! This year in Spring 4Frenzy Ryland has won awards for 800-meter relay and 1,600-meter relay. Ryland started running as early as the summer after third grade, with the Dearborn Track Club, and he continued running with them every summer.
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The Race for First
Ryland was the only freshman to earn a varsity letter this year and was awarded the MVP for the Freshman class, an honor given by the head coach, Chris Inch! Sadly, there were no new outdoor track meets or records for Ryland this year, but he and his school achieved a lot before schools were closed.
Livonia Stevenson had won first place overall at the End of Summer Classic in August, where Ryland earned a medal for being in the top one hundred. He also received a medal for 19th place at the Northville Mustang Invite in August, 25th at the Bret Clements Bath Invitational in September, and 5th place overall at the Midwest Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Together with the Team
Running may be a solo sport most of the time, but that doesn’t mean a team isn’t important. Ryland admires seniors Alex Spiegel and Colin Sheahan, who took him under their wing. Since he was the only freshman that went to cross country camp, they began a tradition of taking Ryland to breakfast once a week for some team bonding.
They have more traditions, too, such as a pasta dinner before every invitational and running to the cider mill to eat donuts and drink cider together during the fall.
Running is an individual sport in the sense that you are constantly running against yourself to get your personal record and better yourself, so never give up. However, it is one of the best team sports out there because there is always a group of guys waiting at the finish line to cheer everyone across.
Ryland Hughes
“No man is ever left behind at the end of a long-distance race... There is nothing like hearing your own teammates scream your name as you cross the finish line”, says Ryland. As soon as one of the members of the team finishes a race they get in line and cheer each other on. Ryland is so thankful to run with such a great group of guys, they make him want to be a better runner.
That Extra Push
Throughout Ryland’s years of running, he has appreciated his middle school coaches. They were always there to cheer him on and continue to give him a foundation in running. Ryland feels beholden to Coach Inch and Coach Zach for the additional skills and values they’ve taught him. Coach Inch even let Ryland run with the high school team over the summer going into his eighth-grade year.
Not Just a Runner
Ryland is also a representative on the Global Education Class Council at Stevenson, with the motto “Think Globally, Act Locally.” To help out their local community, they’ve done things like host ‘Haunted High’ during to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Isaac, and make friendship bracelets for special needs students for the holidays.
In the future, Ryland would like to run in college and will work his hardest to get that opportunity. He wishes to attend Michigan State University after he graduates from high school. Congratulations on your 4Frenzy wins, Ryland, and good luck on reaching your goals!
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