Don’t let his easy-going demeanor fool you.
Idabel High School sophomore Ryan Robbins describes himself as the “class clown in the advanced classes.” He also plays golf for the Warriors, sings in the choir, is a member of Student Council and National Honor Society and stars on Idabel’s academic team.
“Ryan is a terrific player,” Idabel academic bowl coach Carla Tatum says. “His knowledge for anything sport-related is amazing, but he is also extremely strong in science and history.”
Robbins finished his sophomore year as a top-five scorer in McCurtain County. He first played academic bowl in middle school but took a break his freshman year. Robbins also has a knack for answering questions related to pop culture or current events.
“I’ve always just remembered random things, so I was pretty good at it,” Robbins says. “The thing I’m best at is sports. I just remember things from watching games or seeing a post about something. It just sticks with me, so usually, when they ask a sports question, I just know.”
Idabel never passes up a sports topic during lightning rounds when Robbins is in the game – “it’s a guaranteed at least 70 points,” he says.
His older sister, Lauren, is a senior at Idabel and inspired him to get involved in Student Council.
“I’ve just kinda followed the way [Lauren has] done most things,” Robbins says, “and if I don’t like it, I don’t do it, and if I do like it, then I keep doing it.”
Robbins previously played baseball but picked up golf for the first time this spring.
“It’s not very good, but me and a buddy just started trying it about three months ago, and we ended up liking it,” Robbins says, “so I’ll play through the summer and hopefully compete a little bit the next two years.”
Robbins is exploring his post-high-school options but doesn’t plan on going to college.
“I’m just trying to stay passing until I get out,” Robbins says, laughing.
