FORT DEFIANCE – Fort Defiance senior track and field standout Taylor Cubbage has made a habit of performing well in big meets.

Earlier this season, Cubbage won the high jump at the prestigious Dogwood Relays at the University of Virginia.

Cubbage won a pair of state titles as a freshman in relay events and as a junior she claimed a pair of individual golds during the outdoor season. Earlier this year, Cubbage added three more golds to her trophy case at the state indoor championships.

The big-meet postseason run begins today with the Shenandoah District meet at Alleghany High School as Cubbage gears up for another run at gold at the state level.

Prior to the state indoor meet this winter, Cubbage announced her intention of competing at the Division I level for Marshall University in the Sun Belt. Getting that decision out of the way relieved a lot of stress, both athletically and academically.

“It was a big thing to get it off my plate,” Cubbage said of making her college choice during an interview earlier this spring. “I actually committed the week before I cleared 5-7. Not having to think about that took a weight off my shoulders, let me be free at the region meet and just let me do my thing.

“It also took a lot of stress off of me with schoolwork,” she added. “We were travelling a lot, visiting different colleges, doing a lot of tours. I was having to talk to different coaches daily, just trying to get more people to notice me. Not having to miss school due to travel, I was able to focus on my schoolwork a lot more. School has always been stressful for me because I go to Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School where I take a lot of dual-enrollment credits. Not having to go on tours and visiting colleges helped me balance the athletic side with the student side.”

The Herd recruited Cubbage to be a high jumper. The high jump might be her best event, but it’s not necessarily her favorite.

“Everybody thinks my favorite is the high jump, but it’s the 400. The 400 has always been my baby,” Cubbage said.

“I started high jumping a little bit later. I ran cross country all three years in middle school, so I always knew distance wasn’t going to be my main thing. During middle school I always thought I would run the 400 when I got to high school. The 400 has always been there.

“I started high jumping just for points to help the team and it just happened to be something I was good at. I love the high jump. It’s definitely what I was recruited for. But the 400 is still my favorite.”

Cubbage started to get more serious about the high jump during her sophomore season, clearing 4-11 indoors. An injury sidelined Cubbage for a bit during the outdoor season, but when she returned from the injury, she cleared 5-3 in her first meet back.

“Anything over 5-2 you can usually go jump in Division III, so that’s when I knew, yeah, I can definitely go to college for this and make something out of this,” Cubbage said.

Without a jumps coach at the Fort, Cubbage is a self-taught high jumper. “I try my best to watch videos and any instructional services I can find. I kind of became the high jump coach for our team.”

Turns out, she’s a pretty good teacher.

This year Cubbage convinced budding volleyball standout Livia Clinedinst to participate in indoor track. Clinedinst has provided Cubbage with some of her stiffest competition this season. The friendly rivalry between teammates has pushed both to new heights.

“She’s a very trainable athlete,” Cubbage said of her teammate. “When she cleared 5-6 at the Roanoke meet, I got to thinking, I’m technically coaching her. We have the exact same training schedule and we’re doing the exact same things. I had cleared 5-5, but never 5-6. I’m thinking if she can clear it, I can clear it. She cleared 5-6 and the following meet I cleared 5-7.”

High jump or 400? Indoors or Outdoors? Again, Cubbage has her favorite season, but similar to the high jump / 400 debate, her favorite season may not match up as well with her skill set.

“I definitely prefer the outdoors season, but my Dad and I were talking about this and indoor probably fits me better as an athlete because I’m more of a long sprinter,” Cubbage explained. “In outdoor, I have the 400 but the next closest events are the 200 and 800. I don’t consider myself a distance runner so the 800 isn’t the direction to go. You can throw me in the 200 but me with my long legs and prior cross-county background, I don’t get off the line very fast. I’m more of a top speed person so the 200 doesn’t really fit my body type or my way of running as well. Indoors, there are the 300- and 500-meter events. Those two events fit my running style very well.”

Looking forward, Cubbage has some lofty goals. While the high jump will be her main focus in college, Marshall will allow her train for the 400.

“I’m content on setting my goals high,” Cubbage said. “5-7 used to be the goal. I’m setting them higher than a lot of people think that I can do. I would like to break 56 in the 400 and I would like to go 5-10 in the high jump. 5-10 at Marshall and I would be placing in the Sun Belt. Low 56 or high 55 in the 400 and I’m placing in the Sun Belt. Finishing my senior year strong and heading to college with that confidence will help me chase those goals.”

While Cubbage has clear goals for her athletic future, she also has a defined idea of what she will study while at Marshall and the career path that will follow.

"I’m doing a 4-in-1 program at Marshall for dietetics. I want to be a nutritionist. I can get my bachelor’s and master’s in five years and there is a good job outlook for after college,” Cubbage said.

Her desire to become a nutritionist is fueled by real-life, family experiences.

“My grandfather has always had heart problems. He has multiple stents, a pacemaker, a defibrillator. I want to help people like my grandfather, but I’m scared of blood, scared of needles. That side of the medical world is not my cup of tea” Cubbage said.

“When I was younger, and I would go visit my grandfather at the hospital, people would come in and tell him you can’t have those mashed potatoes for dinner, and you can’t eat those fried foods. I would ask my parents, who are these people? Of course, they were dieticians. Seeing those people, it put in my heart how I want to help people. Just seeing how they helped my grandfather, that’s what I want to do with my life. I want to help people - but without doing the blood and the needles.”

Fort's Cubbage Taking Aim At Lofty Goals

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