To hang out with the likes of Rio Olympics-bound Victoria Hill, of New Plymouth, and to chase her own dreams of making the cut to the 2020 Tokyo Games suits Reuben just fine.
That opportunity to gauge her worth arises this weekend for the Napier Girls' High School pupil when she'll compete in the super class of the Hawke's Bay BMX Club-hosted Grand Podium tomorrow, and the Central Region national-qualifying meet on Sunday.
Organiser Bronda Smith says they are expecting more than 300 riders over two days.
Hill is the top-seeded Kiwi rider and a professional while American professional Nick Fox will be the top male drawcard.
No doubt there's the promise of $500 prize money and up to "$1000 payback (refund)" for those who prevail in the big boys and big girls' grades but that's not Reuben's motivation.
"I don't really care about the money but I just want to have good, hard meeting," she says of the New World Havelock North-sponsored event tomorrow.
Her goal is to secure a top four placing in the Grand Podium and "not to drop" any races on Sunday.
Add to that the incentive of some top coaches watching her in action although they won't be here in an official capacity to scout for talent.
"It's quite exciting being young and learning from the older riders and following in their footsteps," says the Year 9 pupil although she is mindful of not wanting to rush towards the chequered flag of adulthood too soon.
"That's where I want to be when I'm their [professionals'] age."
It's her home turf at Romanes Drive, Havelock North, and she has been putting in some serious hours trying to tame the course in the past few weeks.
The teenager has competed in two grands prix at Te Awamutu, near Hamilton, in the past year but finishing fifth-sixth in "most motos" meant she was unable to accrue enough points from the eight races to make the finals.
But that hasn't been a deterrent for Reuben, who receives her coaching from fellow Bay member Jason Waite, because as a junior elite women's rider she was simply trying to garner experience.
The daughter of Shannon Reuben, a Design Cuisine Catering employee, and Fred, a forestry worker, fell in love with the code while watching an uncle, John Parsons, of Rotorua, and his son, Finn, competing in Gisborne when she was 10.
"I just liked the idea of racing against other girls and thought it was a real adrenalin rush," she says, dropping cricket, rugby, netball, basketball and softball along the way from Onekawa School to Napier Intermed-iate.
Thankfully BMX Hawke's Bay was under-going a renaissance of sorts and upgrading its tracks.
She found traction relatively quick with two trips to compete in New South Wales, Australia, in 2013 and last year.
Waite is pivotal with that reaffirmation to success.
"He's probably one of my favourite coaches because he makes things fun and isn't always serious."
Reuben thanks sponsors Haro BMX, Marewa Cycling, Triple J BMX and Design Cuisine Catering.
She also is indebted to an uncle, Alf Filipaina, a community constable and Auckland district councillor, who has been supporting her for two years. "He always asks me if I need new gear and helps pay for travel and gas money."
