Tiffany Tsuyuki

October 1st, 2010 | Rider of the Month

Tiffany Tsuyuki –  Canada’s Female Influence

When I first got into the wakeboard scene in 2002 there was one name that was synonymous with female wakeboarding: Tiffany Finlay. Tiff was the most powerful Canadian rider on the scene, throwing massive Raleys and Cabrolls which wasn’t common for female riders at that time. At my first contest ever I registered for intermediate having never ridden behind a wakeboard boat. There were no intermediate riders so I got bumped up to advanced, and I remember one of the judges in the boat saying “Oh man, sucks to be you to have to ride against Tiff in your first contest!” (I found out later that day it was actually Tiff’s boyfriend at the time, now husband, Dave Tsuyuki) None the less I bailed twice off the dock as expected, but it definitely didn’t suck to be competing against Tiff. She completely blew me away and made me want to go home that second and practice all day all night. I was hooked and inspired. Tiff lead the charge for female riders in Canada, she not only holds the crown of multiple National and World titles, but also organized the most successful grassroots contest series Ontario has ever seen. Although she has been retired for awhile now, she is still one of the most respected riders to date in the Canadian wake scene. Now I get a chance to catch up with Tiff, Dave and her two beautiful daughters at Summerski Lake in Newmarket, and it is safe to say she is still shreds hard. – Erika Langman

How old were you when you started wakeboarding?

I was 19.

How did you initially get into the sport?

I went down to Benzel’s (now WWC) in Florida to join Dave [Tsuyuki] and work at the camp for the summer as a cook (I had only been wakeboarding once before that)  Dave and I had planned on applying at Sea World to ski in the show, so I began swivel skiing mainly, LOL!  At the same time I was also trying to learn to barefoot, and wakeboard.  Swivel skiing turned out to be a little slow paced for me and as I progressed with wakeboarding I never looked back on the other disciplines!

Can you describe your first contest experience?

Dave and I had just come back from Benzel’s/WWC and it was OWSA Provincials in Welland.  The boys convinced me to compete even though I really wasn’t sure what I was doing.  I had just learned a raley, and even though (I think) I crashed I gained a whole new respect for competition.  Going out and riding with your friends, having fun is one thing but competition was another side of wakeboarding I didn’t really think was for me.  After that competition I new that I wanted to do it, and I new that I wanted to win.  I know what you’re thinking, it sounds cocky right, but I made personal athletic goals for myself and I conquered them one at a time.

Were there any female riders at that time that you looked up to?

Andrea Gayton probably had the most profound effect on me at that time. In terms of women’s wakeboarding Andrea paved the way.  When I found out that she used to compete with the men because there was no women’s division I was truly impressed by her efforts. There were lots of other girls who were killing it at the time though; Tara Hamilton (she dominated the pro-tour for a while), Sarah Cline, Emily Copeland just to name a few.

What was the Ontario wakeboard scene like when you first started? That was pre-days of Muskoka Militia and X-Cup, a lot of the new riders don’t know what went down then:

There was no Wakeboard Association at that time, just the OWSA representing water-ski and wakeboard (maybe Barefoot had an association, I’m not sure?).  Wakeboard membership climbed sharply in a matter of a couple years (1997 – 2000) and as a result those members started to demand a more wakeboard centric committee.  It was something that was bound to happen because each discipline has different concerns and want accurate and careful representation instead of general.  To make a long story short Wakeboarders were not feeling the love, we finally got our act together and thus the wakeboard association was established in cooperation with the Water-ski association.  Although boarders and skiers have a love-hate relationship there is a lot to be credited to the Water-ski association for helping us (wakeboarders).

You owned your own wakeboard school with Dave for a few years, what was it like having one of the only wakeboard schools in the region? Did you have lots of prodigies?

We certainly had the market cornered for a bit and enjoyed that!  Needless to say, it certainly was of key importance that we were able to operate from Dave’s parents’ (my now in-laws; Gary & Cheryl Tsuyuki) cottage on Lake Muskoka.  A HUGE thanks to them because they enabled our entrepreneurship to flourish.

We were extremely lucky to have the “Scott’s” (Duke, Bryan, and Larkin), and Sturch (Jeff), work and play like dogs for us! We had so much fun and I think our staff and students did also.

Prodigies…Um I guess Scott Larkin – he was our first student and learned a new invert everyday of the first week he was with us.  Also Nicki Trook, Kyle Rattray, and many more…

Yourself, Dave and Sean Flemming used to run the Nautiques X-Cup wakeboard tour through the WSWO. What was it like being in charge of the wakeboard series in Ontario touring around from stop to stop?

As well as Dave, Sean and I, Neil Brown also became an integral part of the tour. Jeff Barnes “Barnsie” was also “the man” behind the scenes that many may not realize.

Analogous to having kids, it was a pretty big endeavor but enormously rewarding as we had a huge following of young riders whose families were committed to attending every event (The Barkers’, Langman’s, MacMillans’, Spearkes, Lavery’s, Rattray’s, Boysens’, Balls’, to name a few!) .

Each of us had a different role to play and most of the time we all worked quite complementary together and had a great time doing that.  At times, it was stressful and it was a lot of work on and off the water to get these tournaments together.  I think most parents understood the amount of work and effort that we put into the series and to those parents we are eternally grateful!  Of course you cannot make everyone happy and that is disappointing, but inevitable, so we just took the criticism and did our best to learn from it. We tried to make sure that some things were avoided the next time around.  At the end of the day we were doing our best to make it a fun and safe event for everyone involved.  We were young, and learning.

Ontario had a solid group of female riders for a long time. Can you describe what the contest scene was like nationally, and who some of the female top guns were when you were heavily involved in the contest scene?

Canada had (and still does have) such a fantastic group of female riders.  Kelly Bates, Tressa Main, Nicki Trook, Laura Duke, Jean Gormley, Sunni-Ann Ball, Jenn Barker, Sheena Price, Magalie Dubois – all amazingly talented girls that I had the pleasure of riding with.

The contest scene was very much like a sober party (well, until the riding was done anyhow).  Lots of pranks, mostly by the boys I must admit!

My favourite event was always the nationals because you had a chance to see friends that you most likely had not seen since the year past.  It was like a family reunion and it was a lot of fun.  I’m sure that we will hit the scene again when our kids are a bit older!

You have seen the sport grow and evolve. What are some of the most noticeable changes from when you first started to what is happening now in the sport?

The biggest change was adding sliders, and other apparatus.  Also, judging and contest format as a result. The trick list has always been growing but with the addition of sliders things seemed to change exponentially.  That’s really what I love about the sport, that the possibilities are endless.  Sounds a bit cliché, but it’s true.  There are so many different ways to add an edge to your ridding style so that you can stand out and that’s really what it’s all about.

Any tips to the girls on how to stay cool and calm before your run in a contest?

That’s tough, everyone deals with pressure differently.  I was a bit ritualistic I would say in my same things from the night before right up until my first trick.  I think that self confidence is probably the biggest factor. As a young person competing in an individual sport you have to have self confidence in your skill set.  An important part of that is setting realistic goals for yourself.  If you find yourself thinking about the “what ifs” then think it through.  The most common one – What if I fall? Most riders do fall and that’s what makes wakeboarding different, you can still get back up and have a wicked run, so make sure you know how to carry on confidently after a fall.

Make a plan of attack on how you intend to reach your goals and stick to it.

You go HUGE. Any tips on how to be, be aggressive?

Just go for it! Be confident in what you are doing and don’t back off.  If you decide you are going to charge the wake and go big commit to it. Backing off can sometimes result in a worse outcome.  Start by learning something and get that trick dialed, then start to gradually take it bigger and remember to try and absorb those landings (soft knees!).  That way it’s not like learning the trick all over again.  Going Big should be fun, not scary.  If you’re scared then you’re probably also tense which will not bode well with your body mechanics.  Loosen up and have fun.

Ok Fast forward:

You have two amazing daughters now that are both so full of spunk. What has it been like the past four years raising Taylor and Devin?

Raising my daughters together with my husband is the best role of my life so far.  It is both emotionally and spiritually fulfilling, while at the same time challenging and frustrating, but ultimately very rewarding.

Dave and I work a lot, but we also make time for our family.  We work together in the family business (G&G Electronics – www.ggelectronics.com Call us if you need a great deal!!).  If there is one thing that I have learned growing up it was the importance of family time.  There is nothing that can replace time with my kids.

So, obviously as I have had my kids my time has been divided in new and different ways.  Wakeboarding during the summer has taken a bit of a back seat to the kids, but that doesn’t really bother me.  My girls have grown up in the boat and are amazingly comfortable around the water. They have both been watching us wakeboard since they were just a couple months old.  So far they have both been out on my wakeboard and on the surfboard with me and when they decide they want to get out there on their own we’ll be there to encourage them.

Now that you have a family who loves spending time at the lake in the water, has your perspective on the sport changed?

Yes and No, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit more tentative about what I do since I had kids.  But, on the flip side I want them to see me on the water and I want them think their mommy is cool!

Wakeboarding is also quite an expensive sport however, so I really hope that someone invests in a cable, especially if my kids do decide to take up wakeboarding!!  The Cable-ski technology opens up a whole new demographic to wakeboarding/wakeskating, as well as boasting a more environmentally responsible reputation.

Ready..Set..Rapidfire:

Favourite trick: Big floaty HS indie 180

Favourite Rider: Dave T

Favourite Boat: Nautique Team Edition of course, they rule!

Favourite Animal: Chewie our Mini Schnauzer

Most exotic place you’ve been: Bali, OMG it was sooo hot! (Sorry Lepin!)

Favourite place to be: At home with my girls

Place you’d like to visit sometime: Tahiti

Three things on your ‘list to accomplish’: Learn to Kiteboard, get dinner on the table before 7pm (hahaha), complete a marathon or a triathalon

Funniest thing you’ve seen: Dave trying to break-open a coconut when we were in Australia’s Daintree Rainforest; he tried to smash it open on the ground but it bounced back up and hit him in the forehead! LOL! That image is burned in my mind like a negative.

Shout outs: This list could go on for a long time….My Mom and Dad are number one of course – thanks for raising me in Muskoka, teaching me the importance of a strong personality, and stressing the importance of hard work and individuality.

Dave, my husband and “true rove”, without whom my life would never be the same.

Gary & Cheryl Tsuyuki – not only amazingly supportive in-laws, but also my employers. Thank you for giving me a flexible job while we travelled back and forth between work and training! And , well just for everything!

My sisters – in no particular order! Micheline and Alex who have always been supportive and critical, but most importantly my two closest confidantes’!

Joni & Andy Hansen and family for providing our winter training grounds (WWC), Paul and Karen Nicol of Pride Of Muskoka Marine for hooking us up with the BEST boats on the market.

All the guys who I rode with in Canada and Florida – Sean Fleming, Brian Macaulay, Neil Brown, Aaron Lepin, Glen “Kiwi” Fletcher, Joel Adair, Chris “Killer” Killick, Mark Porier, Kevin, Brad Buskas, The Scotts -Duke, Bryan and Larkin (sorry if I brutalized the spelling of names!!)

The Euro-crew and others who provided much needed on-site entertainment (in florida)– Par, Esbend, Mathias, Alex, Anna, Whabe, Hiro…

Ralph Geronimo – A great guy, great dad, great mentor, who at one point had almost all of Ontario on O’Brien boards!

BMG (Jeff Funk & Don Barhurst) & O’Brien Wakeboards, Bare Wetsuits

Billabong, Mike McComb & Dragon, Steve & George at Surf Paradise

The girls who I cooked and rode with at the camp – Rikke, Tracey Albright, Stacey, Stef, Sunny

My Nanna, who lived to be 91, who I miss everyday, but cherish the years we had together.

Erika and Ally – for putting me on the most wicked website that showcases female talent!!

RELATED POSTS

1. Ashleigh Low
2. Kelsey Chiappa
3. Susie Mallory
4. Ashley Leugner
5. Nancy Creedy