Pushing Boundries and Achieving Success

by Laura Stetser

You never know who you might be working out next to at South Yuba Club. Case in point – SYC member Tina Basich. When it comes to legendary athletes pushing boundaries and opening doors for those who follow in their wake – she shines in her sport.

TRYING SOMETHING NEW

Rewind to 1985 when Tina was in high school and found herself befriending skateboarders, a group she felt comfortable with and accepted by. Whereas skateboarding was a well-known sport, snowboarding had yet to really make its debut. When Tina’s mom saw a snowboard at a sports shop, Tina was game. She thought, “it would be cool, like skateboarding but I wouldn’t have to fall on hard concrete.” Her first day snowboarding she was hooked.

IN THE BEGINNING

Most of her early days were spent riding at Donner Ski Ranch. They were one of only a few resorts in Tahoe that even allowed snowboarders on the ski lifts. “There was no training. We were skateboarders heading for the mountains – misfits – no one wanted us on the mountain and snowboarding was not really considered a sport in the beginning.”

FIRST CONTEST

In those days, equipment was rough. Her first board had fins, no metal edges, and no flex in the board. As the equipment improved so did her snowboarding. “I knew about competitions as I would go to the skateboarding comps in high school. So, when I heard about a snowboarding contest happening at Donner Ski Ranch, I signed up right away. They offered a Giant Slalom (A Giant Slalom is an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding competitive discipline. It involves racing between sets of poles (“gates”) spaced at a greater distance from each other) and a half pipe (a structure resembling a cross-section of a swimming pool, essentially two concave ramps). She took third place and won a hooded sweatshirt and a skateboard. To put perspective to how much this sport has grown – there were only four females who entered, and the halfpipe walls were about three feet tall. Watching the Olympics today, you will see halfpipes with 22-foot walls.

SNOWBOARDING EXPLODED

In the early 1990s, snowboarding exploded in popularity which opened the way to more resorts allowing snowboarders on the mountains. This brought more competitions and more companies to sponsor snowboarders. “I was able to live off the money I made from snowboarding and was traveling the world as a pro snowboarder competing and filming for snowboard movies and magazines. My training was hiking up mountains at sunrise in three feet of snow to get the fresh powder and amazing photos, etc.”

WINNING GOLD

At the 1998 X Games, Tina won gold by landing the first 720º rotation (720º or 7, as it’s known in the industry, is when the rider makes two full 360º rotations). She was the first female to ever complete this trick. “It was off a jump that was about 45 feet. At the time, it was the biggest jump I had ever gone off…I feel like this win helped push women’s snowboarding forward.”

A CHANGE OF FOCUS

In 1999, Tina broke her fibula, and tibia near her ankle. “This took me out of my zone” she says, “I felt broken and not able to get back in my competitive mindset.” Even so, she placed 2nd at the World Championships the following year, but then retired from competitions. “I focused on finding the untracked powder and rode up in Alaska with chartered helicopters…the best runs of my life.”

AN INCREDIBLE CAREER

As she closed out her incredible 20-year career stretch as a professional female snowboarder in a sport that had barely broken ground when she joined, she realized that she needed to be safer with her body. “I had some breaks and injuries but felt lucky it wasn’t worse. Snowboarding at an extreme level is very risky and Mother Nature is powerful. I really learned to respect that power and make calculated risks from then on.”

FEELING LUCKY

After leaving snowboarding, Tina moved to Nevada City where she joined SYC (fun fact – she had never been to a gym before that!). “I’ve been going to SYC for about 8 years. I really feel lucky to be able to have a great gym to work out at. I’m in my 50’s now so keeping my body moving is so important for my overall health…I LOVE my cross-training class, coaches, and peers. Renee and Erin are both amazing teachers.  I enjoy working out in a class where I can challenge myself to improve each week. I try to go to the gym 3-4 times a week. I also enjoy the Barr class with Nicole and Group Power with Glenda. These classes give me a good, balanced workout schedule for the week.”

SKI & SNOWBOARD HALL OF FAME

In March this year, Tina will be inducted into the Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. We want to congratulate her on this incredible achievement! We are so inspired by Tina for her remarkable contribution to the snowboarding sport and for continuing to inspire others by sharing her story.

Tina Basich w/Mike Gallego (NWCA Hall of Fame recipient)

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