Josephine Tuaiti was born in Hamilton, New Zealand. Later on, she soon moved to British Columbia. Josephine currently lives in Kamloops, BC. She enjoys going snowboarding in the winter and skateboarding in the summer at the skateparks. She started snowboarding at 18 years old & skateboarding at 20 years old. She is currently 23 years old. She is living her best life constantly learning and practicing new tricks.
We asked her:
How often do you practice the extreme action sports you participate in?
“I usually need a rest day if I take a few hard falls in a session. So I guess around 4-5 times a week.”
What is your reasoning for doing what you do?
“I honestly used to have a pretty unhealthy relationship with exercise. Doing sports like snowboarding and skateboarding put me in a completely different mindset and it’s more about what new tricks I can stomp versus anything else.”
What would you tell someone who is just starting out?
“Everyone starts somewhere! I also find that no one’s looking at how bad you are, but want to help you improve & encourage you to learn/accomplish tricks. It always makes me so stoked to see people learning.”
Do you think resting is important?
“Rest is so important! I find that after a rest day, something I struggled with before comes almost naturally because my body is feeling good and my mind is refreshed.”
Do you think gear matters? (brand, price, durability)
“When you’re first starting out gear really isn’t that important. I got my first skateboard from the thrift store and my first snowboard from Facebook. I actually haven’t ridden a board I like better than my $20 Facebook find. With that being said tho, I strongly believe in look good – feel good – play good. So it’s also good to take the time to find the gear that makes you stoked to get out.”
How often should someone practice?
“I think practicing every day is really important. I think muscle memory is really important in sports and while your brains working hard, it’s good for your body to have a kind of baseline. With that being said I think rest is equally as important.”
What are the benefits you have gained from doing these extreme action sports?
“For me, I’ve gained a lot of perseverance and mental toughness. In everyday life, as soon as things get tough I tend to quit, but when it comes to the sports I love, I will fall as many times as I have to. I know that in the end, I’ll stomp whatever trick I’m working on and the fight to get to there makes it just that much better.”
What motivates you?
“I think my biggest motivation is just wanting to be better than I was a year ago. I’m obsessed with watching progression videos on YouTube and seeing how much someone can improve by just sticking with it just blows my mind. Also, I think competing at the x-games would be absolutely wild.”
Have you ever participated in any competitions?
“Only ever one skate competition I’ve competed in and I got first place in the women’s division in Kamloops which was pretty awesome! It felt super cool to be recognized for something I work really hard at.”
Did you ever build a community within the action sports you participate in?
“When I first started out I reached out to a few girls in Kamloops over Instagram and it turns out they had just started a “Girls Skate Night”. I’ve met a lot of really cool people through that and just being at the park. We’ve got a good crew going! I haven’t found people to it the hill and park with me yet so I’m a bit of a loner up there but there’s a lot of online groups for women in snow sports that give me that community I’m missing.”