Highlighting Becca Ballantyne

Bucket Kickers

Issue #2Sept. 2014

Over the summer, we embarked on a mission to find and tell the stories of “Bucket Kickers”: inspirational people who push past their limits to achieve their goals and live their dreams. Becca Ballantyne is a great example of such a person. Competing in snowboarding and wake sports, she’s a bright, skilled and talented young athlete with Olympic aspirations.

Back in July, I set out with my sisters, Rittel and Duany, in search of a female athlete to photograph and write

about for our blog. An opportunity presented itself

when The Roots Wake Series made a stop at the Rail Yard Wake Park in Mount Albert. How it all came together makes for a great story!

The weather forecast called for rain the day of the competition. Surely enough, Rittel

got her poncho ready. Knowing the rain would clear away by noon, Duany suggested we stick around to have breakfast at a café near her neighbourhood in Toronto.

A girl has to eat, so I thought it was a splendid idea though we would miss out on seeing the junior athletes compete. I wasn’t too concerned, because there would still be a lot of action to capture for the remainder of the event. Ironically, our story was to be found among one of the athletes that competed while we calmly ate our breakfast.

After she succeeded in two categories (2nd place in wakeboard/ 1st in wakeskate), Becca Ballantyne and her family returned to their home in Orillia to rest after a good morning of competition. I suppose we weren’t meant to cross paths just yet. Unaware that the athlete we would later come to write about had already driven away, we focused our attention on the action-packed entertainment before us. The skies cleared up in time for us to photograph other athletes compete under the intense, hot sun.

Girl with a Splash!

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Written & photographed by: Karill Diaz

This series is a not-for-profit initiative by long-time competitive riders, whose mission is to invite a new

generation of riders to excel in competitive wake sport events. Among these are the wakeboard and wakeskate boat

series and the cable series with various tour stops in Ontario, Canada.

Visit rootswake.com to learn more.

Photo from the 2nd stop of The Roots Wake Series at the Rail Yard Wake Park

The Roots Wake Series

Duany

Rittel

Becca Ballantyne

@Jancey-Lu: “LOL, thanks. It’s my daughter who is the action sports enthusiast. I’m just her taxi driver and bank machine.”After posting the photos we took at The Roots Wake Series on our

Facebook page, the Rail Yard Wake Park shared a link of our photo album on their page. As a result, we got a few new ‘likes’ on our page, including one by the name of Jancey-Lu, who also followed me on Twitter and Instagram. Curious about our new supporter, I visited her pages to find out what our connection was. While browsing her Instagram I saw several photos that she had posted of a young woman wakeboarding and snowboarding. It made me wonder if she had attended The Roots Wake Series event we had photographed the previous weekend. Then I visited her Twitter page and saw that she had tweeted a photo of the event, yet I didn’t remember seeing her there.

Based on her profiles, Jancey-Lu seemed like a nice and fun person to get to know. So I followed her back and sent her a private tweet, thanking her for following me and that it was nice to have the support of someone who is an action sport enthusiast. In her humorous reply she tweeted, “LOL, thanks. It’s my daughter who is the action sports enthusiast. I’m just her taxi driver and bank machine.”

Any parent who actively participates in their child’s life and encourages them to follow their dreams rocks in my books! At this point I knew I wanted to meet Jancey-Lu and her daughter in person. I told her that I was looking for a female athlete to photograph and write about and asked if they would be interested in participating. Jancey liked the idea and mentioned Becca would be competing in the next Roots Wake Series event. She wanted to know if I would be attending. Not having planned for that trip, I gave her my regrets. But after discussing it with Rittel, we decided that it was an opportunity we didn’t want to pass up. So we made last minute arrangements to drive up to Bush’s Water Sports Park in Bala, Ontario, to meet our new Twitter friend in person.

Having only a day to plan for our trip, Rittel and I were in a frenzy calling around places for accommodations. We were fortunate to have found a Bed & Breakfast to stay at for one night, but it was a full weekend event and we needed to stay an extra night. Everything had already been booked solid. Thankfully, Jancey-Lu graciously offered to host us at her family cottage. God bless her kind heart!

The Power of Social MediaUsed wisely, social media can be an

incredible networking tool to connect with your supporters.

For old school souls like ourselves, the benefits

truly come from building relationships with awesome

people like Jancey-Lu and her family.

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BEYOND SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOW / LIKE CONNECT BE A FRIEND BE SUPPORTIVE

With billions of pages online, we find that the best way to build relationships with individuals on social media is to be very selective about the pages we follow.

To make connections, we don’t focus energy on gaining a large following. Instead, we focus on things we share in common with our current supporters.

In the digital age, where social media is known for its great marketing potential, we prefer to see our ‘followers’ as friends who support our work.

We find it beneficial to be genuine and to get to know our supporters on a personal level. Offering to be of service and supportive in return is very rewarding.

360ºComeback

Feeling disappointed with her previous performance in wakeboarding, Becca Ballantyne found her focus and made

an awesome comeback! She demonstrated that she’s a strong competitor and earned 1st place in wakeskate,

during the 3rd stop of The Roots Wake Series.

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What makes Becca Ballantyne a Bucket Kicker?

Based on the photos we came across on her mom’s Instagram, we had no doubt in our minds that Becca Ballantyne was a competitive snowboarder, wakeboarder and wakeskater. However, it wasn’t until we met her in person that we could truly appreciate her athletic nature. After having observed her compete in a few wake events over the summer, we have identified special qualities that make her a Bucket Kicker.

For one, Becca isn’t afraid to explore and uncover her talents. We got a great example of this when Jancey-Lu proudly showed us a video of Becca learning how to barefoot in the water. She was able to balance on her feet on the very first try – a difficult feat by any standard. Having tried waterskiing myself long ago, I remember painfully wiping out many times before being able to stand for just a few seconds, only to wipe out again. As if that weren’t enough to prove how talented Becca is, Jancey-Lu posted another video on her Facebook a week later, of Becca learning to wakesurf. She balanced on her board for quite a while and tried a few tricks on her first try. The following weekend, she competed in the wakesurf competition at Wakestock Canada and came in 2nd place. Let’s give her a round of applause!

Second, she knows what she wants to achieve and is going for it. A competitive snowboarder since 2008 and competitive in wake sports since 2012, Becca aspires to become an Olympian. Rittel and I observed her work ethic first hand. I would love to cheer her on when she becomes a pro athlete and have bragging rights that I photographed Becca Ballantyne when she was starting out her career.

Her third impressive quality is her ability to focus and perform well under pressure. When Rittel and I arrived at Bush’s Water Sports Park for the 3rd stop of The Roots Wake Series, Becca was preparing to start her wakeboard run. Having just met her and noticing she was a bit camera shy at first, we gave her the space she needed to focus before competing. Unfortunately, she fell twice during her run before she could even pull off any tricks. Despite her clear disappointment, Becca managed to remain cool, calm and collected. She refocused just in time for her subsequent wakeskate run. Whichever ‘pattern thinking’ method she used to find her focus in that moment – it worked! She made a remarkable comeback, winning 1st place for that wakeskate performance.

The fourth quality we noted is her charisma. She’s a laid-back girl with a positive attitude and a great sense of humour. What

On the Podium

A rewarding wake season for this 14-year-old rookie athleteWhat an awesome season it has been in the world of wake for Becca! This summer, she made it on the podium for wakeboard and wakeskate at each provincial event. In the Canadian Wake Nationals, she placed 1st in Wakeskate and took 5th place in Wakeboard. She also came in 2nd place for the first ever wakesurf competition at the 2014 Wakestock World Championships.

We look forward to seeing her ride on the snow this winter season.

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Great Season of Wake!

Displaying her skills on the water and landing on the podium repeatedly this season, Becca Ballantyne is on the radar as an athlete to watch out for.

Go Team Ballantyne! It takes a village to raise an athlete. And

Becca is definitely backed by her own tribe. Bob and Jancey-Lu Ballantyne are Becca’s

number one fans! They are active participants in their daughter’s athletic pursuits. Their presence at sporting events infuses Becca with positive energy; they help her stay grounded from the pressures that arise from competitive sports.

Also supporting Becca are her older siblings. We didn’t have the pleasure of meeting them, but we heard ‘groovy’ stories from Jancey-Lu about her “other awesome babies”. They sound like a fun bunch to be around.

Another source of inspiration for Becca is Katie Tsuyuki – a Canadian champion in halfpipe snowboarding who also competed as an Olympian at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. It was uplifting to see an experienced athlete like

Katie take Becca under her wing. They met at a snowboarding competition last winter and with their common interest in wake sports, she has guided Becca in training for the wakesurf competition at Wakestock Canada.

Becca Ballantyne has a promising athletic career ahead of her, which also includes snowboarding. There’s no doubt in our minds that she will continue to ‘kick bucket’ in the world of board sports!

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really stood out to us about her, was how nurturing she was with younger children. She may not realize it, but she’s a child magnet!

Perhaps her warm smile and playful nature is what draws them to her. Whatever the case, we caught her chatting and playing with children on

more than one occasion. At only 14 years old, she is a natural role model that younger athletes admire and look up to.

Becca Ballantyne1st Bucket Kicker

When did you start competing in snowboard and water sports?I starting competing in snowboarding when I was about eight. And then in wakeboarding when I was about eleven/twelve.

What do you like most about competing?I like the atmosphere. [The environment] in my sports is very uplifting and encouraging. Everybody cheers you on and are helpful. And I just love competing because I’m a very competitive person.

What thoughts go through your head when you are about to compete?I need to win my run; but I also need to have fun.

Do you visualize those thoughts, or are they just words in your head?It’s mostly just words I use in my head. But I do visualize my body movements – the body movements I will compete with.

What do you do to prepare before a competition? I get lots of sleep. Lots and lots of sleep! I kinda take it easy the night before.

How much sleep would that be?On a usual night I go to bed about 10pm and fall asleep by 11pm. Before a competition I’m usually in bed around 8:30pm.

What else do you do besides sleeping?I prepare all my gear before competition. I take it out and lay it out. I place my stuff exactly where I need it, so I know where everything is.

What goals do you want to achieve when it comes to sports?For snowboarding, I want to go to Nationals this year and get on the podium.

What about for wake sports?For wakeboarding next year, I just want have a lot of fun with it.

It’s more about improving your wakeboarding skills then?Yeah.

That’s awesome. So, who are your role models and why?Katie Tsuyuki definitely is one of them. She’s my role model because she’s so connected to all the young girls. Normally when you see a famous person you think ‘they are above me’ and they might act like it. But when you see Katie and talk to her, she doesn’t act like she’s above you. She acts like she’s just a face in the crowd. I think that’s a great thing for her to show-off her skills, teach other kids and help them be better athletes.

And as a role model yourself, what would you say to other young athletes?I would say it’s ok to fall, because if you don’t fall, then you’re not learning. You’re going to spend more time on your butt than you will on your board. If you’re on your board more, you’re not learning.

That’s pretty good advice, Becca! Thanks for your time. Ah, thank you!

Questions &Answers

An interview with Becca Ballantyne, about her life in action sports.

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Photo Credit: Rittel Diaz

Highlights in Snaps

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About Bucket KickersThis is a publication of ‘The Bucket of Life’ – a lifestyle blog dedicated to encouraging individuals to live their dreams and celebrate their accomplishments. ‘Bucket Kickers’ shares the stories of inspiring people who exemplify that mission. A special thanks to Rittel and Duany Diaz, for working hard behind the scenes to make this publication possible.

About the AuthorKarill Diaz is the founder of ‘The Bucket of Life’ and is a commercial and editorial photographer. She is fascinated by people who actively pursue their dreams and enjoys sharing their stories, to inspire others to do the same.

Contact InformationBLOG:thebucketoflife.tumblr.com

PHOTOGRAPHY:karilldiaz.com

EMAIL:bucketkickers@mail.com

Dear Ballantyne Family,This was one of the most memorable summers we’ve had. We are so grateful that you welcomed us into your home and let us share your story. And thanks for being “groovy” about lending Rittel a hand (or a leg) her first time aboard a power boat.

It was our pleasure and an honour getting to document Becca wakeboard, wakeskate and wakesurf her way onto the podium this season. We look forward to kicking it with you again!

Sincerely,

The Diaz Sisters

Photo Credit: Jancey-Lu Ballantyne

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