Tristam makes US Snowboard Team. A great Mother's day present.
- yoMamaRice
- May 10
- 4 min read
The moment we learned my son had been nominated to the USA Snowboard Team, a wave of emotions swept over us—pride, relief, gratitude, and hope.
This achievement did not happen overnight. It is the result of years of dedication, sacrifice, setbacks, and persistence. Especially this past season, Tristam’s journey showed me what resilience and passion can accomplish and how a proud a mom can be.
A Challenging Start to the Season
This season began with a major setback, from an injury the season before.
In February 2025, Tristam broke his back — a devastating injury for anyone, but one that is unfortunately not uncommon in halfpipe snowboarding. For nearly ten months, he was unable to ride. By the time he returned to snow, he had to rebuild some of his fundamental skills.
When the new season started, he had only six hours of practice before his first World Cup competition. Athletes were typically given just 6 hours of training before the event, and because it was the first competition of the season, the halfpipe was not available before for practice. Resorts often finish building the pipe at the very last minute, right before competition begins.
After so much time away, he needed more time in the halfpipe to warm up and get back to what he knew.
The Pressure of an Olympic Year
Olympic qualification seasons move fast.
Competition schedules are compressed so events can finish before the Games, leaving very little time for training between stops. Tristam found himself jumping from one competition to the next with almost no opportunity to reset or improve between events.
The first half of the season was rough. He was trying to regain form while competing against some of the best riders in the world, including Yuto Totsuka, Ryusei Yamada, Suichiro Shigeno, and Ruka Hirano.
Japan has become the dominant force in halfpipe snowboarding, thanks to a culture where the sport is deeply supported and celebrated.
Progress and Breakthroughs
By late season, something started to click again.
Tristam began landing his runs more consistently and rediscovering the style and confidence that had earned him recognition before the injury. Watching that progress unfold became a huge morale boost for both of us.
Unfortunately, the season ended earlier than we had hoped. During practice in Switzerland, he sprained his ankle and had to DNS his final competition of the season.
Downtime is one of the hardest parts of being a snowboarder. Tristam was itching to get back on the snow and was devastated to end the season with an ankle sprain. Watching him sit still was like watching a caged lion pace back and forth, desperate to get back where he belonged. I remember him restlessly putting on his gear, ready to head back out, and having to stop him. As a mom, safety always comes first.
That injury forced us into another period of rest and recovery just as the season was winding down.
Then, while recovering at home, we received the incredible news: Tristam had been nominated to the USA Snowboard Team.
The nomination came as a complete surprise and brought a renewed sense of joy and motivation during a difficult moment.
The Cost of Pursuing a Dream
To support Tristam’s dream, I made the difficult decision to step away from my own career and dedicate myself fully to his journey. Years ago, I received advice from Chloe Kim’s father, who told me that if you are serious about helping your child go pro, at least one parent usually has to dedicate themselves completely to that path.
It has not been easy.
Stand-up comedy does not exactly thrive in snow resort towns, and I never imagined I would be standing at the pipe everyday, freezing my butt off.
But seeing Tristam’s growth — and now his nomination to the USA Snowboard Team — reminds me that we are on the right path.
Looking Ahead
Being nominated to the USA Snowboard Team is only the beginning.
The road ahead will demand even more focus, discipline, and resilience. The competition is fierce, but the friendships, experiences, and memories we’ve gained along the way are priceless.
No matter what happens next, this journey has already taught us the value of resilience, sacrifice, and belief. But we also hope all the hard work will lead Tristam to successfully represent USA in the next winter Olympics.
This is the best Mother’s Day gift I could have asked for.
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Halfpipe snowboarding is an incredibly demanding and expensive sport in the United States.
It requires constant travel, access to specialized training facilities, and time on some of the few world-class halfpipes that exist. There are only a handful of elite halfpipe training venues around the world.
If you want to support Tristam on his journey to represent USA in the next Winter Olympics -
follow Tristam at IG @TristamtheBoarder
donate on his GoFundme - https://gofund.me/4b5599a80
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