B4BC (a breast cancer awareness organization established in the United States in 1996)last yearB4BC Japan was established by Japanese female snowboarders. It is an organization that supports the physical and mental liberation of women who suffer from breast cancer by healing their mind and body in nature through snowboarding and yoga. Mari Mizukami, a GNU rider who is also a member of B4BC in Japan and has been watching the snowboarding scenes in Japan and the United States for many years, talks about the background to the establishment of B4BC Japan while looking back on the history of the snowboarding scene.
Text: Mari Mizukami
About B4BC
B4BC is an abbreviation for "Boarding For Breast Cancer," which literally means "keep skiing for breast cancer awareness." It is a breast cancer awareness organization that was originally created by a community of female professional riders who support the American snowboarding scene. B4BC Japan was established by Sugiyama (maiden name: Yamakoshi) Tomoko, along with three other directors, including Izumi Nakano, who is in charge of interpreting for BURTON, and myself, Mari Mizukami. In addition to us, Yuka Fujimori and Yuki Furuhat, who are leading the Japanese girls' snowboarding scene, also cooperate with us.
First, I would like to tell you about Tomoko Sugiyama (hereinafter TOMO), the representative of B4BC Japan, who has been involved with B4BC in the United States.
What kind of presence was she in the snowboarding scene about 25 years ago? I would like to tell you about TOMO's snowboarding life from the perspective of a rider who was involved with her at that time.
At the time, she was supported by Choras, the world's first girls' snowboard brand, from her home country. The team consisted of the following five women riders who were all the rage at the time:
The top one is TOMO. Second is Roberta Rogers, a rider with a cute, slim body and a style of skating you would never imagine. Her husband is JP Walker. Next is Leslie Olson, who has the ability to win the boardercross event at the X Games. Below her is Jana Meighan, who has the ability to win the slopestyle event at the US Open and whose skating is just like that of a man, and her skating has been featured in Volcom advertisements for many years. Finally, there is Cara Beth Burnside, the first woman to have a signature model from VANS and who is also a professional skater. She is a side-saddle genius who has competed in both skate and snowboarding at the X Games.
Yamakoshi Tomoko, the only Japanese among this famous group of female professional riders, has achieved a position that is truly aspired to by female snowboarders around the world.
I first met TOMO 25 years ago. It was when half-pipes were still mainstream in Japan. She was based in Mt. Bachelor in the US and we ended up doing a photo shoot together for a girls' project in Transworld magazine.
The members who participated from Japan were me and Keiko Yanagisawa. She has been one of the top riders for 25 years, having performed backside rodeos in half-pipes and jumps that put men to shame. I remember that she was an exciting member for me, who had just become a professional. I flew from Japan to the airport in Oregon and headed to Bachelor, where I met TOMO.
Unlike today, back then, Japanese snowboarding skills were said to be more than 10 years behind those of the U.S. In addition to the skills, it was extremely difficult for Japanese riders with poor English skills to be recognized by American riders.
Despite this, TOMO was so popular that people of all ages, whether they were in the town of Bachelor or on the snowy mountains, would immediately call out to her and form circles around her.
We were shooting with three Japanese riders and a local rider from Bachelor, so I was excited to see who would do what. As we were all looking for a good spot to shoot, Keiko said to me with a smile, "Mari, whoever wins rock-paper-scissors will jump off this cliff first!" She found a rugged cliff right from the first try.
"What? Doesn't the loser get to do the test flight first?" I thought, but it seemed like a natural thing to Keiko, who was a top player in the world at the time. And she won the rock-paper-scissors game and was the first to fly over the cliff and disappear.
I also prepared myself and jumped. Then it was Tomo's turn. She flew off the cliff with a BS180 switch right from the first jump...
I remember being shocked and thinking, "Is there a Japanese woman who can ski like this...?!"
At the time, it was normal for Japanese female riders to only do half-pipes, and even today, it must take a great deal of skill and mental fortitude to fly switch down a cliff.
On the first night of filming, I was watching TV in the condominium and Leslie Olson was on the X Games boardercross. She is TOMO's best friend, and I remember everyone was excited to see her win on the TV screen. And the next day, Leslie joined us for our filming. I remember how powerful and overwhelming Leslie's skating was, as she became the world's best at the X Games.
That night, Victoria, a big star of Burton at the time, came to the condominium to meet TOMO. As the alcohol started to take hold, TOMO started to play around in front of everyone, singing along to SNOOP DOGGY DOG's fast-paced rap in English, complete with choreography, making the American riders laugh their heads off. With a small body, he was amazing at snowboarding, fluent in English, and could get along with the top riders on an equal footing, making him a funny mascot character.
Nowadays, there are many Japanese riders who spend time abroad, but there is no doubt that TOMO was the pioneer who dramatically improved the image of Japanese riders overseas. TOMO knows America inside and out. Let's get back to the topic and ask her about the activities of B4BC Japan, which she was the driving force behind starting up.
-What got you involved with B4BC?
TOMO: "When I first started my professional career in the US, I was with Shannon Dunn (US halfpipe gold medalist), and that's how I found out about B4BC.Since Shannon was involved in the establishment of B4BC, I naturally started participating in B4BC events. At that time, the members were professional riders and brand managers, and it started as a small community of women.
B4BC events are not just serious events that communicate breast cancer awareness. The way they communicate is sophisticated, and somehow it's very cool, innovative and stylish. By wearing pink-based clothes and having fun, it was an event that made breast cancer patients (survivors) smile naturally.
It was a very meaningful event where not only women but also men could participate, from adults to children, and where you could learn about early detection of breast cancer while enjoying activities. When I participated in B4BC in the United States, I just felt like, "It was a fun event! I want to participate again!!"
-What prompted you to establish B4BC Japan?
TOMO:After I came back from the US, I got married and had a baby, but after that... I actually got breast cancer myself. It really surprised me. However, I had knowledge about breast cancer through B4BC, so I was able to detect it early myself.I don't think I would have discovered it if I hadn't attended the B4BC event.Having breast cancer was an opportunity for me to reflect on my life and I realized that it was because I was so hard on myself and was always pushing myself too hard. It made me realize that I wanted to live a life that was truly true to myself, not just my body. Then I remembered the B4BC event in the US and decided to start a breast cancer awareness campaign.
Soon after, I had a discussion with the representatives of B4BC, and Megan (former professional snowboarder and wife of world-famous rider DCP) was also there at the time. She also had breast cancer at the same time as me, and now she runs a retreat for B4BC breast cancer survivors, where they can come into contact with nature, move their bodies, and heal their minds. I thought it was a universal desire to do breast cancer awareness activities after getting healthy and being able to snowboard again after having breast cancer. I also had horizontal connections with American riders, so the circle from my time in America naturally reconnected. So I feel like what I've been doing and what I want to do now are finally connected and become one.
I thought about why I had breast cancer,When I was snowboarding in America, I was able to express myself freely and enjoy life. But then I came back to Japan, got married, had a baby, and became a normal mom.That may be a natural thing. But for me, the gap between my time in America, when I was living freely, was huge... "I have to hold back from expressing myself freely like I used to," I thought, blaming myself for being such a bad mother. I think that's what I realized when I developed breast cancer.
The past and present are connected through B4BC
Having overcome breast cancer, her strong ties to her own American snowboarding scene have now been channelled through B4BC's breast cancer awareness work.
B4BC Japan's activities began because of TOMO's strong connection and trust with America. The past and the present are connected through B4BC and things are starting to move. I can't wait to see B4BC Japan's activities as a bridge between America and Japan.
Now, after 4 years of existence, B26BC is a breast cancer awareness organization that operates 200 days a year. The purpose of B4BC is to provide knowledge that leads to early detection of breast cancer to young people, and to convey the importance of maintaining an active lifestyle, which is considered the most effective way to prevent breast cancer. In the process, they also focus on supporting breast cancer survivors.
Currently in the US, B4BC is supported by big name professional riders such as legends Shannon Dunn and Tina Basic, as well as Jamie Anderson, Hannah Beaman and Tora Bright.
~ Self-check for breast cancer ~
Check yourself monthly, approximately 10 days after the start of your period, when tenderness and swelling subside. Examine your breast tissue for hard lumps or thickening of the skin. Other things to look for are swelling, dimpling, or creases in the skin, enlarged veins, inverted nipples, or discharge. If you notice any changes or pain, schedule an appointment with a medical professional.
