Bio - Tandem Hawaii

BIO - Chuck Inman

Born:                November 2, 1972
Hometown:        Portland, Oregon
Resides:            Honolulu, Hawaii (Waikiki)
Occupation:       Personal Fitness Trainer for Seniors
Height:              5'10"
Weight:             170 lbs
Stance:             Goofy
Began surfing:   Longboard - 1992 / Tandem - 2006 / SUP - 2007
Personal quote: "Follow your heart, you'll never regret it!"
Sponsors:          Quiksilver, C4 Waterman, Key Manufacturing, Burgers on the Edge, Blowsion Kolors

Chuck's Background

Chuck Inman learned to surf at the age of 18 in the chilly waters off the Oregon Coast in thick wetsuits, booties, gloves and hoods not knowing that one day he would call the warm waters of Hawaii home. Naturally athletic, he was encouraged to get into the sport by a close friend and was quickly drawn into the lifestyle.

During this time Chuck also attended Pacific Lutheran University on a football scholarship and was on the NAIA Division III National Champion team in 1993 and National Runners-up team in 1994. He also ran on the PLU track and field team, competing in the 100m, relay and triple jump events. After graduating in 1996 with a BS degree in Health and Fitness Management, he turned his athletic pursuits to surfing.

Post-college, Chuck built and owned a successful tent rental company that he eventually sold to have more time for other business opportunities and of course, surfing. (Thunder Tents is still in operation in Portland, Oregon today.) With more time on his hands he started taking trips to Hawaii a couple of times a year to get his surf fix and soak up the warm weather.

At the end of 2005, Chuck made his trips to Hawaii permanent and moved to Waikiki right across the street from Queens, which is now his home break. In a career change, he became a self-employed personal fitness trainer for senior citizens. His first client just happened to be a tandem surfer who was training for the inaugural International Tandem Surfing Association (ITSA) World Title that was coming up in the summer of 2006. At his client’s constant urging, Chuck eventually agreed to give tandem surfing a try and was paired almost immediately with his first partner, Shannon O'Neill. That summer Hawaiian Airlines' magazine, Hana Hou!, decided to feature tandem surfing in its August/September issue and they made the cover.

Chuck soon after met former French tandem surfing champion, Marie Vigne, by chance on the beach in Waikiki and took the opportunity to partner with her. The pairing of Chuck's natural ability and Marie's experience paid off at the 2006 ITSA World Title that year and they placed 5th, narrowly missing the podium after advancing through the trials to the main event. Marie returned home to France later that winter and Chuck once again found himself in search of another tandem partner to compete with on the newly formed World Tandem Tour in 2007. That partner ended up being Tiffany!

BIO - Tiffany Rabacal

Born:                July 5, 1978
Hometown:        Honolulu, Hawaii (Kalihi)
Resides:            Honolulu, Hawaii (Waikiki)
Occupation:       Account Rep for a printing & document management company
Height:              4'11-1/4"
Weight:             105 lbs
Stance:             Goofy
Began surfing:   Tandem - 2002 / Longboard - 2005 / SUP - 2008
Personal quote: "Life isn't about ‘what if's’. You never know what you can or can't do if you don't try."
Sponsors:          Roxy, C4 Waterman, Key Manufacturing, Burgers on the Edge, Glenn Thering - The Lomi Guy,
                        Dr. Brad Lee - Lee Family Chiropractic

Tiffany's Background

Tiffany Rabacal was always a “water rat” growing up in Hawaii, but was a swimming pool kind of girl who literally went to the beach less than five times a year before she started tandem surfing at the age of 23. Prior to that she attended Hawaii Pacific University on an academic scholarship and competed on the nationally ranked cheerleading and dance teams. As one of the only girls who competed on both teams in the history of the programs at the university, she was on the HPU Cheer team that finished third at the Division II NCA Nationals in 1999 and on the HPU Dancers team that became the NDA Division II National Champion Runners-up in 2000. In 1999 she was also asked to choreograph the Lion King half-time routine for the Oahu Bowl football game held at Aloha Stadium.

Tiffany graduated in 2001 with a BSBA degree in Marketing and eventually landed a position as an account representative for a national printing company where she was named the 2004 Southwest Area Rookie of the Year. (She is now working for a competitor in the same industry.) However, she missed the joy of performing and the challenge of competition, so she kept active coaching and choreographing for an All-Stars cheer program and teaching at a local gymnastics gym.

While teaching in 2002, Tiffany was introduced by one of the gymnastics coaches to his friend, Jim Moore, who was looking for a new tandem surfing partner to practice with. Even though she had never surfed before and couldn’t even remember the last time she had been to the beach, she agreed to take up tandem surfing. The only requirement was that she could swim. Her partnership with Jim ended up lasting three years, highlighted by a win at the 2004 Steinlager Pro-Am contest in Waikiki and a feature role in the winning Ocean Recreation Short, “Two Mo’ Bettah’”, at the 2005 Hawaii Ocean Film Festival.

Tiffany later partnered with Bear Woznick in 2005 to pursue competitive tandem surfing on the international level. In July of that year she travelled to France with him and placed third at the Biarritz Surf Festival in what was then the largest professional tandem surfing competition in the world. Unfortunately, an MCL injury in December 2006 sidelined Tiffany for about three months and her eventual return to competitive tandem surfing was challenging.

A brief partnership with Roman Schwoebel followed, during which time they placed fifth at the 2006 Santa Cruz Longboard Memorial Day Classic and advanced through the trials into the main event at the 2006 ISA World Title. Later, a neck injury in February 2007 prompted her to find a new tandem partner for the inaugural World Tandem Tour that same year. That partner ended up being Chuck!