One can’t accuse Beth Tsuha of sitting back, taking stock and coasting to the finish line. Quite the opposite.
Between water polo, diving and running, Tsuha is finding ways to keep her competitive juices flowing.
Swimming, however, has been the Grinnell College senior’s calling card since she started competing at age 6, and along the way the 2013 Hilo High graduate has etched her name in BIIF and at least two school record books.
So even though she finished her career with the ultimate thrill, Tsuha said she had some soul searching to do when it was over.
“It is definitely a weird feeling to be done with competitive swimming for now,” she said. “About a week and a half after (the) conference (finals), I felt like I was having an existential crisis because swimming is such a large part of my identity.”
That’s where club water polo comes in.
“I’m focused on (that),” she said. “The season is almost over as our conference tournament is on April 22.”
And diving.
“Thanks to our wonderful diving coach, Mike Retelsdorf, I am in the process of learning how to dive,” she said, “which is a nice challenge because it requires a different type of control over your body than swimming.”
And running.
“To add to the list, I signed up for a 5K run in Des Moines (Iowa) to have some kind of goal to work toward in something I know I need to work on, which is running. So you could say that I have found ways to keep myself busy.”
Actually, scratch that, Tsuha is no longer a BIIF record-holder. On Feb. 4, Hawaii Prep’s Kira Parker broke Tsuha’s four-year-old record in the 100-yard freestyle.
No matter, a few weeks later Tsuha had herself a Midwest Conference championship meet to remember, taking home six golds, including individual victories in 100, 200 and 500 as well as participating in three freestyle relay wins. She broke her own school record in the 200 free en route to being named swimmer of the meet.
“The proudest moment of my collegiate career,” she said. “I had some high goals and I went after them at each race, and I did it.”
Tsuha was a contributor for four seasons at Grinnell –the school is approximately 45 miles from Des Moines – and the Pioneers of NCAA Division III won the league title each year.
“Beth is just an incredible competitor and works extremely hard,” Grinnell coach Erin Hurley said in a release. “To try and replace her next year is going to be nearly impossible.”
No word yet on whether the Pioneers can eventually replace one Tsuha with another. Beth’s younger sister, Shea, is a Hilo High sophomore and already owns the BIIF record in the 50 free.
Grinnell may be flat, landlocked and cold in the winter, but Tsuha has found the school to be the good academic fit that she thought it would be when she moved away from the Big Island.
She’s set to graduate with a biology degree in May and is on track to be certified as a biology and science teacher in grades 7-12. Her teaching program requires her to student teach in a local school and take another seminar, so her plan for next year is to finish her requirements to get her teaching licence and assist with the swim team.
Once she’s up and running as a teacher, Tsuha said she may apply to physical therapy school.
After all, Tsuha likes to keep busy.
“I have adapted to having to wear my winter gear during the winter months and a little more used to not seeing the ocean all the time,” she said. “The academics here are rigorous and continue to provide me with a challenge. I think (it’s) made me more proactive about my academics and helped me get to know myself better as a student and person.”
