Its stickers have branded the boats of pro whitewater women and its social media accounts are shocking followers with semi-nude photos and a web series of serious whitewater. TiTS DEEP was founded by Katrina Van Wijk, who, at 23-years-old, has already charged through a successful slalom career and onto freestyle, falls and serious racing.Despite winning the 2013 Green Race with a time that beat the previous women’s record and hucking bigger and bigger drops, Van Wijk has met both men and women who have told her there’s certain whitewater girls just don’t run.
Through social media and a website that’s in the works, Van Wijk is sharing stories of women in sports that give the opposite message—gender doesn’t have to hold you back. Over lunch with Rapid, Van Wijk shared what TiTS DEEP is all about.
WHEN DID TITS DEEP START?
At the 2012 Green Race I was up to my nipples in water above Gorilla Rapid and I yelled, “This is TITS DEEP!” Everyone thought it was hilarious—me and the girls I paddled with started yelling it out as a morale boosting, female empowerment thing. We made stickers and gave them to all the girls at the White Water Grand Prix. Lots of people were covering the event and we got tons of Facebook followers after that.
WHY DID YOU STICK WITH THAT NAME?
I like the shock factor. That’s why we post the topless photos too. Supporters have been sending me semi-nudes and I want to post them all but sometimes Facebook and I disagree on what’s considered porn. I keep getting locked out of the TiTS DEEP page and my own account. Lots of people email me saying they love what TiTS DEEP is about but hate the name, but I want to reclaim the word tits—it’s just another way to say breasts and it doesn’t have to be offensive.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THEM?
I’m happy to hear other people’s opinions. Everyone assumes I’m taking a strong stance on sexism in sports, but I don’t have it all figured out. I just want to inspire other girls. TiTS DEEP applies to all sports but kayaking is a good example because the water is a force of its own—you can harness the power of the water and use it to make moves, so the bigger and more powerful the whitewater is, the more equal men and women are in it.
WHO IS TITS DEEP?
You are! Everyone can be TiTS DEEP. I’m working on the web series with a friend but I’m the only one consistently posting content. It’s my baby, I guess, but it’s not really about me. I was running the Green River and someone from shore saw the logo on my helmet and yelled, “Are you TiTS DEEP?” I yelled back, “You’re TiTS DEEP!” I want women from all sports to consider themselves TiTS DEEP and hope to have official ambassadors soon.
WHAT’S NEXT?
I’m secretly a computer nerd so I’m going back to school for graphic design and web design. I want to build a website that features stories from women in different extreme sports. The website will profile our official ambassadors and not in the ‘20 years old, blonde hair, blue eyes’ way—we’ll talk about how they’re pushing them- selves and the boundaries of their sport.
AS TOLD TO EMMA DRUDGE
This article was first published in the Spring 2014 issue of Rapid Magazine. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.
