Tarah grew up in the watersports industry. Her parents, David and Cyndi Benzel, owned and operated The Benzel Skiing Center, where Tarah lived and trained until she was 10. Tarah started competing when she was 7 years old and won her first of many U.S National Water Ski titles when she was 9. She earned a spot on numerous U.S. Teams and competed internationally in Mexico, Greece, Chile, Peru, Australia, Germany, Russia, and China. She also won titles at the World Games, University Worlds, Jr. Worlds, and U.S. Open events. After the 2005 season, Tarah put on a wakeboard for the first time. There was no turning back! After a year of riding, she went pro and became the only female to have ever been invited to compete at the U.S. Masters in water skiing and wakeboarding. Tarah still competes professionally in both boat and cable wakeboarding. She trains and coaches full-time at the Orlando Watersports Complex.