Tipton was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They began ice skating at two and a half years old. When Tipton was eight, their family relocated to Sacramento, California and they went to school in Placerville, California.
Tipton competed in four U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. They and their pair partner, Phillip Cooke, twice became regional champions, and competed twice at the U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships on the Juvenile level. Tipton retired from competitive skating at 16 but continued to skate in charity ice shows for AIDS foundations and to rebuild a rink damaged in a fire.
They attended Marymount California University in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
