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Independence, MO —
A few years go, Alan and Cheryl Schumann were looking for something to keep their daughters occupied.
Cheryl taught the girls at their Independence home, and she wanted an activity she could use to count toward a home-school physical education class.
“There was dance and gymnastics, but Alan wanted them to get involved with something that would be a lifelong activity – something that could make an impact on their lives.”
So the Schumanns selected karate. And now, three of their daughters are going to compete in what Cheryl likes to call the “Olympics of Karate,” the World Kickboxing Council World Championships in Montreal Oct. 2-7.
“Three of our girls competed and all three made it to the world championship,” said Cheryl, who also holds a black belt. “When we talked to our instructor, Mark Long (of Long’s Shotokan Karate Academy in Independence) he warned us that it would be unlikely for one, or even two of the girls to make it. To have all three make it, well, we feel blessed.”
The Schumann daughters who are going to the world championship are Sarah, 18 (who is on a church mission trip in St. Louis), Emily, 15, and Megan, 13. Grace, 9, will serve as a cheerleader for her older sisters as she tests for a black belt next month.
“No. 1, they are a good Christian family, which is always a priority for me,” said Long, who has been in the business for 32 years and has been at his Independence location the past nine, “and this family has no drama! The girls are great, they are so grounded, and it’s pretty cool that mom and the three oldest girls are all black belts and Grace is going for hers next month.”
When asked about his warning of all three daughters competing for a spot in the world championship tournament, he simply said, “I was just being honest. To have one family member make it would be amazing. To have two go is unbelievable, but to have all three go, well, you can’t ask for much more than that.
“And they all deserve it. They are great kids from a great family.”
To help defray costs from their trip to Montreal, the Schumann family has come to an agreement with Long to teach karate classes at his facility for $10 for one month. Along with the karate classes comes a loaf of homemade bread that will be donated to City Union Mission.
A few years go, Alan and Cheryl Schumann were looking for something to keep their daughters occupied.
Cheryl taught the girls at their Independence home, and she wanted an activity she could use to count toward a home-school physical education class.
“There was dance and gymnastics, but Alan wanted them to get involved with something that would be a lifelong activity – something that could make an impact on their lives.”
So the Schumanns selected karate. And now, three of their daughters are going to compete in what Cheryl likes to call the “Olympics of Karate,” the World Kickboxing Council World Championships in Montreal Oct. 2-7.
“Three of our girls competed and all three made it to the world championship,” said Cheryl, who also holds a black belt. “When we talked to our instructor, Mark Long (of Long’s Shotokan Karate Academy in Independence) he warned us that it would be unlikely for one, or even two of the girls to make it. To have all three make it, well, we feel blessed.”
The Schumann daughters who are going to the world championship are Sarah, 18 (who is on a church mission trip in St. Louis), Emily, 15, and Megan, 13. Grace, 9, will serve as a cheerleader for her older sisters as she tests for a black belt next month.
“No. 1, they are a good Christian family, which is always a priority for me,” said Long, who has been in the business for 32 years and has been at his Independence location the past nine, “and this family has no drama! The girls are great, they are so grounded, and it’s pretty cool that mom and the three oldest girls are all black belts and Grace is going for hers next month.”
When asked about his warning of all three daughters competing for a spot in the world championship tournament, he simply said, “I was just being honest. To have one family member make it would be amazing. To have two go is unbelievable, but to have all three go, well, you can’t ask for much more than that.
“And they all deserve it. They are great kids from a great family.”
To help defray costs from their trip to Montreal, the Schumann family has come to an agreement with Long to teach karate classes at his facility for $10 for one month. Along with the karate classes comes a loaf of homemade bread that will be donated to City Union Mission.
“We are truly blessed as a family,” Cheryl said, “and we want to give something back. We are going to donate the bread to City Union Mission, and we are also going down to the mission to give a karate demonstration for all the families who are living there.”
To reach the world championships, the Schumann daughters had to advance out of a regional competition in Grain Valley to a national meet in Detroit.
At Detroit, Sarah won gold medals in sparring and continuous sparring; Emily won a bronze medal in sparring; and Megan won a silver in kata (forms) and a bronze in sparring.
“I was the last one to qualify for the world championship, so there was a lot of pressure,” Megan said. “I was so proud of my sisters and I wanted to be there competing with them.”
To make a donation or purchase a month of karate instruction for the Schumanns, call 816-260-8252 or 816-291-7998.
