44 www. ReadMPM. com | www. VOICE forRea l Es tate. com | www.MountPl easantBu i lder s . com Andrew also mentioned that there are incredibly strong female role models with USATMA who serve as great inspiration to women of all ages currently participating in the Korean martial art. “We have several high-level female instructors and participants, and there is never a sense that being a girl or a woman will limit achievement in our practice,” Andrew explained. Andrew’s wife, Shari, also strongly encourages the girls to continue their TaeKwonDo journey because she takes great comfort in knowing they are learning the skills to protect themselves, and Anna concurs. “I am proud that I am learning to defend myself,” Anna said. Anna also mentioned that she hopes “a lot more girls will give it a try. It’s fun and it’s for everyone!” EVELYN ELKINS 15-year-old Evelyn Elkins began hunting and shooting with her dad, Eric, at a very young age, and when she expressed interest in shooting sporting clays, Eric and her mom, Brandi, took her to watch the youth South Carolina State Championship. Evelyn was immediately hooked. At age 12, Evelyn joined the Wando Shooting Team, which competes in clay shooting in the disciplines of skeet, trap, and sporting clays. “Just like any other sport, it takes many hours of training physically and mentally to master the game,” Eric noted. “It has been amazing to watch her develop and grow in her sport over the past three years, and we could not be prouder as parents.” Evelyn’s teammate and good friend, 15-year-old Trinity Morris, was also encouraged by her parents to join the Wando Shooting Team to further explore an active interest she had in competitive target shooting. Trinity always “enjoyed the thrill of hitting the target,” said her mother, Nicole Morris, and she had a feeling that Trinity would enjoy the competitive sport of youth shooting. “Trinity has been around guns all her life and has been taught to respect them at a very early age by her dad,” shared Nicole. Trinity and her father, Robert, have also recently completed a class to obtain their coaching licenses in competitive shooting and hope to build the future of the sport together. As the sport grows, the number of females involved in shooting sporting clays continues to increase, as do the future opportunities within the sport. “Competitive shooting provides young ladies with a unique opportunity to enhance their skills and to grow in a sport that provides a multitude of scholarship and professional opportunities to last a lifetime”, said Erik. SAM HERBERT Minde Herbert, mother of Sam Herbert, a qualifier for the 2020 U.S. Figure Skating Championship Series, said that while most parents are the driving force behind their child’s initial involvement in an activity or sport, Sam’s interest in figure skating did not come from her or her husband — but the encouragement he received to chase his own dream did. When asked how his parents support his passion for figure skating, Sam said, “In every way. My parents have given an arm and a leg to help me achieve my goals. I really appreciate their emotional and psychological support, not to mention their financial support.” feature Eve l yn E l k i ns d i scovered her i nteres t i n shoot i ng spor t i ng c l ays dur i ng hunt i ng t r ips wi th her f ather. Andrew Sa f fer and daughter s Anna and Emi l i e tak i ng a f ami l y TaeKwonDo c l as s . Photo by Shar i Sa f f e r.
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