World Champion Kickboxer is Pride of Longhill
Year 9 student Shaina Mack, 14, has shown the world how hard work and dedication can pay off. Shaina, who is in Pankhurst House, brought home the world title in her age group in K1 Thai Kickboxing from the World Championships in Orlando, Florida last month.
Shaina first discovered kickboxing when she was just 10 years old and went to watch her mother taking part in the sport. Shaina tried some kickboxing classes herself and, after falling in love with the sport, decided to move on to K1 Thai kickboxing, which has a more combative edge to it. Shaina joined a kickboxing club and for the past four years she has been training hard, 3-4 hours every evening after school at Crawley Martial Arts Academy.
Dedication, self-motivation, talent and hard work have paid off for Shaina, who was crowned British Champion at the National Championships in Birmingham in the spring of this year. This meant that she was eligible to represent Britain at the Unified World Championships in the USA with the rest of the England Squad, but Shaina’s mother struggled to raise the funds to send her to Florida.
Money was raised through a crowdfunding page, but still more was needed to send Shaina and her coach to the championships. Shaina’s mother then approached the Starr Trust, which is a local charity that aims to support young people to fulfil their potential through sports, arts and education (read more about the Starr Trust here.) The Starr Trust awarded Shaina £2,000 to help fund her trip to Florida and to make her dreams become a reality.
Shaina said, “I had a fantastic time in Florida and am so grateful to the Starr Trust for helping me make my dreams come true.” She added, “It’s been hard work, but I love it and I’m so glad that I can make my family, especially my Mum, my friends and my gym proud of me.”
Your school is so proud of you too Shaina and wish you every success in your sport in the future– the sky’s the limit!
