UMAA Brings Home The Gold

By Christopher Ricart-UMAA

Edited by Nimmond Lockhart-SDM

Mayor Bell with United Martial Arts Academy

“Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.”
Hebbel

Passion! What do children know of passion? If you ask the students of the United Martial Arts Academy (UMAA), located at the Florida City Outlet Mall, they will have a lot to tell you. Better yet, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. So drop by the academy and take notice for yourself. You will witness countless hours of rigorous training from the young energetic souls.
Recently, the passionate students of UMAA were invited to the prestgious11th Annual International Chinese Martial Arts Championships in Orlando, by tournament promoter and kung fu stylist, Master Nick Scrima.

It was a place where hundreds upon hundreds of spectators and over 900 kung fu participants from around the world came to witness exuberance, and the shear dominance, from twenty-three UMAA competitors. Everything that team UMAA touched seemed to turn to gold. They conquered just about every event in which they competed including, the Youth Light Contact Sparring Divisions, the Adult Advanced 150LBS SanShou division and the Adult Beginner 225LBS SanShou Division. When it was all said and done, the young passionate and exuberant powerhouses, returned home with 18 total medals. 11 of which were first place and 7 second place wins.

This was definitely an experience for all those who participated. The students were able to see various styles of kung fu including: Northern Long Fist, Baji, Praying Mantis, Eagle Claw, Liu Ha Ba Fa, Tai Chi, Wushu (traditional and contemporary), Xing Yi, and Bagua. Many of these students now have a further understanding and a deeper appreciation of kung fu.

“ It’s really rewarding to see as a martial arts instructor how the hard work given out to our kids pay off in how well they do at tournaments,” said Sifu Henry. “It speaks in volume about the academy and the positive energy our instructors give to the kids, instilling the message that they can accomplish anything.”Sifu Henry spends a lot time expressing to the kids that no limitations are their limitations.

“We give ourselves limitations,” said Sifu Henry. “We don’t have any limitations. There is no tournament or job nor secret formula. There is really nothing in life that we can’t accomplish if we put forth the effort. There is no secret formula.” Mayor of Homestead Lynda Bell came out and to show her appreciation and offer encouragement to the humble stars of the Martial Arts world. If not for her proclaimed “back problem”, she may have shown them a thing or two.

In the final analysis, the students of UMAA understand that passion comes in all forms, hard and soft.
Thanks to their softer side they were able to put together fundraising activities such as raffles, candy sales, movie nights, ice cream sales and much more in order to finance their trip to Orlando. Needless to say, without the support of the UMAA families, the trip would not have been possible. The amount of kindness and generosity that these families put forth explains clearly where the students of UMAA get their passion.