Help Shannon go to WKC World Championships

Hi, I'm Shannon!

This year I qualified to represent Team Canada in two divisions at the WKC World Karate Championships in Orlando Florida on October 21st-27th 2023 and now, I need a little help to get there. Let me tell you about my journey, ‘cause I didn’t get to this point overnight people!

In 2018, I was obese, not active and not happy with myself so, I started on a healthy journey to lose weight. It all started with weight watchers where I learned how to eat properly and gained the support of an amazing group of people, it was here that I was able to start dropping weight. I started walking every day and my husband arranged for his (and my kids) karate sensei Jeremy, to start working with me privately on basic exercises as I didn't even know where to begin! After months of one on one training, I took another step forward and joined cardio kickboxing and fell in love with it!

Now my husband and 3 sons all had been training in karate and along with sensei, they kept suggesting I join Karate too but it just seemed silly to me, I mean I grew up as a figure skater and ballerina! ( Think Rainbow Brite not Ninja Turtle) and I just couldn't picture myself in karate class but eventually, it started to peak my interest. By October 2019 I had lost 100lbs! had a new love of exercise and was ready to take the next step, I decided to join karate.

I had watched my sons spar for a few years and my husband was actually training to compete at worlds himself! In March of 2020, just when I felt ready to try sparring, the pandemic hit us all and although I kept up with my karate and kickboxing, sparring would have to wait. Finally, in the summer of 2022, I gave it a try and guess what? I loved it and was hooked! Then, in one of our sessions, sensei suggested (as sensei likes to do) that I train and set the lofty goal of making Team Canada. This seemed absolutely ridiculous to me but I had come this far so I thought why not. I had already achieved my goals and learned that It's good to set big goals!

* Oh Hi, I’m Morgan and I’m going to jump in for a moment here, I’m helping Shannon edit her bio and in this next paragraph she quickly jumps through how she cut weight and yadayadayada, made Team Canada!! But my friends, we need to pause for a moment because what she did was intense and so hard and not something that just anyone could do. I had a literal ring side seat watching her train first and foremost for her first competition, where her biggest competitor was her mind, you know the one that says “turn around! What are you doing here?, you can’t do this, well she did! and from there her confidence grew and we watched her train harder than anyone else, 6-7 days a week, Karate, sparring, strength training, kickboxing, running, home exercise plan, diet changes, the works! Over a very short period of time she cut even more weight so she could fight in the under 65kg fight division, okay back to Shannon.

In May of 2023, I did just that. I won silver in the Light Contact Continuous fight and bronze in Point Sparring which means I made Team Canada!!

Now I have been given (wait!! Morgan here again, not given…WORKED for) this incredible opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone again, take another step and compete with the best in the world!!! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I don't want to let it pass me by. Life is too short to live with regret. I need to do this!

This is where you come in because it's going to be expensive and I need your help.

All funds raised by this go fund me will be used towards this trip to Orlando (airfare, hotel, registration fees, etc) to help me live out a big dream and represent Canada and Stonetown Karate!