BIOGRAPHY AND PHILOSOPHY OF GREG SCHRAM

(If you want just the basics go to Greg "In a Nutshell" .)
(The philosophy is at the bottom of the biography - at the bottom of this page.)

NOTE: This biography is quite fragmented with bits and pieces of information from my life. It's long because I keep adding to it when certain key facts and interesting stories come to mind: Over the last few years I have put updates mostly on Facebook.

Born September 11, 1972 In Rockville, Maryland, USA.
It was not supposed to be possible for me to be born. My mom had several miscarriages. It turned out that a new controversial drug was available in the late summer of 1972. It involved many shots in the mother's stomach. It was meant to help prevent miscarriages. Well it worked, along with family prayer! The drug was outlawed the next month.
I weighed 7lbs-11oz, was born at 7:11P.M., & it was "Sept." 11th. (Sept. is the prefix for 7. When there were originally only 10 months they used Sept, Oct, Nov, and Dec for the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th months as prefixes). So, I was known for being the 7-11 kid. (However, since 9/11 happened,...most people now associate my b-day with that event).
My name was supposed to be George, which in German is Georgory. When my mother (who is German) wrote Georgory on the form in the hospital it looked like Gregory. So they left it as Gregory. They liked it. They said I was named after Saint Gregory (one of the Popes).
I was raised in a Christian Based Daycare that my mother ran within our home.
One day when I was very little my family was looking for me. They couldn't find me anywhere in the house. They called the neighbors. They searched the neighborhood. Then they called the police. Helicopters and police cars were looking for me everywhere. After hours of searching I was finally found sleeping under my bed at home.
As a little boy I would often sit on my Dad's shoulders as we would go places. We often went to a small store where I would always ask for "emanem an cokah" - which were M&Ms and Coke.
I was very jealous that my older brother got to go to school and I didn't. My father was a teacher at St. Paul that my brother attended as well. One day, when my brother and father were getting ready for school I snuck into the car wearing the same type uniform as my brother needed to for the school. I planned on joining some kindergarten or first grade class. Unfortunately, I was caught even before they left the driveway.
I went to Dover Elementary School for Kindergarten (1 month).
One day I was dropped off at school very early. Nobody was there. No people & no cars - at least not that I saw. I waited for what seemed like forever, but probably was only fifteen minutes. I decided that it "had to be" Saturday and that my parents had made a mistake. I proceeded to walk home from school even though I had never walked to school or ridden my bike there before. It was a mile or two. I was five! When I got home my mom freaked and had someone take me back to school. It was then that my parents learned that I had a good sense of direction. It also is one of many experiences that shaped my overall future independence.
I took a test to skip the remainder of kindergarten because I turned 6 sooner than the others and wanted to be in first grade at the school my brother & father went to.
I passed and went to St. Paul for first grade where my father taught.
I had two Nuns for teachers - one as home room teacher and one for just reading (I think). I was always afraid of both of them, but I also remember some good times. One good memory was that I was naturally good at math, and my home room teacher noticed this when I never used the manipulatives for counting and adding or subtracting. After we would do assignments or tests she permitted me to walk around the classroom and grade other students' papers as they finished. (I was six).
A scary memory was when I was doing some reading homework in a reading workbook from school (in first grade for St. Paul), and something spilled on the book causing it to get completely soaked. I panicked and had my Dad help me fix it. Basically we got it dry, but the picture on the front cover was completely worn away. I was told that it would be fine and that my teacher would understand, but I knew that some how I was going to get in trouble. Therefore, I proceeded to redraw the picture and color it on the front cover to match what I remember it looking like. It turned out quite good, but still obviously different. It was good enough that the Nun respected my efforts to fix the problem. She also complemented my artistic ability.
There was a Children's Christmas Mass Special that I performed in as the little Drummer Boy. I don't know how I was selected to be in the show. Was I drawn out of a hat, did I volunteer, was I simply chosen, was it because my Dad was a teacher? - I don't know. Anyway, I do remember that I was complimented on how I beat my drum to the beat of the song, "The Little Drummer Boy" better than any drummer boy before and after that my family and friends had seen.
Then I went to Jess Harben Elementary for 2nd - 5th grades.
Our 2nd grade classroom was the previously designed music room - so it was a huge open space bigger than any other room. I remember loving having indoor recess because we could play many games all around the room. One fun project I recall working on was categorizing animals (specifically vertebrates) in their groups (like fish, mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians).
3rd grade was a blast. I only remember good feelings even though it is hard for me to remember specific activities and trips. I remember being very sad when I was told that my teacher was leaving at the end of the year. I think I probably had a crush on her.
4th grade was also great. I had a really cool teacher. I think he was my first male teacher. Mr. Heron was his name. He had us pass several little writing tests with pencils writing in cursive so that we could eventually earn our ink pens, which were hanging across the border of the chalk board each with our names on them waiting for us. He also taught me how to throw a football and he and I and several other boys and girls played catch during recess. One day I was called out of class early (either to go to the dentist or doctor for a check up I think) just before my turn to recite a long poem that we all had to memorize. One by one the students had gone up in front of the class (in alphabetical order I think), and nearly each time they were forgetting parts and/or not finishing at all. I stood up to leave and Mr. Heron and some students said that I was lucky I had not gone yet and would go the next day. A few students gave me a mean look and said that I would have messed up the poem. I stopped at the door turned and looked at the class, looked at Mr. Heron, looked at the student who had just walked up to get ready to begin, and then went ahead and recited the entire poem without any mistakes (except that I probably did it a little too fast for emphasis) and left the room just as I saw the jaws drop by several students and Mr. Heron to smile proudly at me.
One night I was playing keep-away with my father and brother. John, my brother, was the tallest and he was in the middle. We were playing with a beach ball. My father threw it over John and I dove for it to make sure he would not get it. I landed teeth first on a metal railing. I broke a tooth, knocked one out, and one was pushed up in my gum. Needless to say my teeth became crooked at that point. I was too stubborn to get braces. (I ended up getting braces at age 26, but even after the braces were removed they became slightly crooked again - oh well).
I was active in Cub Scouts since my brother was a Boy Scout and my father was an assistant Scout Master. The rules and policies changed over the years. The organization was not allowing my father to do many of his fun and exciting trips. My father stopped being involved in scouts after my brother got his Eagle badge. I got out after becoming a Webelo.
At some time when I was quite young I was on a hiking trip with my father, brother and some other scouts or students. I left the group and found two trees parallel to each other that both extended straight up with very few branches for about 50 or 60 feet. I decided to chimney climb up between them to see if I could get to the top. Well, I got up but couldn't get down. I yelled for help. My father climbed up and helped me down climb with some of my weight on him. It was fun and exciting but also quite crazy.
In 5th grade my homeroom teacher let us go by whatever name we wanted. It was about that time when I found out that my name was supposed to be George. So I went by George that year. Some of my close friends called Greg or Gregory still, but my new ones called me George. That year I made a smoking machine for the science fair. It was a large water bottle (about two feet tall and about 1 foot wide) with two tubes in it. One tube was attached to a foot pump, and the other one was attached to a cigarette holder. Inside the bottle were several cotton balls. I sealed the bottle shut with the tubes sticking out. When a cigarette is in the holder, all that was left was to step on the foot pump, which would suck the cigarette very fast. It would smoke one cigarette in about 5 seconds. I made it smoke several packs a day to cause the cotton balls to show the nasty tar build up. The teachers liked it, but I did not receive any awards. (But there is more to this story below...).
Most of the sports that I played as a kid were individual sports. These included archery, swimming, mountain climbing (hiking), biking, and skateboarding. I didn't ever try to get on to any teams for the traditional sports like basketball, soccer, baseball, football, etc. I only liked playing those sports at recess with friends. I had some good and some bad teachers. The worst teacher that I ever had was my Language/Reading teacher in 5th grade. She was so mean that she made me stay seated even after sneezing in my hands. She also made me return my lunch and get a different selection of food. I left that school and many friends behind near the end of the year. I decided to go back to 4th grade (at the new school) to build up my confidence for the remaining part of the year and then to repeat 5th grade the following year.
I went by the name of Norman (my first middle name) when I switched schools. I wanted to be like my father who goes by his second name, Leon.
I was at Springridge Elementary for the end of 4th grade and then 5th & 6th grades as well.
Here is a story that happened when I was in fourth or fifth grade: I was spending the night over at a friend's house. It was the first time I had been over to his house so he was really trying to show everything off. We played ping pong, darts, bumper pool, etc. At one point he started play fighting with me and accidentally pushed me down on the coffee table. It caused me to completely bend the metal frame of a picture and shatter the picture's glass interior. Naturally, it was loud. I was about to get up and apologize to my friend's father when my friend told me to just get up and then wait a minute. His father came in and saw the mess. He freaked out and wondered what had happened. My friend proceeded to try and convince his dad that while we were playing ping pong he had hit the ball so hard that it broke and bent the picture frame. His dad looked at the ping pong ball. Then he looked at the frame. He looked back at the ball and then said, "How the hell did that ball do this!" I was trapped emotionally between laughing hysterically out loud and peeing in my pants from fear. It was totally hilarious!
Somehow I was selected to play Shroeder in a play ("The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown"). I guess my 5th grade teacher thought that I "looked the part." You can look at my pictures to see if you think she was right.
Since I was in a different school I thought it would be fine to do the same science fair project that I had done the previous year at the other school. It was the smoking machine again. I made it the same way, but I used computer graphics and made the display board look better. The smell bothered everyone so we moved it to a secluded area in the library. It was then judged and given the grand prize for our school!
I went on my first cruise between 5th and 6th grade the summer of 1984 to the Bahamas with my family, family friends, and many students that my father taught at Berkner High School.
In 6th grade we were sent to Liberty Junior High to see the band play so that we could decide on an instrument to start learning. I was quite popular that day because the school that I had previously gone to (Jess Harben) feeds into that Junior High as well. This meant that many of my friends and teachers from Jess Harben were there. The coolest part was when some of the cheerleaders who were in 7th grade saw me and talked to me in front of my Springridge friends who didn't believe me that I knew them (since they had known me at Jess Harben when we were in the same grade together before I went back to fourth grade and changed schools). The only confusing part for my Springridge friends was that some of the Junior Highers were calling me Greg, others called me Gregory, and some even called me George. They kept asking me, "Norman, do they know your name?" It was a fun, but confusing day!
Oh, I chose to play the Baritone, which is like a medium sized tuba. A Euphonium is almost the same thing, except the Baritone has three finger valves and the Euphonium has four. It just looked cool and different. It turned out that my principal at Springridge, Dr. Phillips, also played that instrument. He often would give me private lessons for fun and free after band class, which I didn't mind because it got me out of going back to class to do social studies.
In 6th grade in P.E. we had a fun time with bowling. We came up with team names and made some cool team shirts. My team was known as the "Spaz Bros." Each person on the team had his own personal "spaz" identification. One was "Deformo Spaz," another was "Retardo Spaz," I was "Hyper Spaz," and then I am not sure about the others. It was fun. We got to bowl with rubber (but actual size) bowling balls and real pins in the gym while wearing our shirts. Ever since I have enjoyed bowling for the skill and social interaction in which it lends itself.
We had a cool pet tarantula in class named "Mr. T." Our teacher let us go out and find beetles to feed him. On one of the last days of school my friends and I were finding beetles for Mr. T and we got in to a big fight throwing rocks at each other over some stupid little thing. Our teacher saw us through the window and scared us as she called us back in. As we walked in the building and through the halls we all were so scared. We just wanted to be given the punishment and be done with it. We didn't want to deal with anything else. Well, she had just given us and others that day several awards - one of which was "The Zero Detentions Award" that my friend and I got. I guess she didn't want to take the award back because she didn't do anything. Regardless, we did learn our lesson and were plenty scared.
One of my favorite activities was swimming. We had a couple above ground pools as I grew up and then got a really nice in ground pool. We would run swim classes in the summer that my brother John taught. In the winter we would not only heat up the spa, but the pool itself - especially on new year's eve. It was cool sitting on top of the water slide in 40-50 degree temperatures while cars would see me in my bathing suit giving me weird looks - considering it was the middle of winter.
I had learned to swim with the help of my parents around age 4. That progressed with my brother's swim program set on a level system of required skills to pass. I loved trying to get from one level to the next (similarly how I liked to advance through the badges in scouts). Besides the levels we played many games. We played volleyball, monster games (King Kong, Godzilla), video game type games (like Donkey Kong Junior with hoses and floaties on the hoses to raise up - weird but fun), and games on the slide to make big splashes on the patio window. My favorite game though was to play "Hat Toss." John, my brother and head life guard, would throw his life guard hat (which was like a sailor hat) in a frisbee style towards us as we jumped off the diving board. We got points for catching it. Timing was crucial, but the way you caught it could get you more points. The points were as follows: 1 point for a normal catch with your hands and then going underwater with the hat; 2 points for catching the hat with your hands and keeping the hat above water; 3 points for catching the hat with your foot and going underwater; 4 points for catching the hat with your foot and keeping it above water; 5 points for catching the hat on your head. Catching the hat on your head was quite tough, but I used to love catching it with my foot and keeping it above water (which usually meant I had to do a type of splits with my legs and/or fall backwards on my back as I entered the water). It was a blast! Since then my family has continued swimming and teaching other younger family members how to swim.
I went to Liberty Junior High School for 7th - 9th grades.
The first day of Junior High was a bit crazy. I remember being the typical nerd who was overly panicked to get to class on time with all my books and supplies. I asked other students and teachers how to get from place to place at times. I was so nervous, but I was always early to each class. It was quite nerdy.
I was very aware of who was popular and who wasn't - like most students were. I decided to make a seriously dramatic physical change in one night during 7th grade. Basically, I had worn normal clothes and was probably a normal kid from ages 3-6, and then from 1st grade to 6th grade I was still fairly normal but started looking nerdy (at least in how I dressed), but then in 7th grade I had peaked. I had an awakening on what I should and should not wear. I had been wearing slacks with sneakers. The pants were up high on my waist and high water by my ankles. I had an undershirt on (which was not cool at the time). So, I went shopping and bought new jeans, Polo shirts, Converse shoes, and more. I spent all night changing my hair from being simply brushed straight forward to being parted in the middle. It took me forever to figure out that I needed to brush my hair back to get the rise that I was looking for in my hair and that everyone else had at school. Once I figured that out I was set - using the blow dryer, gel, hairspray, etc. When I went to school the next day I was barely recognized by my own friends. Several students and teachers complimented me on my look. I was greeted by new people from various groups. The ropers (cowboy types) liked my jeans and my brush in my back pocket. The skaters liked my shoes. My regular friends liked my shirt and hair. They thought I had my hair done and cut professionally. I told them that I did it myself and many didn't believe me. From then on I was conscious of what I wore. I went through the fads like... high top Nike Air Jordan's with the tongues sticking out and the jeans over lapping them, rolling the pants tightly by the ankle with loafers, shirts with the top 2-3 buttons unbuttoned, etc. For the most part I was a casual or semi-preppy dresser wearing mostly Polo, Levis, Nike, Reebok, etc. (In college and adult life I still was/am aware of what I wore/wear, but I was/am definitely less concerned about what others thought/think - knowing that comfort, ease, and personal style were/are more important).
One day I was called out of my first period German class to see the counselor concerning my grades. She informed me that I was ranked 7th in the class for the last six weeks' grading period. Then, she showed me my report cards from my elementary years. The names on those reports cards were almost all different! They had Greg, Gregory, George, and Norman on them. She thought that I had a brother whose report cards were mixed up with mine. I did keep things simpler by going by the name of "Greg" from then on.
I started Racquetball, Karate, and Weightlifting in 8th grade. I was at the health club with my family doing those sports about 5-6 times a week for about 2-3 hours a night. I ended up advancing quickly in Racquetball leading me to win several 1st and 2nd place league and tournament trophies in the C, B, and even A divisions. I also finally started gaining weight and getting stronger. Before then I was a toothpick. (Though many might think I still am).
I went to Berkner High School for 10th - 12th grades.
I was very active in High School. I was... on the Swim Team and Diving Team, Captain of the Gymnastics Team, Captain of the Bell Guards, President of the Key Club, President of the Social Dance Club/Team, Vice President of the German National Honor Society, President of the German Club, in National Honor Society, and in Student Council.
I went snow skiing for the first time in March of 1990 at Crested Butte with a Karate friend.
I graduated from High School in May 1991 and received a teaching scholarship from Phi Delta Kappa.
The Social Dance Club and our family went on a cruise that summer after graduation.
I trained as a Gymnastics Instructor while continuing my training as a gymnast.
I earned a Black Belt in Shin-Toshi Karate in October of 1991. That was the hardest test of my life. I started that day with a 25 mile bike ride that needed to be done in less than 90 minutes. Then, I went to the health club and had to do 100 knuckle push ups in one set in front of three other black belts. Next, I did the same with 100 modified jack-knife sit ups. After that, I had to do 18 katas (like karate routines). Then, I did about 50 self defense demonstrations. Next, I broke boards. I beat my record and broke 4 boards with one side kick. After that, when I was getting tired I had to start sparring (fighting). I did many rounds with there being only one opponent. Then it became two on one and even three on one. Finally, it was over after what seemed like forever. I then received my goal of getting a black belt (similar to the way my brother always wanted his Eagle Scout Badge). Shin-Toshi is one of the newest and most difficult styles of karate. It is a combination of Tae-Kwon-Do, Kempo, Kung-Fu, Aikido, and Jujitsu!
I worked at a Rec Center teaching and coaching Gymnastics, Tom Thumb, and Heights Baptist Church for a few years before going to college.
Then I went to Richland Community College from Spring 1993 - Summer 1994.
One day when the girls lower level gymnastics teams at the gym were moving a large tumbling trampoline (Tumble Trak) from one gym to the other gym it was very obvious that they were having problems. It became a safety issue when they kept bumping into a low beam and several girls were losing their grip. I quickly helped by lifting one end and raising it over the edge of a beam that it was getting stuck on. We were doing fine until the girls dropped the back end half way through, and it landed on the low beam which bounced and landed on my pinky toe with the tumble trak's weight on it as well. We kept going and got it into position in the other gym. I hobbled back to my boys to coach and had ice put on it. At a certain point the pain was getting intense. I had another coach look at it. He decided to grab it and yank it. It was dislocated and he put it back in place. What he didn't know was that it was broken as well - so the toe being put back in place felt good, but the yank on it being broken didn't. It healed rather quickly being simply taped to the toe next to it for a few weeks.
In April of 1994 I tried out to be a contestant on the then popular show "American Gladiators." It was one of the most fun and exciting days of my life. It started early that morning. My girlfriend (at the time) and I drove downtown to the YMCA where the tryouts were going to be held. I was an hour and a half early causing me to be the first in line. My sister also came to watch. Well, when it was time to go in they did not allow spectators, which was stupid. I told them that I would go in and take one test at a time and come back each time to tell them how I was doing. The first test was the pull ups. You needed to do 24 pull ups in 30 seconds, and you had to go all the way up and down each time. There was a timer for the entire group of people doing the pull ups, and there was a specific pull up counter for each person. They were very strict. The bar we had to use was as thick as a soccer goal - not like a regular gymnastics high bar, and because of that they decided to allow 22 pull ups to pass. Naturally, I was in the first group to go. I got up and started strong. I was all the way to 20 when I heard the timer yell "time!" That was it?! I was told to leave or go to the end of the line. I definitely did not want to just leave especially after training for two months. I went outside and told my sister and girlfriend to go ahead and go home. I then went to the end of the line, which was wrapped all the way around the building with over 1500 people there waiting! It was kind of cool getting to talk to people in line for the next two hours while we waited. Finally, I got back inside, but it looked completely different then when I was there first in line. They now had decided to rope off special spectator sections, there were also photographers and camera crews, and the host of American Gladiators, Mike Adamle, and a female gladiator, Jazz, were both there. This time I was not going to make any excuses. I got up and cranked those pull ups faster than I had ever done before. It was hard, but I barely made it with 22 right when the timer called "time!" Out of the 1500 people who tried the pull ups - only 250 passed on. I was then passed on to another section to prepare for the forty yard dash that needed to be done in five seconds or less. I decided to call my family and girlfriend to let them know how I was doing. I was pumped. I watched for about thirty minutes as people did their run. I found a guy who was willing to put his feet behind and underneath mine to act as starting blocks for my run (which is what most people were doing). I remember getting on my mark, getting set, and then exploding to what felt like the longest run of my life. It took forever it seemed to run that distance at the speed I was going. I am not a natural runner, but luckily I made it in exactly five seconds! Out of the 250 people who tried the run - only 200 passed on. Next came the rope climb of twenty feet in ten seconds or less. Several people did not even make it up the rope at all (which was weird to me because they had to have already been able to do 22 pull ups). Well, I decided not to use fancy foot technique. I did not use any special gloves or shoes. I just went bare hands and bare feet. I did it in seven seconds! Out of the 200 people who tried the rope climb - only 81 passed on. The next test was too easy. It was the shuttle runs. You had to go back and forth five times between lines on a basketball floor in fifteen seconds. Everyone passed except one guy so that meant 80 out of 81 passed this test. The final test was actually playing an American Gladiator game, "Power Ball," where you had balls to put in a trash can with only a small opening at the top, and there was another person acting as defense trying to prevent you from scoring. We were padded up and paired with guys of equal weight. It took a while to find a partner because I weighed 150 and most guys were over 175. I decided to call home again and was able to get my dad to come up and film me. I was offense first and did pretty good getting three scores with simple jump and spin moves. I then was defense and my partner got two goals on me. That was the last test. The host of the show, Mike, was watching and hand picking people for the show who would be called in May the next month. I was told to go ahead and leave. I thought it was over. As I walked away a short lady came up to me and told me to go in a secret room where on-camera interviews were being done. I grabbed my stuff and went in. There were about thirty guys and girls in there filling out forms. I got in line and started filling out forms and asking questions. It turned out that out of the 80 people who tried the Power Ball test - only 33 passed on to the on-camera interview. We had to sign up for a specific time that we were to interview with Mike that day. I was set to go last that day being that I was the last one to pass - ironic since I was first in line. I spent the day at the YMCA relaxing and working out. A few hours later I went in for my interview. As I walked in I heard them discussing that they had just run out of film with none left in the truck. The guy before me said he would not mind lending them his camcorder and a blank tape, which they decided to do. The interview started with the basics - name, age, occupation, background, interests, etc. After that, it got personal. I knew going in that I would be asked how I would expect to handle huge 200-300 pound gladiators if I was on the show being that I am only 150 pounds. I was told to talk to the camera as if it was one of the arrogant gladiators. I did my best to tell "him/them" off. Then it was over. I left at the same time Mike and his crew did. In fact I walked around downtown Dallas with him while we searched for his hotel. I remember telling this story about fifty times over the next two weeks. It was in the papers and on the television. I was so pumped and ready to be on the show. I just needed them to say that I made it on May 15th. Weeks went by and then so did May 15. It came and passed. No call. Another week passed. Still no call. I was naturally upset, but I smile when I think about the fact that I was one of the 33 people who tried out and made it all the way out of the 1500 who tried out from the beginning, and I had a blast!!
I taught preschool in our home's Christian Based Child Care Center for one semester. Before that I was a helper or an assistant for several years.
One day when teaching classes and coaching team on a Saturday at the gym I was giving my sister, Heidi, a private lesson on tumbling while also tumbling myself. I had warmed up well and was in good shape. After she did a few turns with my help I would take a few turns of tumbling myself. I progressed up to where I had left off a few months before and was moving on to doing a double back flip from the floor into a training pit (made of loose foam pieces). I did my drills and "timers," which all went well. I decided to go for the double back. As I ran everything was going well at first - my steps were right, the round off went straight and powerfully, the flip flop was low and long and very fast --- too fast --- my right hand hit the floor too hard and in slightly short of the correct angle. A loud triple snap sound occurred that a girl in the other gym (who was the only other person at the gym besides me and my sister) could hear. She asked if I was ok. I said that I thought I broke my hand while I looked at my hand with very obvious bones nearly protruding from the top and side of my hand. My sister was freaked out. I sat down and found some Halloween pencils that we had been giving out with the classes that week. I put two on top and two on bottom of my hand. I then held my hand still (I thought) and then it moved and accidentally set some bones into place. A feeling of relief cam over me. I put ice on my hand and then wrapped it up with a bandage. I felt fine so I decided to go ahead and finish the day like normal. (Hello - stupid!) I taught a private lesson to another gymnast - a team boy who came in about a half hour later. The private was for an hour. Then I took my sister to a friends house. Driving was awkward considering I had a standard and needed to steer and shift with just my left hand. I went to a computer lab to do some work where my father was and showed him my hand. I then finally went to the health emergencies center. They told me that I should have put a cloth between my hand and the ice to help prevent frostbite. They were upset that the injury was several hours old and that I had not come to them immediately. They took an X-Ray and it showed that I had nearly compound fractured one bone, the second one did a 180 degree spiral (rotating) fracture, and the third one turned sideways as it broke. I heard the nurses talking in the hall stating that they thought it was one of the worst hand breaks they had seen and that the bones were so messed up. I wondered if when I thought I had accidentally set the bone if it made it worse, or if it did improve the condition partially, and that if the nurses had seen it before the bones moved that they would really have freaked out. I ended up needing and getting surgery having four metal pins put in my hand that went through several bones and stuck out of the skin as well. For the surgery the doctor told me that I had the choice to have local or general anesthesia. I wanted to see the operation and ask questions so I chose local. On the day of the surgery I was very sleepy so when the doctor gave me the shot in the arm to make my arm go numb I didn't move. He asked another doctor next to him if he had given me something already. I told them that I was simply very tired and wanted to go to sleep. They took me in for surgery and mid-way through I woke up (unknowingly). One doctor without permission gave me general anesthesia right then to make me go back to sleep and stay asleep. Later on I woke up and had a huge fiberglass cast on my hand covering everything including the fingers. I went to work at the gym that same day for a while (to prove a point to some skeptical staff members that said I couldn't do it). A few weeks later the cast became smaller and smaller. I never was given a full hard cast - just the two piece fiberglass casts that were wrapped to my arm with bandages and a sling. The pins were weird and strange feeling. I could twist them and feel the metal inside my bones - all except one pin that didn't move at all. More weeks went by (causing me to miss a ski trip) and then I finally was getting the pins removed. I went in to the doctor and expected to be given a shot or something. It was very crude and simple. He grabbed some pliers out of a drawer and gripped the pin and yanked them out one at a time. It is hard to describe, but here goes. Imagine having your tooth pulled when it was ready to come out while having a cold metallic object pass by the nerve as the tooth left. The fourth pin (which was the one I never was able to twist and play with) didn't come out at first. He yanked several times and tried twisting, but that only caused my hand to twist. Eventually he did a big yank and it hurt like heck. It was like the bone was rebroken for that second. It was the only one that when the pin left my hand that blood squirted out in spurts. I guess I am glad that at least the first three came out somewhat easily. A few months later I got the bill, and since I was not insured and it was not covered by work it cost me a lot. The one item I refused to pay for was the general anesthesia since that one doctor gave me it without consent (and the other doctors supported me in that decision to not pay for it). I built a hand training and rehabilitation device that I used for months and was able to get my hand back to normal. It healed well and haven't had problems with it since.
The University of North Texas from Fall 1994 - Spring 1996 was where I went next.
For one year (1995-1996) I was a Nationally rated Men's Gymnastics Judge. It was fun, but I never was able to judge the little boys at the lower levels because at those meets I was needed to be a coach. I stopped judging officially, but I continue to keep up with the judging rules. My little boys at the gym love to be judged and scored on their routines.
In the spring of 1995 my boys gymnastics team won first place at the State Championships! We also had the state all-around champion!
I graduated in Early Childhood / Elementary Education / Health with Cum Laude in May 1996. It was a five year plan (135 hours with student teaching), but I was so motivated to get it done that I did it in three years while working as a gymnastics coach and commuting back and forth between Dallas and Denton!
I was a 3rd Grade Teacher for four years (1996-2000). I was the department head (Grade Chair / Team Leader) for two years. I was in charge of some committees and spoke on various topics at meetings and inservices. I got a reputation for being organized, dependable, and athletic. Many times our students had the highest TAAS scores in the district! (Later TAAS became TAKS).
In July of 1999 I learned how and created this website organizing several aspects of my life and my family's lives.
The first job that I had is the one that I will probably always have. Being a Gymnastics Coach is awesome! (1991-forever unless God plans something different for me!) I love teaching classes and coaching team! The boys that I work with have been and continue to be excellent athletes with great attitudes towards training and life! I have had State Championship winners on specific events and as a team in the past. Normally, our boys win several 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place trophies in a season! We go to meets to have fun, improve from a previous performance, and hopefully show our best. We don't go to meets with the intent to beat others. I love teaching and coaching classes and teams at Eagle's Wings Athletics (EWA) for tumbling, gymnastics, tramp & tumbling (T&T), cheerleading, adults, and rock climbing!
I got many educational certifications while at a Gymnastics Association of Texas (GAT) convention one year.
I also love doing presentations at gyms and conventions on various topics about gymnastics components. I almost get as much of a "high" from getting a great response after a presentation as I do when I have a boy or group of boys learn a new skill for the first time or when they have a great meet! I volunteered in 1999 to speak for the first time at the Gymnastics Association of Texas (GAT) convention on "Developmental Men's Gymnastics." I was given the opportunity and due to my material covered, the visual aids used (over heads / video / marker board), the free disks (containing several components to help organize any boys class or team program), and my style or presenting...made the seminar a huge success! I was complimented and listed as a favorite speaker for GAT 1999. It was an incredible new experience!
I was contacted the next month to be a guest speaker for an Instructor Training Program (ITP) to speak on boys gymnastics. The next few years I continued on speaking on general topics, men's topics, and helping author and speak for the ITP at GAT. Each year GAT has a convention for all of the gymnastics professionals. Educational seminars, demonstrations, certifications, and meetings take place. I was even asked to volunteer my serves and run for election as a state board member to help out in various areas while also representing a voice for the men's community. I had not planned on running at first. I had no staff members with me at the GAT convention to help vote for me (because unfortunately that old gym I was at in the past didn't emphasize the need and importance of education). So I was one of many running for election. I was given a minute to make a speech like the others and then voting took place (which several candidates had their entire staff there to help vote for them while I had nobody). Well, the people chose me due to really liking my background and expertise in video productions as well as my dedication towards the Men's Program. I became one of the board members for the Gymnastics Association of Texas (GAT). I do/did several GAT projects. First, I was the GAT website liaison (but now our convention coordinator has taken that on). Second, I used to organize, create and edit the GAT directory (from 2001-2005). Third, I have handled the copying and shipping of the ITP2 videos (which I hardly need to do anymore). Fourth, I do lectures at conventions for recreational classes and compulsory teams where I usually show and sell boys gymnastics videos. Fifth, I co-authored and presented for the ITP1 course. Sixth, I developed the ITP-Boys 1 course, which is specifically for teachers and coaches of boys recreational gymnastics classes and compulsory boys teams (Beginners up to Level 7). I am the director (and co-author / co-speaker) for the course. At GAT 2006 we started the ITP-Boys 2 for teachers and coaches of older and/or optional team boys (Level 8, 9, & 10 + high school and some college). My new title for GAT is now, "Men's Program Coordinator," since my focus is primarily education for the Men's Program.
In the summer of 2001 I went on a multi-purpose road trip with a friend and coworker. We traveled through Oklahoma, Kansas, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. We saw "Crazy Horse" (a very large rock sculpture - still in construction - bigger than Mount Rushmore). Then we did see "Mount Rushmore" as well. We climbed around the backside of Mount Rushmore. Then, we rock climbed Devil's Tower. After that, we saw the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs while we visited an exgymnast who was graduating from the Air Force Academy. We explored the "Garden of the Gods," and then drove back. It was pretty cool.
On September 11, 2001, I woke up expecting to have a great day. That was my birthday. Naturally there was no celebrating going on that day. It was the day that America was under attack by terrorists (when they hit the WTC, Pentagon, etc). I was totally in shock as most of us were that the events being shown on TV were real. I wanted to do something. I decided to give money rather than blood (because the last time I gave blood my body could not take the loss of blood). It felt good donating money for something I knew was a very important cause. I wondered if my birthday would ever be the same. It was hard for me to think that in the future I would be celebrating my life with family and friends while so many others would be remembering the anniversary of the loss of their loved ones. At first I decided to designate a separate day (like the first Saturday or Sunday after the 11th) each year as to when I actually celebrate my birthday. However, after a year or so, it was not weird. Though, usually not a week goes by without my birthday being mentioned on the news.
During the spring and summer of 2002 I worked very hard with a friend and colleague to create more developmental gymnastics training videos for teachers and coaches of boys classes and compulsory teams. The end result was that 11 gymnastics videos now exist enabling the viewer to learn a great deal about the sport (including basic skills, terms, drills, stations, progressions, spotting, matting, warm ups, conditioning, games, cool down, and more)! A special CD was created as well having about 40+ files of gymnastics information that was developed and practically utilized for 10+ years.
In July of 2002 I was selected as the National Winner for the "How to Teach a Beginner Boys Gymnastics Class and Lesson Plan Contest!" It was incredible!
During the Labor Day weekend of 2002 at the GAT convention I debuted the ITP-Boys 1 course. It was by far the most rewarding and professionally satisfying experience of my life. The 12 hour course was very well received. The authors, speakers, directors, board members, and participants were all very impressed. Naturally, the credit is deservedly shared among everyone!
On September 11, 2002 (my birthday and a year after the 9/11 attacks), I had already celebrated my birthday the Sunday before at Benihanas with family and friends. I was coaching gymnastics at work that night. I was asked by the new office assistant to find a coach who was needed on the phone. I looked around and barely saw his head through a small opening in a room. When I turned back to tell her where he was I was suddenly pushed by a friend/coworker into the room. The entire boys and girls team, along with several coaches were in the room. I was not sure what was going on for the first half of a second. I thought I was interrupting a meeting of some kind. I looked up and saw banners wishing me "Happy Birthday", "The Big 30!", and "Over the Hill" all over the place. A huge sheet cake with many gag gifts, cards, were on the counter. Everyone sang the b-day song, and then speeches were made that were appreciated. We talked, ate, etc. I told them all about my "7-11" story (see at the very top when I was born) when it actually turned 7:11pm during the party. It was very amazing that I did not know about the party at all. I am very observant and usually can predict these things (since I had a surprise party when I turned 22, which surprised me then, but also put me on alert since). Anyway a few coaches had planned this literally for months. They had the boys and girls on the team promise not to say anything to me. They grabbed the boys and girls on team as they left the gym to sign the cards a few days before. It was very well planned, and I was totally surprised and literally frozen speechless for a second or two when it happened. That night I went home to my family. Specifically, my niece was very happy to see me (which she almost always is for any family member). We have a very close relationship, which is more father-daughter like than uncle-niece. She said happy birthday in her cute little, slightly inarticulate, high pitched voice. We played, worked on the computer, ate dinner, sang, read, and watched TV. She went to bed and I watched more TV. An episode of "Friends" came on that I never had seen before (which is almost impossible since I tape and watch everyone the day it comes). It was about Rachel's 30th birthday! Hello! It was a cool episode and discussed each of the friends' b-days. I couldn't believe that another coincidence had happened on my birthday. Turning 30 was a great day!
In April of 2003 I was asked to speak at the USAG National Congress (which in 2003 was in conjunction with the 100th World Gymnastics Championships making the convention an International one that year). I was told that only about 20 men were asked to speak that year from the world! My educational and professional development have always been important to me in whatever I do. My family has always been supportive of me and my achievements. Most current co-workers and a few past co-workers have also been supportive (but unfortunately some have not due to insecurity, jealousy, defiance, ignorance, etc). The parents of the boys I coach have been almost all incredibly supportive! Many teachers, coaches, coordinators, judges, and/or gym owners throughout the state, region, and nation have been supportive of me throughout my career at meets, conventions, seminars, etc.
In June of 2003 I finally was able to go through and organize and update every single photo album, collage frame, and season's T-shirt. I created 24 collage frames showing pictures sequentially of my family from my grandparents to my parents, to my sisters and brother, to cousins, to family trips, to nephews and nieces, and more! The photo albums are also all categorized and organized by snow trips, gymnastics, family life, etc. The season's T-shirts are those for my teams over the years having one per season. Each shirt has an iron-on picture of the boys on the team that year.
My family and some extended family members went on a ski trip in Dec. 2003 and then a Cruise in June 2004. On the ski trip I did many ski jumps and broke my record by doing a jump at about 78 feet (or possibly farther)! John and I both dressed up as Santa on the trip. I even snowbladed as Santa at times on Christmas Day! The kids (nephews and nieces) had fun burying me and wrestling with me in the snow by the Condo. On the Cruise the kids also buried me in the sand. I did a handstand out on the rocks in the ocean at Key West. I came out quite a bit ahead in the casino and won the BlackJack Tournament for the entire Cruise! At the end of the trip I won the Rock Climbing Contest! It was a great trip. Both trips were awesome! Check out the pics at the family pages, which some are on my site and others are on my brother John's site.
I made a special small collage of pictures of myself in a frame for every family member in the family with my philosophy underneath it. The pictures are also shown in the same collage on my "Greg in a Nutshell Page."
From the summer of 2004 to the Spring of 2005 we had massive work to do to finish the new house we were building. We had deadlines, extensions, extra costs here and there, many obstacles, the worst weather and mud ever, etc. However, we worked hard each and every day building, and we can honestly say that we built our house from scratch! On April 10th we moved into our new house!! Many pictures are online, and more will come soon!
One night on the way home from work (which is about a 45 minute commute for me) I was getting followed very closely by a car on a one lane, no passing street. I am not the type to brake and annoy those on my tail. In fact I try and move over when possible. Usually I am the faster one on the road, but I was going about the speed limit of 55 at the time. Anyway, when I got to a T-intersection to turn right the flashing lights went on, on the car behind me. It was a police car obviously. I turned the corner and pulled over to see another police car facing me with its lights on as well. I proceeded to get my license and registration ready. I wasn't really stressed since it had been years since I had been pulled over for speeding. I knew I could do defensive driving to get it dismissed. Anyway, before getting my stuff ready I heard over the radio a loud yell, "TURN OFF YOUR ENGINE, DROP YOUR KEYS OUT OF THE CAR WINDOW! GET OUT OF THE CAR!" Immediately I thought, "Ok, these guys are serious and must think I was driving drunk or something." I got out and they continued to yell at me. My hands were at my sides and I heard the click of their guns as they yelled, "GET YOUR HANDS UP, WALK BACKWARDS, NOW GET ON YOUR KNEES, LAY DOWN..." I simply said, "Yes sir," and did so. They forcefully handcuffed my arms and yanking my shoulders (which are already messed up from past injuries and too much spotting of kids in gymnastics). They threw me on the hood of their car and then turned me around to sit down on the bumper. I said, "I know I was speeding a bit, but I wasn't drinking or anything." I was told to be quiet while they were searching my car. They found my wallet in the car (that I was trying to get ready for them earlier). I was forced to point with my nose to where my license was. They got it and proceeded to check my information out. The officer holding/guarding me started to act like he was about to do a full body cavity search. I was thinking, "What the heck is going on here?!" Before anything crazier happened the first officer came back after checking out my information. He said, "Mr. Schram, I apologize for all this. Basically what happened was a few hours ago the police received threats in this area from a 25-35 year old man who was driving a green 4Runner. Well, you fit that description. When you got out of the car and we saw you wearing a red hat and blue shirt it really put us on alert since the man in question was also wearing a red hat and blue shirt. We checked you out, and obviously you are not the guy." I asked what kind of threats were going on, but they weren't able to tell me details, but it sounded terrorist-like. So I asked if I was going to get a ticket for speeding. They said, "No sir. We screwed up here. You are free to go." I left and have had this interesting story to tell since. However, every time I cross that bridge on that street by the T-intersection I get flash backs of hearing the gun clicks and getting thrown around in hand cuffs.
For several years while working at my old gym there were many problems that were getting worse and worse concerning administrative issues. The staff was almost daily telling me about problems they were having with other staff members - specifically a few who were in charge of the program. Over the years certain issues warranted the need for me and others to try and fix problems. Sometimes things were fixed, sometimes they were made worse, and other times they were simply ignored. The mentality of the old gym was and is totally different than normal club gyms. Anyway, after things became worse to the point that I felt very strongly compelled to voice my opinion, I did so. I naturally upset a few in charge (though nearly all the rest of the staff and parents supported me). I was asked to explain how things could be made better. When given this opportunity I interviewed the staff and compiled notes, which became a 4 page letter of suggested ideas. The ideas were presented. They liked the ideas and even implemented nearly everyone one. Then they switched gears and things were said in a meeting to me that were completely false that I was able to defend easily having saved my files and organizing my notes. Some things were not permitted by me to defend even though the proof was very obviously right there in print because they didn't want to deal with it. That meeting turned around emotionally again, and they started complimenting me, and boosting my confidence in their ability to fix the problems in the gym. They even said things like, "You know Greg, those people (mentioning the names of the two people in charge at the gym) won't always be there, and when they leave we need someone with the ability and courage to take over and run things. Doing what you did here took guts." Well, after that meeting, a string of emails among staff members voicing our personal opinions, and few more meetings with the entire staff (which explained more of the same), we thought things were getting better until I was called into another meeting just before Christmas. I prepared all my notes and files again. The meeting was very short. It had the two individuals in charge of the program and the administrative officials there. I was told that my services were no longer required with them, to turn in my key, to pack up all my things, and to leave. They were very cold and impersonal. I was a bit shocked considering what they told me before. I did as I was told. It took a couple hours to pack it all up. I had 15 years worth of stuff in the gym. They said not to contact any parents. Obviously I called my friend Bret Stout who had been trying to recruit me to his gym, Eagle's Wings Athletics, where he and my other friend and past co-worker, Johnny Stout, (Bret's brother) coach. He hired me immediately. Then the next few hours were nuts with me going to the new gym, parents calling me because they were given a false email from the old gym basically stating that I left without saying goodbye (as if it was on my terms when in fact they let me go on their terms), and getting several emails as well. I made sure not to contact any parents and recruit boys. I only spoke with parents who contacted me first. They then helped spread the word. I told them that if they were happy at the old gym to stay there and wait to see how things go. However, if they wanted to come to Eagle's Wings then they are welcome to. Many crazy things were going on, but I couldn't deal with all of it at the time since I was preparing for my vacation to go on a cruise that next morning. (Note: If you ever want a roller coaster of emotions then do this...get wrongfully terminated from one job that you have had for 15 years, get hired by friends at another job, and then go on a cruise in the same 24 hour period).
I went on the cruise with naturally many weird thoughts going on in my head. I was thinking about the boys and girls that I wouldn't be coaching any more, the parents who would freak out, the staff, etc. I wasn't sure how the new staff, gymnasts, and parents would accept me. I tried to put those emotions on hold and have a fun cruise. Well, I did! I climbed the rock wall (and won 3 gold medals in competitions), played dodge ball (where a few times I was the last man standing for our team), worked out, gambled in the casino, ate lots of food, went to the beaches, went on an underwater submarine tour, and I saw some great shows. It was a blast! Pictures and video will be created of this trip when I get a chance.
After returning from the trip I started work at Eagle's Wings Athletics. It took a few weeks to get settled in and used to the schedule. About 8+ gymnasts came over from the old gym to Eagle's Wings. Also, when Bret realized that I was handy with building things he had me work on a few projects. The projects I have done so far are building...2 Buckets for the Pommel Horse/Mushroom area, the Pommel Horse/Mushroom area's matting, spotting rig for Tramp, spotting rig for Rings, spotting rig for P-bars, 3 spotting rigs for High Bar / Pit Bar, pit P-bars and padding them, a special traveling spotting rig for Floor / Vault / Mini-Tramp, a large padded bench and big padded boxes as standing and safety platforms for the trampoline and tumble trak, 4 new rings stations from the ceiling, 10 new parallets, a parallet wall station, extra tramp padding and steps, fixed several mushrooms & high buck, cargo net in the pit, bungee stations for high bar and ring work, and the biggest project has been the rock climbing wall and climbing cave.
As mentioned above GAT 2006 debuted the ITP-Boys 2 for teachers and coaches of older and/or optional team boys (Level 8, 9, & 10 + high school and some college). It was very well received. We just had it again at GAT 2008.
So, life is good. I work at Eagle's Wings Athletics (EWA) teaching several classes and teams of all ages and abilities. The Christian atmosphere from the staff, parents, and gymnasts is awesome! (Note: The name "Eagle's Wings" comes from the scripture from the Bible (Isaiah 40:31), "I will raise you up on Eagle's Wings...") I work on a few state boards and a few committees doing various projects for scholarships and/or educational purposes. I spend time with family and friends. Things are great.
At the time I typed this section of my biography (and then updated it again) things have been going incredibly well! I am at peace with everything in my life. I absolutely love spending my free time with family. I do so by being with my parents, brother, sisters, in laws, nephews, nieces, cousins, uncles, aunts, etc. while spending time at the big land, at our house, while going to movies, parties, special events, and more. I love the intellectual child development aspect, as well as the fun aspect of children playing and learning things in their everyday lives. I enjoy being a part of that experience and helping guide my nephews and nieces in their journeys. I am probably the type of uncle who leans closer to being a parent than an uncle because of how close I am to my nephews and nieces and because of how much time I spend with them on a regular basis.
I like making special videos for family, friends, and work. These normally are videos of cruises, ski trips, banquets, weddings, gymnastics presentations, sporting events, and other special events. I have my own "Greg Schram Entertainment" Video Productions business at home (1991-). I will be making mostly gymnastics videos in the future. Currently I am in post-production on a brand new series of DVDs for Drills, Stations, & Progressions for boys gymnastics.
I plan on writing some books for gymnastics instructors on simple methods for fun, safe, productive, and organized teaching of gymnastics components! I might even write some realistic-fiction gymnastics short stories or novels for the gymnasts!
I have now been on 8 cruises (Caribbean) and 25 snow trips (New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Canada) with family, friends, clubs, and/or coworkers!
On June 1st of 2008 without telling anyone except my parents...I went skydiving. My friends, family, and co-workers have known that I wanted to go and had said that I had to do it soon. It had been on my list of things to do before I turn 36. I have others before I turn 40/50 (like receive certain awards, hold certain positions in the gymnastics community, etc). Anyway, I went and it was awesome!! Here are the details. I got there early. It was far away in Fort Worth. The owner was also my instructor. We went through tons of paper work, and then he left to take someone before me to do his jump. I saw them land about 45 minutes later. Then I got geared up, which really was just a harness since he had the chute. I wore my EWA warm up suit, which they said was perfect and probably more comfortable than a jump suit. We got in the plane and spent about 30 minutes going up in circles like an upside down wedding cake based on the rules of flight pathes / restrictions. We talked about various things unrelated to sky diving. We did about 5 minutes prep. The video guy got out of the plane first. I then obviously was a bit freaked inside, but I didn't want it to show,...so I simply did as I was told. The instructor was harnessed to my back at this point and we got out of the plane and stood with one foot on a tiny 6 inch ledge under the wing of the plane. The wind was crazy. It was hard to hear anything. I had to let go and cross my arms on my chest, while looking down at the earth 2 miles up with only one foot on the tiny ledge. We did a 1-2-3 go and simply released the plane with the video guy right there in front of me. It was nothing like a roller coaster. It was and is like floating on a bubble of air. I am the type of person who loves roller coasters and thrills like cliff jumping, but I also usually yell and get excited as I fall. This was different. It was an instant feeling of peace. My mouth didn't even open. As we were falling at terminal velocity it was a bit tough to control the air being breathed in, but the rest was awesome. Then we did the chute and it was not like you see on TV or the way it looks even on my video. The "jerk" up is just an illusion. It was fine and no big deal. The ride down with the chute was incredible and amazingly peaceful. It felt like we weren't moving. I saw our shadow going alongside the cars on the highway, and we were moving as fast as they were. Then we did some loops and turns and went the other way. It looked as if we were motionless from the shadow's perspective. As we got closer to the ground we made our approach to land. This was where gymnastics training paid off. We needed to do what they call a "flair," which even though this is a gym term it actually is the same motion as a "cross" on rings. We had to pull the straps down the side and then lift our knees up to be able to slow down and walk out of the landing. We did just that and it was so easy. I loved it. I told the video guy, "I am so going to be doing that a lot!" I plan to keep skydiving and jumping as time/money permit. It is the coolest feeling in the world!!
I have a lot to update on this bio page for events that happened in my life from June 2008 - March 2010. Hopefully, I will get to that soon!! (It will include all of the awards/honors that my boys and/or I have received, exciting moments in and out of the gym, an incredible vacation, and more. Those who are friends with me on Facebook see (or already have seen) updated images since I update FB faster.
Here are a few stats on what we have...We currently have a 50 foot tower on our land. It has a 250 foot long zip line to slide down. It also has five levels. The walls are designed for different ability climbers. We built a barn house that my sister and her family live in now while its in its last few stages. Our new house has been our most recent big project that is also on the land. This three-story house is between 4200-5000 square feet (depending on whether you count some unfinished areas). We moved into the house in April of 2005. Next to it is a medium sized playground/fort for little kids that my brother, John is designing and building with some help from me, my Dad, and brother-in-law, David.
Here are some more basic and current stats on me...I am currently 36 years old, weigh about 150 lbs, am 5'9", have blonde hair and blue eyes. My favorite color is royal blue. My favorite foods are pasta and chocolate. My top ten favorite movies of all time are, "The Passion of The Christ" , "The Ten Commandments" , "Superman The Movie (and Superman Returns tied with it)" , "Back To The Future" , "Goonies" , "ET" , "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" , "Jurassic Park" , "Independence Day" , and "Planet of the Apes" (old & new). My favorite TV shows (old and new) are/were "Little House on the Prairie" , "The Cosby Show" , "Highway to Heaven" , "The Rifleman" , "Alias" , "Smallville" , "LOST" , "ER" , "Friends" , "Fear Factor" , "24" , "The West Wing" , "Stargate - SG1" , "Crossing Jordan" , "Boston Legal" , "The Apprentice" , "Chuck" , "Heroes" , "Deal or No Deal" , "Eureka" and more. My favorite topics of reading are sports, science fiction, realistic-future fiction, and biblical prophecy - like The Left Behind series. My favorite "sit and order" restaurants are Benihanas, Cheddars, The Olive Garden, and On the Border. My favorite "fast food" restaurants are Arby's, Subway, Burger King, and KFC. My favorite cafeterias are The Golden Corral and Furrs. My favorite games are playing cards (poker, black jack, sumba canasta, spades, hearts, etc.)
My absolute favorite activities are spending hours at a time with my niece (on the computer, reading, singing, playing, or even when doing chores), spending time with family at the land (climbing, rappelling, doing the zip line, building, relaxing, etc), exercising, and going to the opening day of a really anticipated movie.
I'm the second of four children in our family .

Father - Leon Schram - Computer Science Teacher, Book Writer, Speaker, & Club Sponsor. Previously in RISD for 23 years but retired and now is teaching at a private school - John Paul II. He immigrated from Holland and then after high school was a Green Beret, a travel agent, and a Gold Level Arthur Murry Dancer/Instructor (where he met my mother as one of his students).

Mother - Isolde Schram - Retired Infant/Toddler/Preschool Program Director. She was a beautician in Washington, D.C. She managed a beauty salon and did Mrs. Nixon's hair! She was asked to make the first Ronald MacDonald wig! She has been taking care of children for 30+ years!