The name "Puerto Vallarta" conjures up images of white, sandy beaches and a warm ocean breeze. For Ryan Spackman, Amanda Schoemig and Kenny Schoemig, it also brings to mind their recent experiences participating in the Goodwill games, which were held in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico the week of Jan. 5-12.

Ryan, a sophomore at Lone Peak High School, has a high blue belt and received medals in all four events -- a gold one in Form, and silver ones in Chanbarra (padded sword fighting), Weapon and Sparring.

Amanda, a Lone Peak junior, has a high green belt and competed in Form, Sparring and Chanbarra, receiving gold medals in all three divisions.

Her brother Kenny, a ninth-grade student at Mountain Ridge Junior High School, has first Dan black belt and took gold in Sparring, silver in Weapon and Chanbarra and bronze in Form.

All three students said their favorite part of the tournament was meeting martial arts students from around the world.

"It was our first time to one of these world tournaments," Kenny said. "We met a kid from Texas named Hunter and one from Ohio, and a Canadian who beat me, but we're still pretty good friends. We hope to see all of them next year at the World Cup (held at Disney World) if we qualify."

The Goodwill Games are held every two years by the World Congress of Martial Arts, said instructor Jenny Jarvis. Several hundred participants gather from all types of martial arts and from all over the world.

"They usually try to go somewhere fun," she said. "In the past they have gone to Jamaica, Venezuela, Canada, and Great Britain."

Five students from Jarvis' Pleasant Grove studio qualified at a tournament in Grand Junction, Colo. to participate in the games.

"They trained every week for seven months, and then over the Christmas break they trained almost every day to get ready," said Heather Schoemig, mother of two of the participants.

"They all worked hard on their training and plus getting sponsors to help pay for their trip."

The students were accompanied by family members and instructors Jenny Jarvis, Tim Albrethsen, and Randy Smith, who also competed as a student.Students paid for the trip, which cost $2,000 per student, with personal funds and sponsors.The five students were the only participants from Utah on Team USA, which included competitors from across the country.

Amanda said that team members spent many hours training and recruiting sponsors.

"We had scratch cards with different amounts of money and asked neighbors to contribute," she said. "We also typed up letters to companies.We came (to class) on Fridays for an hour and a half, and also attended other classes."

She is especially proud of her Chanbarra medal.

"I was the only girl and beat all the Canadian guys," she said.

In addition to competing in the tournaments, students shopped at the flea market, swam in the ocean and went on a canopy tour.

Ryan said the canopy tour was his favorite activity.

"It is a bunch of zip lines in the mountains; some of them are half a mile long," he said."This guy came down right after me screaming and ran into me."

Confidence and respect for others are two of the main benefits of martial arts training, the students said.

"We love it so much and it's like our addiction," Kenny said."We came here looking for self defense and we found something that we really wanted to do, something that could help us mentally, physically and spiritually."