I've had a request for some pics and discussion of my black belt test. Well, as you can imagine I have about a thousand pics from various people who were there, so it was hard to choose just a couple, but here are two of my favorites.
The one on the bottom is of me breaking the second of a two-board combination. The first kick was a roundhouse kick, and the guy kneeling down was holding that board (which broke like a good little board should!). This picture is a perfectly placed back kick and my foot going through the second board. I was actually pretty nervous about this combo because the night before I had gotten a verbal beating from one of the higher ranking black belts about my form. This woman (we sometimes call her "Bad Cop") went on and on about how I wasn't chambering my back kick and how I wouldn't break a board like that, and I had to practice the combo like seven or eight times, each time waiting for her critique. It was unnerving to say the least, especially the night before the test. But during the actual test I just cleared my mind and focused only on the task at hand -- which is huge for me.
The one on the top is Master Gordon White tying on my black belt as my good friend (and fellow tester), Ramsey Papp, looks on. I have to say that I have never felt more proud of myself than I did at that moment. I thought I would actually cry, but I didn't. If this had been one of those underdog-overcomes-obstacles-and-wins-game/contest/prize movies, though, I'd have been a blubbering mess. It was a very emotional moment, though, joking aside. And what made it even better was that I had so many friends and family watching me (and testing with me)...not only am I a badass, but I am loved.
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