A new level

Good evening my fellow Deviantartists how are we all this fine December evening.  

Some of you may have realised that roughly six weeks ago on the second of November i posted a journal depicting my completion and success in the pre test for Tang Soo Do in order for me to go for the rank of third dan black belt.  In this previous journal i stated that i had been officially invited to test on what was in fact today, the sixth of December.  Well my friends that day has come and passed and all i can say is.  What a day it has been.  I attended the testing this morning which ran from Nine oclock in the morning until one oclock in the afternoon and consisted of eight candidates.  Five of which were my fellow classmates going for a range of different black belt grades.  

I woke up this morning next to my beautiful girlfriend and thought that this was a perfect way to start they day.  That if i did not for some reason pass the testing at least i would have gotten to wake up next to her.  The testing was...in all brutal honesty...the most difficult physical event i have ever had to put myself through.  Half an hour in to the four hour testing and my karate suit was ringing with sweat already.  Lovely right.  Well it gets worse as the sweat was ringing off me more and more with each passing second.  The pain i felt at various points in the testing is indescribable.  We were required to do two on one sparring with two people attacking a blindfolded opponent.  I unfortunately had to do this ( My fight was the last one of the event so i was lucky ) and in this fight i was brutally destroyed by my own friends, knocked to the floor and almost put unconscious several times.  

But anyway that is just one aspect of the testing.  Another aspect is that in order for me to pass i not only had to demonstrate the standards required of me but also act as a leader ( As i was the most senior grade out of all of the candidates today ) By doing this i was the one who motivated and pushed the rest of the testers through the day encouraging them to do their best when they were lagging behind.  unfortunately though it would seem that at some points i could not follow my own advice as i found myself being unable to push through walls without the motivation of others behind me.  

At the end of the testing i honestly thought that i had failed.  My mum and my girlfriend were standing looking at me but i could not bring myself to look at them as i honestly felt that if i had failed i would be too ashamed.  Surprisingly though this was not the case and my instructor called me forward in order to present me with the rank of Third Dan Black Belt in the art of Tang Soo Do.  Not only is this an immense achievement for anyone  to accomplish but this is one of the things i never thought would have been possible for me.  I always knew i would make it to second dan but never did i think i would make it to third.  The waves of happiness, pride, joy, exhaustion and relief that i felt as i walked up to the panel, shook the hands of all nine judges and then wrapped my temporary new belt around my waist was incredible.  Why is it only a temporary belt you may ask?.  Well guys the story is that i had the chance to either be given a brand new belt with the three gold stripes on it or i could continue to wear the same belt that i have been wearing for two and a half years now, have it shipped off to get the third gold stripe on it and then wear it for another potentially five years before i am ready to go and test for my masters grade.  So i decided to keep my belt ( Just because i am a sentimental kind of guy.)

Once again guys i have no words to describe just how happy and proud of myself and all my other team mates i am.  Inverness Tang Soo Do keeps on getting stronger and stronger as we continue to introduce more and more black belts into our ranks and even more second and third dans as well.  I am now away to collapse and watch Dawn of The Planet of The Apes.  

Ciao guys
HD