Tonight Lance took another karate test. It was that time and he was more than ready for it. He tested for his Orange Belt. He tested with another little boy and he pretty much nailed it. He knew all his stuff and was as ready as he should have been for this test.
I am very proud of him. I think he has gotten past his anxiety of karate tests. He really did phenomenal tonight on this test.
Here Lance (middle) is with his instructors Carol Parenti (left) and Grand Master Johnnie Murphy (right). It is always a real treat for the kids to get their belts tied on by a Grand Master. From the look on Lance’s face, he knows that he did a fantastic job on this test. He did an outstanding job!
Unfortunately, due to the level of pain that I was in with my tooth I was not as fast with the camera(s). I missed both of his board breaks. There are no pictures of his board breaks. I did get it on the camcorder I believe. It was mounted on the tripod and running, so hopefully they were inside the frame still when he did it. He nailed the break on the first attempt. As much as I hate to watch the kids miss the break on the first try, I sometimes wish they would. It just looks painful. Something about watching them rub that area or bounce around makes me think that it really does hurt. At the very least it must sting. However, that miss gives me time to at least get the camera ready for another pass at the break if I was not fast enough for the first attempt.
He did not get to break a real board this go around. He had to break two of the plastic “break away” boards they use at one time. They are supposed to be the equivalent of breaking a certain thickness of wood boards. Lance had to break it with the ball of his palm/fist. He went straight through the board. I did not actually see him break it because it happened so fast. Pain can really dull your senses and reaction to things. Then he decided he wanted to break three of the “break away” boards at one time. He broke that in one attempt as well. The child of course was rubbing his hand when he got done, but the face he made was all about the accomplishment. He claims he was doing it for “the challenge.” The other boy only broke the two boards.
Way to go, Lance! Next stop, blue belt.
Great job buddy!