Friday night (after a day of blissful Lady's Art) Sweetheart G and I tested for our first Taekwondo belts.
It was a good experience, much more to my liking that the tournament. The event was smaller, more personal, and I knew what to expect.
I was proud to watch my Sweet G move through her form and then spar. It was Sweetheart G's idea to start Taekwondo, and it was very rewarding to see how much she has learned.
My own forms went well, and I had a great sparring partner. (The sparring done at these events is different than the mysterious (and frustrating) point sparring or the sparring we do in class.) In this demonstration style of sparring you are supposed to show all that you know, but you aren't really supposed to fight your partner. You are there to inspire your partner, not to find weakness in their defense. This type of sparring, I like.
After Sweetheart G and I had received our yellow stripes (represented by yellow electrical tape on our white belts), we were congratulated by the black belts present. The best part of my night was when my Master said I showed "good power" in my form (SQUEEE!). I also really enjoyed listening to the Grand Master tell the students in his accented English, "Honor your parents. When your mother makes you food to eat, say you like it, even if you don't. This will make her happy. You should always make your parents happy." I knew I this Taekwondo was a good thing!