Black Belt Challenge Karate Team for 2011

Here's a piece of my article in the January Spectrum. It gives a very brief overview to karate training and competition for the Team.

Karate Team in TrainingThe Cedar Ridge Shotokan Black Belt Challenge Karate Team has started training for our 2011 tournament schedule.
A team of seven members and two alternates train on Sundays in addition to our weekly training schedule of karate on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The team training on Sundays places more emphasis on the strategies and rules of competition, to supplement the basic forms and partner practice the students get in the weekday classes.
Students on the karate team train to compete in two categories when they attend a tournament. The first category is kata, which is a choreographed set of moves designed by some previous karate master that all students in the discipline learn and perform. If you attend a tournament, you will see several of the competitors in any given division perform the same kata. In kata, the student who performs with the best form and timing, the most power, and the most technical accuracy wins. Obviously, different judges see different things from different angles, so a winner is essentially determined by a group vote.

Read the rest of the article at www.cedarridgeacademy.net/newsletter.html and link to the January 2011 issue of The Cedar Spectrum.

Nicolette's Brown Belt Beastly Bash

Well, about a month ago, I (Nicolette) got my brown belt. And no, i didn't just get it handed to me, I had to really work for it.

So the new rule for Cedar Ridge Shotokan is that you have to be on level 800 to recieve your brown belt, and level 900 to recieve your black belt. The reason this rule is in effect, is because you have to be showing your belt level outside of the dojo, which would include you being a higher level. In my case, I had been "just too good at it[being a sempai]". being able to be a sempai means that you show leadership skill, good spirit, attitude and effort. This is major in being a senior student because you are now an example for the rest of the karate dojo.

I went through a very straining hour of all different kinds of kicks, punches and different combinations infront of the whole campus. I was sweating profusely, totally out of breath, and had the feeling as though I was about to vomit all over the dojo floor. the most intense part of is, was that Kat and Jamie were in the background shouting insults at me. Saying things like, "you will never be good enough, you will just go back to drugs" and things like that that they KNEW would get me pissed. The point was that i could fight through all of the anger, and keep up my good spirit.
I did just that, and I was able to keep my spirit. Sensei Rob then asked me if I could commit to being a leader inside and outside of the dojo. Of course I am, so i said "Os". He then told me he had something for me, and gave me my brown belt. I immediately started crying. This is the day I have been waiting for. Karate is my number one thing I love to do. It is my "Kung Fu", so when I was able to officially be a Sempai, it was a dream come true. And that's my story.

-Lettuce

KYU EXAMS

Cedar Ridge Academy Boarding School students in Utah test for their next karate belt level, or 'kyu' level. We had a lot of good energy during this test!